Henry Burris’s four touchdowns lead Hamilton Tiger-Cats past B.C. Lions 37-29

GUELPH, Ont. – Hamilton quarterback Henry Burris threw four touchdown passes as the Tiger-Cats held on to defeat the B.C. Lions 37-29 in front of 13,101 at the University of Guelph’s Alumni Stadium in CFL action Saturday afternoon.

Hamilton improves to 5-5, but the knock on the team had been that they had so far only beaten the league’s worst teams — Edmonton and Winnipeg. The Ticats had been anxious to get back on the field against the Lions after losing to them 29-26 last week in Vancouver and wanted to prove they could beat one of the premier teams in the league.

The Lions’ record falls to 6-4.

Greg Ellingson scored two touchdowns for the Ticats while Andy Fantuz and C.J. Gable each added one.

Shawn Gore, Nick Moore and Courtney Taylor scored for the Lions.

Burris also threw two interceptions. B.C. quarterback Travis Lulay threw two touchdown passes.

Hamilton kicker Luca Congi was good on all three field goal attempts, from 29 and two from 39 yards. His final 39-yarder with 4:03 left in the game quieted a late B.C. comeback. B.C. kicker Paul McCallum hit two of three attempts, making kicks from 10 and 18 yards and missing from 44.

The Ticats were up 17-8 at halftime and widened their lead on the opening drive of the second half, driving the ball 69 yards downfield on four plays and finishing with a 32-yard catch-and-run by Gable.

B.C. took possession and on its first play from scrimmage, Lulay hit Nick Moore for 20 yards, but Moore fumbled and Hamilton defensive back Courtney Stephen recovered the ball and returned it 31 yards to the B.C 23-yard line. On the next play, Burris hit Ellingson for the TD and a 31-8 lead less than four minutes into the second half.

Congi’s 39-yarder made it 34-8. Then the Lions woke up.

B.C. was driving at the end of the third, and — aided by a 19-yard pass interference call in the end zone — capped the 55-yard drive off with a one-yard score by Gore to start the fourth, pulling to 34-15.

The Lions pulled to 34-22 with 43-yard drive and a five-yard pass to Moore with nine minutes left in the game. Ryan Phillips intercepted Burris at the B.C. 14-yard line to continue the Lions’ momentum, but the Hamilton defence held them deep with a sack.

Ticat back-up QB Dan LeFevour took over for Burris with about five minutes left in the game and Congi hit a 39-yard field goal for a 37-22 lead with 4:03 on the clock.

B.C. converted a third-and-10 at midfield with a 17-yard completion to Moore. That continued the 75-yard scoring drive that ended with a 15-yard TD throw to Taylor and the Lions pulled to 37-29 with 1:57 on the clock. Hamilton had to convert a third-and-short at its own 31-yard line at 1:19 to keep the ball out of the hands of Lulay. But he eventually got it back at his own 37 with 10 seconds to go. The Hamilton defence went into a prevent formation and a rugby match broke out as the Lions kept tossing laterals until they were finally stopped.

In the first half, Congi opened the scoring with a 29-yard field goal. Hamilton kicker Josh Bartel conceded a safety for B.C.’s first points and the Lions later added a 10-yard field goal.

Early in the second quarter, Fantuz finished a 75-yard Hamilton drive when he stole a ball from the hands of lunging B.C. defender Josh Bell and ran it in for a 37-yard TD.

Less than six minutes later, Burris found Ellingson for a seven-yard TD strike that capped a 56-yard drive.

The Ticats had trouble running out the clock late in the half and B.C. got the ball back on the Hamilton 45 with 41 seconds left. They got as close as first-and-goal at the Hamilton four-yard line. But the Ticats defence stood its ground to end the half, limiting the Lions to an 18-yard field goal.