Nathan Rourke believes Zander Horvath will break Milt Stegall’s single-season CFL touchdown record

Photo courtesy: Steven Chang/B.C. Lions

Zander Horvath has built a reputation on smashing through CFL defenders, but Nathan Rourke believes that he’ll also smash a couple of all-time league records before the 2026 season is through.

With 16 rushing touchdowns through 13 games, the six-foot-three, 230-pound running back is just three behind Mike Pringle’s single-season mark of 19 set back in 2000. His 19 total touchdowns are also four shy of Milt Stegall’s combined record of 23, which has stood since 2002.

“We’ve got five games left. I think (Horvath’s) going to be okay. I think he’s gonna get it,” Rourke told the media this week. “He scores like two of those a game, so he’s fine. He’s gonna break it, and it’s not even gonna be close, I’m sure.”

Horvath took over the B.C. Lions’ starting running back job in Week 9, rumbling for 191 yards and three touchdowns in a statement win over Winnipeg. He hasn’t looked back, crossing the 100-yard mark and recording hat tricks on two other occasions. The 27-year-old now ranks fifth in CFL rushing, having produced 723 yards on 141 carries, while adding 24 catches for 229 yards through the air.

It is his unique ability to get in the end zone that has garnered headlines, however. The former NFL fullback has been able to find paydirt out of the backfield and rip off long touchdown runs, while also handling the Lions’ short-yardage quarterback duties and racking up one-yard plunges across the goal line.

“I think it speaks to his versatility and what he’s done this year,” head coach Buck Pierce said. “We’ve asked him to do a lot of things, and we need to keep doing that as well. He’s been excellent in terms of being able to grasp what we’re asking him to do.”

Horvath’s multi-faceted role has resulted in him recording six multi-touchdown games. He has been held out of the end zone just four times all season, with just one of those coming since he took over the starting job. The Purdue product has recorded four more majors than any other player in the CFL so far this season, as Saskatchewan’s short-yardage quarterback Tommy Stevens has fallen slightly behind the pace with 15 majors.

Critics have argued that the two prolific scorers shouldn’t be considered legitimate record-breakers if they surpass the current mark because of their high volume of short plunges. Players like Pringle and Stegall made the majority of their plays in the open field, rather than simply falling forward, which makes their accomplishments superior in the eyes of some.

Rourke doesn’t necessarily agree, but does believe that Horvath’s record-setting pace means more to the team around him than most individual accolades.

“The way that our offence has worked this year is that we have a habit of getting stuck, getting tackled at the one-yard line. It definitely counts towards Zander’s totals, but I think that those are more than anything a testament to our team and our offence,” the Canadian QB said.

“Getting in the end zone with our short-yardage unit, he’s done a fantastic job leading that and taking full advantage of that, and scoring a lot of touchdowns, but I think ultimately that’s a play that is a bigger testament to us as an offence. I think we’ll be really happy for him when he makes it and when he does it.”

If he scores again on Friday night, Horvath will become the first CFL player to record 20 touchdowns in a season in 24 years. He’s also one plunge away from tying Cory Philpot’s franchise record for rushing touchdowns with 17. ‘Quick Six’ set that mark in 1995 when he scored 22 total majors, establishing the record that Stegall later broke.

Horvath needs to maintain a rate of at least one touchdown per game the rest of the way to etch his name in the history. The feat feels very attainable right now, though Pierce cautioned that the Lions will not go out of their way to make it happen.

“We’re just trying to get in the end zone. Zander has a knack for it,” he said. “Any way we can get in there, we’ll be excited about it.”

The B.C. Lions (7-6) will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-5) on Friday, September 25, with kickoff scheduled for 10:30 p.m. EDT. Both teams were on bye this past week.

The game will be broadcast on TSN in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune in on 620 CKRM in Regina or 730 CKNW (English) or Sher-E-Punjab Radio AM 600 (Punjabi) in Vancouver.