The B.C. Lions blew the game, as they lost their second straight to a resilient Hamilton team on Friday.
For 59 minutes, it was Joe Kapp vs. Angelo Mosca all over again.
But in the final minute, the two teams woke up from their face-down naps in their strained peas. Bo Levi Mitchell hit Brendan O’Leary-Orange for a 10-yard go-ahead touchdown and 26-23 lead, before Nathan Rourke took the Lions 58 yards for Sean Whyte to tie the game with an 11-yard field goal.
In overtime, after a gutting command centre ruling on a challenge for pass interference on Ronald Kent Jr., Hamilton took home their fourth-straight win with a 32-29 decision.
The Tiger-Cats victory came after a nightmare first half with just three first downs, 37 net yards and zero points, going into the break trailing 16-0. Mitchell looked ready for the retirement home in the first half, with just a 36 yards passing and an ill-advised throw that was picked off by Kent.
But he engineered three second-half touchdown drives, including back-to-back 81-yard marches in the fourth quarter, and finished with 309 yards on 34-of-40 passing, including a streak of 11 straight to close out the game.
Rourke and the Lions (7-8) didn’t look much better. The Lions QB had plenty of his own misfire moments, with a pedestrian 135 yards passing in the first half, and failed to throw a touchdown pass the entire night.
He did rush for two touchdowns, one on B.C.’s opening drive and again in the third quarter. He ended the night with 264 yards through the air on 22-of-36 passing, and 30 yards on the ground.
Rourke hit one of three passes on his first overtime drive, with Whyte putting the Lions up 29-26 with a 24-yard field goal.
Hamilton drove down field and looked like they’d stalled on the five-yard line, but a challenge by Scott Milanovich came back with devastating results. Kent was judged to have interfered with O’Leary-Orange, giving the Ticats the ball at the one yard line.
Ante Litre went around the left side of the line and in for the winning points, and put B.C. back into the chaos of the West Division.
The road to the Grey Cup in Vancouver looks like it will once again run through Princess Auto Stadium, as the Blue Bombers (9-6) — who finish with three games against Eastern teams — have a comfortable lead and tiebreakers over their pursuers.
B.C. plays two of their final three games at home, and will likely need them all if they want to host a playoff game this year.