Sean Whyte kicked a franchise-record eight field goals and the BC Lions stopped Toronto on back-to-back quarterback sneaks from the one-yard line to beat the Argonauts 24-17 at BMO Field on Saturday. Whyte's eight kicks accounted for all of BC's points.
Defensive back TJ Lee intercepted Nick Arbuckle in the red zone on a late Toronto drive. The Argonauts forced a two-and-out and got the ball back, reaching the one-yard line, where the Lions stopped Arbuckle on consecutive sneaks. Toronto trailed by seven, so a touchdown and convert would have tied the game.
The Goal-Line Stand
Lee said the stop reflected how his group has played.
"We preach having grit and fighting for every yard, fighting for anything we can do to stop the game and win the game for our team. So it was nice we came in clutch," Lee said.
Asked what runs through his head watching Toronto get two cracks at the end zone from the one, Lee described it as part of the job.
"It's a mentality, and it's an opportunity for them to score, but it's also an opportunity for us to stop them. So anytime we get on the field, our defence has the mindset of it's an opportunity, and we took advantage of it today," Lee said.
Lee also had one of BC's two interceptions. Deontai Williams tipped and picked off Arbuckle to open the second half and returned it 17 yards to the Toronto 29. Asked about the takeaways, Lee said it comes down to players stepping up. "What it's gonna take is big-time players stepping up when it matters most. And we're starting to do that," Lee said.
Head coach Buck Pierce said the ending fit the way his defence has played lately.
"The defence, you look at what they were able to do, and at times they were able to keep everything in front of them, which I thought was great. And throughout the course of this last little stretch, they've been fantastic. And it was fitting the way that that game ended, because of how well they played. One-yard line, defending every blade of grass when it comes down to something like that. Couldn't be more proud of the group," Pierce said.
Sean Whyte's Eight Field Goals
Whyte made all eight of his field goal attempts, breaking the club record he shared with Lui Passaglia and finishing one short of the CFL record of nine. Both Lee and Pierce singled him out.
"Sean Whyte, we know he's clutch. It's like a free throw for him. Every kick's a free throw," Lee said.
Pierce called Whyte a weapon.
"Just fantastic. Consummate professional day in and day out. There's never a moment too big for him. When we look at each other on the sidelines, I can tell he's ready to go. He's done it so many times, and I think the recognition for him of what he's been able to do throughout the course of his career was highlighted by tonight. He's a weapon," Pierce said.
Rourke on the Offence
Quarterback Nathan Rourke, who threw for 254 yards on 15-of-32 passing with no touchdowns, put the responsibility on himself.
"Two out of the three aspects of our team really played extremely well today. Offensively, we got to do better, and it starts with me. Never like to rely on and put it up to other people. We want to control what's in our control. But a win is a win. That's a very good football team. We didn't play our best and we still got it done," Rourke said.
Rourke said the Lions cannot expect that formula to hold. "This time of year, we got to be playing better. We can't expect to play like that and win. So things to clean up. But it's always good where you can learn from a win rather than a loss," he said.
Pierce was asked whether the offence's struggles to finish drives concern him.
"I'll tell you what concerns me is lack of focus, having some errors mentally and physically, those things. But once again, you got to give credit to Toronto too. That's a good football team here, and it's never easy to win here. They're well coached in all facets of it. They play hard. They're a group that plays the right way, and we knew that coming in," Pierce said.
Pierce said the offence needs consistency. "We just got to make sure offensively we continue to strive to put our best foot forward at all times, and it's not always going to look the way it's looked previously, right? So I think the biggest takeaway is the resilience and how the team responded in all phases," he said.
Cottoy Earns Tough Yards
Rourke was asked about receiver Jevon Cottoy, who missed time with injury earlier in the season and caught four passes for 74 yards against Toronto.
"He's very versatile. We're able to do a lot of different things with him. Love his toughness. He took a couple shots today, but he's a tough guy to break down, to take down. And certainly a very reliable guy out there for me," Rourke said.
Eyes on First, Not Second
Lee was asked about holding second place in the West Division, where BC sits at 9-6 behind Edmonton.
"Worry about what we control. And we got our eyes on first. We don't think second. We don't think that way. That's not our makeup. That's not who we are. If it happens, it happens. All we got to do is this tail end of the season is focus on getting closer, focus on taking advantage of the opportunities we have. And keep balling and celebrating," Lee said.
It was the Lions' first win at BMO Field since 2019. "We talked about it, I think day 3. We haven't won here in however long. And like Coach always says, it was perfect. It's set up for the perfect scenario. So we haven't won in 2000-whatever-19 or 2009 or whatever. Today we won and that's perfect for us," Lee said.
Pierce, asked about the same standings framing, turned to the work ahead. "Enjoy this one tonight. We got to get a good couple days of work in, and that's important for us. We got to enjoy this one, look hard at this tape, make sure that we're doing the proper things so we can put our best foot forward," Pierce said.
Full division standings are on the CFL standings page.
Watch the Full Videos
BC Lions: BC Lions Defensive Back T.J. Lee | Post-Game | Oct.03.26
BC Lions: BC Lions Quarterback Nathan Rourke | Post-Game | Oct.03.26
BC Lions: BC Lions Head Coach Buck Pierce | Post-Game | Oct.03.26