MMQB: A new MOP contender enters the mix

Pat Steinberg

CFL.ca

@Fan960Steinberg

The race for Most Outstanding Player has gotten a little more crowded.

That’s because BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke has entered the mix in a significant way over the last few weeks. And while Hamilton’s Bo Levi Mitchell and Saskatchewan’s Trevor Harris may still be viewed as frontrunners for many, dismissing Rourke’s chances wouldn’t be doing his season the justice it deserves.

Most recently, Rourke was nothing short of spectacular in BC’s 52-23 win over Calgary on Friday Night Football. Rourke’s night saw him throw for 331 yards and two touchdowns and no interceptions, while adding three more touchdowns and 43 yards on the ground. On the road against one of the league’s best teams, it was an emphatic performance.

But outings like Friday’s aren’t out of the ordinary for Rourke, who has fully returned to his Most Outstanding Canadian form from 2022. This is the guy the Lions were expecting when they brought him back a little more than a year ago.

The raw numbers continue to stack up in Rourke’s favour. With 3,935 passing yards and 22 passing touchdowns, Rourke sits third overall in both categories. The fact he’s less than 300 yards behind league leading Mitchell is even more impressive knowing Rourke missed a pair of games in June due to injury.

No quarterback has more rushing yards than Rourke’s 424, which actually places him eighth overall period. His seven rushing touchdowns is the league’s fourth highest total and the most amongst starting pivots; Dustin Crum, who sits second on Ottawa’s depth chart, leads all players with 11 rushing majors.

Rounding it all out is Rourke’s stellar 112.1 passer rater, which ranks him second only to Edmonton’s Cody Fajardo at 112.8. And over at Pro Football Focus, Rourke had overtaken Harris as the league’s number one quarterback entering Week 16. That status certainly won’t be changing after his night in Calgary over the weekend.

I think most believed Rourke would be a much better version of himself this year compared to the guy who took over in BC midway through last season. And anyone who watched Rourke’s breakout 2022 campaign had to know a resurgence like this was possible. And yet, that doesn’t change just how impressive this recent run has been.

Since returning from injury in Week 5, Rourke has thrown for over 300 yards in eight of 10 appearances. His lowest total during that stretch was 284 yards, which underlines how remarkably consistent he’s been. And BC’s results are starting to catch up to Rourke’s high level of play, too.

Including Friday’s result, the Lions have won four of their last six and now sit tied with Winnipeg for third in the West Division at 7-7. And while that battle plays out, BC is two wins ahead of the Argos for a crossover playoff spot; if the playoff started today, the Lions would be visiting Montreal in the Eastern Semi-Final.

As it stands, Rourke is the clear favourite for Most Outstanding Canadian. And if his recent run of stellar form continues in BC’s final four games, along with a few more positive results, don’t count Rourke out for the CFL’s top individual honour, either.

QUICK HITS

It’s been neat to see Hamilton’s Marc Liegghio turn into one of the league’s best kickers over the last few seasons. With his walk off 41-yard field goal in Saturday’s 29-27 win over Edmonton, Liegghio is now the league’s most accurate kicker at 95.1 per cent, having missed only two field goals all season. That’s a far cry from how things started, isn’t it?

Liegghio took his fair share of lumps during his first couple seasons in the league. Drafted by Winnipeg as a replacement for Justin Medlock, one of the best to ever do it, Liegghio’s numbers struggled initially, which eventually led to his departure. Upon signing with the Tiger-Cats in 2023, however, Liegghio has set personal bests in accuracy each year and is now a 90.4 per cent kicker since donning black and yellow.

Finally, much like every other fan of this league, I honestly can’t wait to find out what Commissioner Stewart Johnston is going to announce later on Monday. Johnston will make a major announcement “regarding significant changes to the game” on Monday afternoon in Toronto, which has social media running wild with speculation. I have no clue what we’re going to hear, but you can bet we’ll be reacting to it next week.

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