Lions look to stay unbeaten against rested Redblacks

Nathan Rourke has grabbed the early headlines this Canadian Football League season — and not simply because he’s a rare Canadian quarterback.

The 24-year-old from Victoria, B.C., powered the B.C. Lions (2-0) to a pair of lopsided victories to start the season and, last week, set a CFL record in the process.

Rourke threw for 436 yards and hit a new single-game record for passing yards by a Canadian QB as the Lions thumped the Toronto Argonauts 44-3.

B.C. has scored 103 points this year, matching the most any CFL club has put up in the first two games of a season (Toronto, 1992).

While much of the attention has been on Rourke, the Lions’ defence has been solid, too, giving up just 18 points, including a single TD.

B.C. will need both the offence and defence to click once again Thursday as it takes on the rested Redblacks in Ottawa.

Ottawa (0-2) is coming off a bye after dropping a 19-12 decision to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 2 action.

Redblacks QB Jeremiah Masoli is trying for a third straight game with more than 300 passing yards.

He’s hit the mark in six of his past eight starts dating back to his time with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats last year.

Ottawa will add a potent piece to the lineup this week with running back William Powell making his season debut. The 34-year-old Kansas State product missed the first two games with an Achilles injury, but was a full participant in practice Monday.

The Lions, meanwhile, will be without star receiver Bryan Burnham, who was added to the sixgame injured list after suffering fractured ribs in Saturday’s win. He’ll be replaced in the lineup by Josh Pearson, a 25-year-old American who spent 2020 with the Super Bowl-winning Tampa Bay Buccaneers.

Pick B.C.

Edmonton Elks at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (Friday night)

It’s been a rough start to the season for both the Elks (0-3) and TigerCats (0-3). Hamilton’s Dane Evans leads the league in passing yards (884) but completed just 25 of 42 tries in the Ticats’ 26-12 loss to the Blue Bombers last week. Edmonton seemed to be trending in the right direction Saturday, jumping out to a10-point lead over the Stampeders before Calgary climbed back for a 30-23 victory. Elks QB Nick Arbuckle threw for 226 yards with a touchdown and an interception in his return to Calgary, the city where he started his CFL career.

Pick Edmonton

Montreal Alouettes at Saskatchewan Roughriders (Saturday night)

The Roughriders (2-1) will look to exact revenge in the back half of this home-and-home series. Last week, Montreal’s Trevor Harris started in place of Vernon Adams Jr. — who tested positive for COVID-19 — and threw for 262 yards and a TD, powering the Als to a 37-13 win. Montreal (1-2) limited Saskatchewan’s offence with eight sacks, three interceptions and five pass knockdowns. Riders QB Cody Fajardo connected on 17 of 28 attempts for just 191 yards in Week 3.

Pick Saskatchewan

Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Toronto Argonauts (Monday night)

The reigning Grey Cup-champion Bombers (3-0) are undefeated to start the season after posting a 2612 win over the Ticats on Friday. Winnipeg defensive lineman Willie Jefferson had a dominant outing, with three tackles, a sack and a pick six — earning him a CFL top performer of the week nod. The Argos (1-1), meanwhile, are looking to recover from the ugly 44-3 loss they suffered in B.C. Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie called his team’s performance “embarrassing.”

Pick Winnipeg

Last week 3-1

Overall record 11-1