Horvath tallies three TDs, Lions down Alouettes

VANCOUVER – Zander Horvath drove in three touchdowns and the B.C. Lions held on for a 48-29 victory over the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday.

B.C. jumped out to a 17-0 lead early in the second quarter, only to see the visitors rally and get the game to within four points late in the first half.

Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke made good on 24 of his 33 attempts for 317 passing yards, connecting with Keon Hatcher Sr. for a second-quarter touchdown.

The Canadian added 77 rushing yards and drove in a major of his own, while defensive lineman Casey Sayles also notched a TD for B.C. (7-6). Sean Whyte made a pair of field goals, including a 42-yard kick late in the game’s final minutes.

Davis Alexander threw for 242 yards for the Alouettes (10-3), and found both Tyler Snead and Tyson Philpot in the end zone. He also registered an interception early in the second quarter.

Defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson added a Montreal major off a forced fumble and Jose Maltos Diaz chalked up three field goals.

The result capped a home-and-home series that saw the Als take a 37-30 win in Montreal last week.

The Alouettes came within inches of recording an early interception Saturday when Robert Kennedy III nearly picked off Rourke’s attempt to Jermaine Jackson on the goal line midway through the first quarter.

Rourke put a pass just over the outstretched fingertips of Stanley Berryhill on the next play and the Lions settled for a 35-yard field goal from Whyte to open the scoring.

A successful challenge helped B.C. boost its lead before the end of the opening frame.

Tyrice Beverette swooped in to collect Rourke’s pass in the end zone and it looked like the visitors had made good on the interception. Lions head coach Buck Pierce challenged the play and, after review, officials ruled Lorenzo Burns had interfered with the pass, putting B.C. at the one-yard line.

Horvath capitalized, plunging in and Whyte’s convert gave the home side a 10-0 lead.

Seconds into the second quarter, Alexander tried to get a pass off before he was pulled down from behind, but Sayles nabbed the ball and sprinted in for another TD that put the Lions up 17-0.

The interception ended a streak that saw the Als QB go 108 attempts without getting picked off.

Montreal responded with a big drive, capped by Alexander’s 26-yard toss to Philpott in the end zone to put the visitors on the scoreboard 2 1/2 minutes into the quarter.

It didn’t take the Alouettes long to further chip away at the deficit.

Beverette snuck around B.C.’s offensive line and hauled Rourke to the turf. Johnson collected the loose ball and ran it in for another TD. Maltos Diaz missed the convert, but the Lions’ lead dwindled to four points.

The two sides then traded seven-point scores, with Rourke finding Hatcher in the end zone under pressure before Alexander sent Snead a deep ball to make it 24-20 for B.C.

Action continued on both ends of the field in the dying seconds of the first half.

With 35 seconds left in the quarter, Rourke kept the ball himself after a snap and darted down the field, getting the ball to the corner marker for a touchdown before getting forced out of bounds. Whyte’s convert put B.C. up 31-20.

A string of penalties on Montreal’s next possession made for choppy play, but the Als persisted and, with five seconds to go in the half, Maltos Diaz put a 25-yard kick through the uprights to make it 31-23 heading into the locker rooms.

Both sides struggled to capture momentum in the second half, but Montreal took another bite out of B.C.’s lead midway through the third with 33-yard field goal from Maltos Diaz.

The Lions broke through the stalemate midway through the frame when Horvath muscled his way through traffic for his second TD of the night.

Montreal lost a key piece on the ensuing kickoff return when receiver Devonte Dedmon was upended and suffered an apparent leg injury in the process. After being examined on the field, he was taken away on a cart.

Horvath struck again with less than five minutes to go in the game, diving across the goal line for his third touchdown of the game and 16th of the season.

Montreal answered with a 50-yard field goal from Maltos Diaz before Whyte sealed the game at 48-29 with a 42-yard kick through the uprights.

UP NEXT

Alouettes: Visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-9) on Friday.

Lions: Have a week off before hosting the Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-5) on Friday, Sept. 25.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2026.

&copy 2026 The Canadian Press