Saturday was a special day for the BC Lions and their fans as the team snapped a five-game losing skid with a 38-12 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks.
But this was not a regular home game win because the Leos and the Redblacks faced each other in Victoria as part of the first Touchdown Pacific.
The occasion marked the first-ever CFL game to be played in Victoria, and of course, the hometown star scored the first touchdown of the match.
Playing in his third game with the Lions since rejoining the team after spending the entirety of last season and the start of this season chasing his NFL dream, Nathan Rourke ran into the endzone to give BC an early lead.
The Leos never looked back and going into halftime, BC was up 31-6 against the Redblacks.
BC came out of the locker room and put the game on cruise control in the second half as Rourke connected with Justin McInnis for the last touchdown of the game to make it 38-12 in the fourth quarter, the final score.
Rourke finished the match with 325 yards in the air, three passing touchdowns and one interception. On the ground, he added 29 yards and one major.
Also making their return from a stint in the NFL was Mathieu Betts. The CFL's reigning top defensive player did what he did best and managed to get a sack and three tackles in his season debut.
The Lions are back in action this Friday as they visit the 10-1 Montreal Alouettes.
