By Canadian Press

Mitchell, Hamilton Tiger-Cats complete late comeback to beat B.C. Lions 37-33

Jul 27, 2025 | 7:20 PM

VANCOUVER — A last-minute touchdown reception from Kiondre Smith lifted the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a 37-33 win over the B.C. Lions on Sunday.

Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 389 yards, three touchdowns and an interception as the Ticats (5-2) stretched their win streak to five straight games.

Jake Dolegala tallied a rushing major for the Ticats, and Brendan O’Leary-Orange also reeled in a TD pass.

Kicker Marc Liegghio made four converts and three field goals, including a 40-yard attempt, as his team overcame a 10-point deficit late in the fourth quarter.

Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke threw for 289 yards, connecting on 20 of his 27 attempts, while kicker Sean Whyte made four field goals — including a 45-yard kick — and three converts.

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Running back James Butler notched a pair of rushing TDs against his former team and rushed for 115 yards on 16 carries.

Butler played two seasons for Hamilton before being released by the club in January. He signed with B.C. as a free agent hours later, making a return to the team where he started his CFL career and had a breakout campaign in 2022.

He wasted little time in exacting revenge on his former team.

About five minutes into the game, Rourke faked a handoff to Butler, kept the ball himself and sprinted toward the end zone.

His backup, Jeremiah Masoli, came on for short yardage duty and dished off to Butler, who manoeuvred his way through traffic and over the goal line for a touchdown. He celebrated with an emphatic spike that sent the ball sailing into the stands.

The Ticats responded with a 40-yard field goal.

Rourke put in another big run before the end of the first quarter, dashing 21 yards through the midfield and Butler followed suit with a 23-yard run. The QB then handed off to Butler once again and the running back slipped through a hole and into the end zone for his second major of the night. Whyte made the convert and B.C. went up 14-3.

Hamilton started the second with a first down on B.C.’s two-yard line and eventually made good on the positioning when Dolegala powered through the crowd for the Ticats’ first touchdown of the game.

Liegghio added an 11-yard field goal midway through the quarter, cutting his team’s deficit to a single point.

The Lions responded with some big plays, including Rourke’s dish to an unmanned Keon Hatcher Sr. in the midfield. The receiver took advantage, sprinting deep into Hamilton territory for a 73-yard gain. Whyte capped the scoring drive with a 22-yard field goal.

With just over a minute left in the first half, B.C. cornerback Robert Carter Jr. made his own highlight reel-worthy play. Mitchell launched a rainbow toward the end zone, where Carter snuck up behind Hamilton receiver O’Leary-Orange, leapt up and — with one hand — reeled in the ball.

B.C. capitalized on the turnover with a scoring drive that saw Whyte boot a 33-yard field goal, and the Lions took a 20-13 lead into the locker rooms.

Hamilton drew even early in the third when Mitchell connected with Smith and the slotback muscled his way into the end zone for a nine-yard touchdown. Liegghio’s convert knotted the score at 20-20.

A battle of the kickers ensued.

Whyte put the home side up once again with a 13-yard field goal and the Lions took a three-point cushion into the final frame.

Liegghio then tied things up early in the fourth with a 24-yard field goal and the score stood at 23-23 until Whyte restored B.C.’s lead with a 45-yard kick midway through the quarter.

The Lions pulled away with just over four minutes left on the game clock after Hamilton’s Greg Bell fumbled and Sione Teuhema recovered the ball.

Rourke then lobbed a 43-yard toss to Ayden Eberhardt, giving B.C. a first down at Hamilton’s two-yard line. Masoli came on and propelled himself through a mass of bodies for a touchdown. Whyte made the convert and the Lions took a 33-23 lead.

The Ticats clawed their way back before the final whistle when Mitchell sailed a 44-yard pass to O’Leary-Orange in the end zone. Liegghio made the convert to whittle Hamilton’s deficit to three points. Mitchell and the visitors worked their way up the field until, with 16 seconds left on the game clock, Mitchell found Smith in the end zone for a one-yard touchdown pass.

Liegghio made yet another convert and the Ticats sealed the score at 37-33.

UP NEXT

Tiger-Cats: Visit the Edmonton Elks on Saturday.

Lions: Visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Thursday, Aug. 7.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2025.

Gemma Karstens-Smith, The Canadian Press