Lions look to snap three-game losing skid vs Bombers with return of QB Nathan Rourke

Quarterback Nathan Rourke will pick up his CFL career where it left off when the BC Lions host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Sunday afternoon.

The Victoria native’s last game with BC was a 28-20 loss to the Bombers in the 2022 West Final. He spent the next 18 months trying to land a job in the NFL before returning to the Lions this week.

“I guess it’s a bit of a coincidence,” Rourke, winner of the CFL’s Most Outstanding Canadian award in 2022, said after a practice this week. “To me, it’s just the next game.

“I’m not looking past these guys, (they) deserve every ounce of our respect and our attention.”

Rourke’s return has sparked excitement for BC fans and comes just as the team is trying to steer itself out of a dangerous skid.

After starting the season 5-1, the Lions have lost three straight games, including an embarrassing 25-0 pasting at the hands of the Bombers (3-6) earlier this month. During that stretch, BC has been outscored 83-40 and managed just three touchdowns.

The Lions were also desperate for a quarterback after starter Vernon Adams Jr. missed BC’s 33-16 loss to Edmonton last weekend. He is listed as week-to-week with a knee injury.

Lions head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell said the past can’t dicate the future.

“You have to move on,” said Campbell. “It’s another big game and we’re going through a rut right now.

“If you’re going to play pro sports, you’re going to have some setbacks. We’re all looking forward to Sunday.”

Defensive back Gary Peters said the defence needs to be better. Heading into the weekend, the Lions allowed 371.0 yards in net offence per game, second most in the league, and were middle of the pack in giving up 25.3 points.

“We need to make more plays,” said Peters. “We don’t have enough turnovers. Everybody needs to do their job.”

A challenge for the Lions will be shutting down Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira who is tied with Toronto’s Ka’Deem Carey for the CFL lead with 611 yards on 107 carries.

“We need to go out there and start fast,” Oliveira told reporters in Winnipeg this week. “We need to execute at a high level.

“Our defence has been playing lights out this year, but it’s time for us to give them a little bit of a break.”

Head coach Mike O’Shea said Winnipeg’s lopsided win in the team’s last meeting is in the rearview mirror.

“We assume they are going to play their best football,” said O’Shea. “I’m sure it will be better than the last time they played us.”

Rourke, who played his college football at Ohio University, played eight games as a backup for the Lions in 2021, then took over as a starter the next year.

During the 2022 season, he completed 255 of 325 passes for 3,349 yards, 25 touchdowns and 10 interceptions in 10 games. He also ran for 304 yards and seven TDs and helped guide the Lions to second place in the West with a 12-6 record.

Rourke signed with the Jacksonville Jaguars in January 2023 but never appeared in a regular-season NFL game.

After being waived by the Jaguars in December 2023, he was claimed by the New England Patriots, where he dressed as a backup for one game.

The Patriots brought Rourke back this year, signing him to a one-year deal in March. But they released him in May. After short stints with the New York Giants and Atlanta Falcons, he decided to return home.

Even with limited practice time, Rourke is confident he can reacquaint himself with offensive co-ordinator Jordan Maksymic’s system.

“I’ve known this one, I learned it at some point,” said Rourke. “This is also my fifth offence this year, so I’m going to have to forget a bunch of stuff to make room for this stuff.”

WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (3-6) at BC Lions (5-4)

Sunday, B.C. Place

STILL PERFECT: Lions kicker Sean Whyte has been perfect this season, making all 27 field goal attempts with his longest being 52 yards. Nine of his kicks have been 40 or more yards.

REDBLACKS TIMES TWO: Next up, BC plays back-to-back games against the Ottawa Redblacks. The Lions travel to Ottawa for a game Saturday, then host the Redblacks Aug. 31 in the Touchdown Pacific at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria.

DOUBLING DOWN: In their three losses, the Lions offence has managed 647 total yards while the defence allowed 1,231.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 17, 2024.