Whyte kicks walk-off field goal as Lions rally to beat Alouettes 21-20

B.C. Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke throws a shovel pass during first half CFL football action against the Montreal Alouettes in Montreal, Saturday, July 5, 2025. (Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press)

The Montreal Alouettes celebrated Super Hero Night on Saturday at Percival Molson Stadium. However, when the game clock struck zero, it was B.C.’s star quarterback and veteran kicker who saved the day.

Sean Whyte’s 43-yard field goal on the final play of the game lifted the B.C. Lions to a stunning come-from-behind 21-20 win over the Montreal Alouettes.

“I’m just so proud of these guys,” said Whyte. “We really needed a win. We needed to get the ball rolling and get some momentum. We finally got it. It’s really cool. I’m so happy.”

Whyte’s walk-off winner, his third field goal of the CFL contest, was aided by Montreal lineman Pier-Olivier Lestage’s late 15-yard penalty, shortening the field for Whyte and the Lions to rally.

“Anything they say to you, anything they do to you, cannot result in an action that would get a 15-yard penalty,” said Alouettes head coach Jason Maas. “He’s remorseful about it. I know he’s been very good about that and trying to be a disciplined football player, but he just let the emotions get the best of him in that part.”

Trailing 17-12 as time wound down in the fourth quarter, Lions’ quarterback Nathan Rourke connected on a 46-yard touchdown pass to Stanley Berryhill the Third to put the Lions ahead 18-17.

The Alouettes responded with a 24-yard field by Jose Maltos with 30 seconds left in the fourth quarter to go ahead 20-18.

The Lions quickly moved the ball downfield on the ensuing kickoff, setting up Whyte for his last-play heroics.

Rourke was making his first start for B.C. since June 12 after missing his team’s last two games with an oblique injury. He went 22-for-36, throwing for 352 yards and one touchdown. He also rushed for 43 yards and a touchdown.

“No one works harder than Nathan Rourke,” Whyte added. “I’m so proud of him as well. Mistakes are going to happen, but he clutched up at the end to put a drive like that together and get us into range to score points. That was a full team win and I’m just so happy for the whole team.”

The win snapped a three-game losing streak for the Lions, who improved to 2-3.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson, starting his second straight game at quarterback in place of the injured Davis Alexander, completed 15 of 23 pass attempts, good for 192 yards and two touchdowns.

“It’s a loss,” said Bethel-Thompson. “There’s no individual performance. It’s just a loss.

“There’s a lot of big plays we left out there, a lot of inches that we couldn’t quite accomplish. If we don’t kick ourselves in the foot, we should be pulling away with these games.”

Alouettes running back Sean Thomas-Erlington, who played in his 100th career CFL game, collected 76 yards and scored his first receiving touchdown of the season. It marked the Montreal native’s fifth career non-rushing touchdown and his first since 2023. Tyson Philpot also scored his team-leading third touchdown of the season for Montreal.

The Alouettes (3-2) enter their first of three scheduled bye weeks of the season on a two-game losing skid. The loss was also their fifth straight loss against the Lions dating back to July of 2023. Montreal has yet to win a game against B.C. under current head coach Jason Maas.

“We stick together and we work,” said Maas. “That’s what we’ve got to continue to do. I want them to enjoy the bye week, too, because that’s what’s on our schedule right now. When we come back, they better be willing and ready to work. We’ve got to learn some lessons from this game and continue to grind.”

B.C.’s 43-yard offensive drive to start the game was quickly negated by the Alouettes. Rourke’s long down field pass attempt to Keon Hatcher in the Lions’ end zone was intercepted by Alouettes’ defensive back Kabion Ento.

Montreal quickly took advantage of the B.C. turnover. Bethel-Thompson found running back Thomas-Erlington for consecutive first-downs, good for 35 total yards. On just the third play of the drive, Bethel-Thompson’s short pass to Philpot resulted in a 45-yard touchdown run by the wide receiver that gave the Alouettes an early 7-0 lead.

Rourke then led his team on a 72-yard drive, capped off by his two-yard run into the end zone during the opening minute of the second quarter. Whyte’s convert attempt was blocked by the Alouettes’ Shawn Oakman to preserve Montreal’s 7-6 lead.

Maltos’ 44-yard missed field goal attempt on the Alouettes’ ensuing possession opened the door for Rourke and the Lions’ offence to pick up right where they left off. The B.C. pivot orchestrated a 12-play, 64-yard drive, resulting in a 24-yard field goal by Whyte at 12:22 of the second quarter to give the Lions their first lead of the game.

That lead would be short-lived, however, in large part thanks to B.C.’s lack of discipline. The Alouettes took advantage of a pair of infractions by the visitors, including an illegal contact penalty on defensive back Robert Carter that gave Montreal a first down at B.C.’s 14-yard line.

Bethel-Thompson’s pass to Thomas-Erlington on the next play put Montreal back in front 14-9, a lead they would take into halftime.

Despite his team’s victory, Lions head coach Buck Pierce knows his team can still be a whole lot better.

“Obviously, it feels good to win, but there’s a lot of mistakes that we’ve got to fix,” said Pierce. “We’ll be happy tonight, but we have a lot of room for growth and that’s the exciting part about this group.”

UP NEXT

Lions: Visit the Edmonton Elks on Sunday, July 13.

Alouettes: Host the Toronto Argonauts on Thursday, July 17.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 5, 2025.

Jordan Stoopler, The Canadian Press