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VANCOUVER – Zander Horvath scored three touchdowns and the BC Lions held on for a 48-29 win over the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday.
BC took a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter, only to see the visiting team come back and bring the game within just four points late in the first half.
Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 24 of his 33 attempts for 317 passing yards, connecting with Keon Hatcher Sr. for a touchdown in the second quarter.
The Canadian added 77 rushing yards and had a major of his own, while defensive lineman Casey Sayles also scored a TD for BC (7-6). Sean Whyte made a pair of field goals, including a 42-yard strike late in the game’s final minute.
Davis Alexander threw for 242 yards for the Alouettes (10-3), and found Tyler Snead and Tyson Philpot in the end zone. He also recorded an interception early in the second quarter.
Defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson added a big win in Montreal off a forced fumble and Jose Maltos Diaz hit three field goals.
The result ended a home-and-home series that saw the Als pick up a 37-30 win in Montreal last week.
The Alouettes nearly recorded an early interception on Saturday when Robert Kennedy III nearly stopped Rourke’s attempt on Jermaine Jackson at the goal line midway through the first quarter.
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Rourke put a pass right over Stanley Berryhill’s fingertips on the next play and the Lions settled for a 35-yard field goal from Whyte to open the scoring.
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A successful challenge helped BC increase its lead before the end of the opening frame.
Tyrice Beverette dived to catch Rourke’s pass in the end zone and it looked like the visiting team would make the interception. Lions head coach Buck Pierce challenged the play and, upon review, officials determined Lorenzo Burns had interfered with the pass, putting BC on the one-yard line.
Horvath capitalized, going over and Whyte’s conversion gave the home side a 10-0 lead.
Seconds into the second quarter, Alexander tried to catch a pass before he was pulled down from behind, but Sayles caught the ball and ran for another TD that put the Lions up 17-0.
The interception ended a streak that saw the Als QB throw 108 attempts without being caught.
Montreal responded with a big drive, capped by Alexander’s 26-yard throw to Philpott in the end zone to put the visitors on the scoreboard 2 1/2 minutes into the quarter.
It didn’t take long for the Alouettes to further reduce the deficit.
Beverette slipped around BC’s offensive line and dragged Rourke down the field. Johnson collected the loose ball and ran it in for another TD. Maltos Diaz missed the conversion, but the Lions’ lead shrank to four points.
The two sides then traded seven-point scores, with Rourke finding Hatcher in the end zone under pressure before Alexander delivered a deep ball to Snead to make it 24-20 for BC
The action continued at both ends of the field in the final seconds of the first half.
With 35 seconds remaining in the quarter, Rourke held the ball himself after a snap and streaked downfield, taking the ball to the corner marker for a touchdown before being forced out of bounds. Whyte’s conversion put BC ahead 31-20.
A series of penalties on Montreal’s next possession made the game choppy, but the Als held on and, with five seconds remaining in the first half, Maltos Diaz drilled a 25-yard shot past the uprights to make it 31-23 heading into the locker room.
Both sides struggled to capture momentum in the second half, but Montreal bit back into BC’s lead midway through the third with a 33-yard field goal from Maltos Diaz.
The Lions broke through the deadlock midway through the frame when Horvath worked his way through traffic for his second TD of the night.
Montreal lost a key piece on the ensuing kickoff when receiver Devonte Dedmon fell and injured his leg in the process. After being examined in the field, he was taken away using a cart.
Horvath struck again with less than five minutes left in the game, crossing the goal line for his third goal of the game and 16th of the season.
Montreal answered with a 50-yard field goal from Maltos Diaz before Whyte closed the game at 48-29 with a 42-yard shot past the high post.
NEXT
Alouettes: Visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-9) on Friday.
Lions: Get a week off before hosting the Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-5) on Friday, September 25.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2026.
© 2026 Canadian Press
