CFL Notebook: Big Saturday Doubleheader

VANCOUVER – Vernon Adams Jr. has watched the B.C. Lions’ struggles from a unique vantage point. 

And the quarterback’s assessment of what’s plagued the team is simple. 

“Just overall not being good enough,” he said Friday. “And that starts all the way upstairs to downstairs. So we just haven’t been good enough and we hope to turn that around going into playoffs.”

Adams is set to make his first start in 79 days on Saturday as the Lions (8-9) close out their regular-season campaign against the league-leading Montreal Alouettes (12-3-1). 

The 31-year-old American QB went down with a knee injury on Aug. 1, and was replaced in the lineup by Nathan Rourke, who made his return to the CFLfollowing two years in the NFL. 

B.C. has fought to find consistency with Rourke, going 3-5 during his starts.

The Lions are coming off an ugly 39-8 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders last week, while the Als downed the Ottawa Redblacks 19-12. 

Saturday will mark the second game of the season between B.C. and Montreal. The Lions took a 37-23 victory from the last meeting on Sept. 6. 

MONTREAL ALOUETTES (12-3-1) AT B.C. LIONS (8-9)

Saturday, BC Place

CANADIAN CATCHER: B.C.’s Justin McInnis leads the league with 1,363 receiving yards. The receiver from Pierrefonds, Que., is on the cusp of becoming the first Canadian to pass the 1,400-yards mark since Dave Sapunjis hit 1,655 in 1995.

PERSONAL BEST: Lions running back William Stanback is 29 rushing yards shy of the career-high 1,176 he hit while playing for the Als in 2021. The 30-year-old American rushed for 128 yards when the two sides met back on Sept. 6.

ALL THE YARDS: Montreal’s Walter Fletcher has been putting up yards both on the ground and in the air this season. The American running back has amassed 711 rushing yards and 647 receiving yards. Andrew Harris is the only other player who’s passed the 700-yard mark in both fields over the past 19 seasons, accomplishing the feat in both 2012 while with B.C. and in 2017 when he played for Winnipeg. 

TORONTO – He’s chasing a career milestone, but Toronto Argonauts running back Ka’Deem Carey has his eye on a different prize.

The Argonauts can clinch second in the East Division — and home field for the opening round of the playoffs — with a win over the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field. Carey is third in CFL rushing with 1,005 yards and needs just 84 to surpass the career-high 1,088 yards he recorded two years ago with the Calgary Stampeders.

Two weeks ago, Carey and his teammates were hesitant to discuss Saturday’s contest because both Toronto (9-7) and Ottawa (8-7-1) had other games looming. Now, the division showdown becomes the most important contest on both teams’ schedules.

“When you preach things into existence and then it’s sitting in front of you, you get more excited for that opportunity,” Carey said. “You’ve got a rival coming into your home, it’s going to be a great game.

“Hopefully we can beat them and bring it back here again.”

Toronto has won two straight to stand second, one point ahead of Ottawa, which has dropped four consecutive games. But the Redblacks — in the playoffs for the first time since 2018 — can clinch home field for the semifinal by winning their final two regular-season games with the Argos and Hamilton next Friday.

Toronto is coming off wins over Montreal (37-31 on Sept. 28) and Winnipeg (14-11 last week), the East and West Division leaders, respectively. The Argos ran for 234 yards against the Alouettes, then recorded seven sacks in halting the Bombers’ eight-game win streak.

Quarterback Dru Brown (ankle) starts for Ottawa after veteran Jeremiah Masoli and Dustin Crum both played in Monday’s 19-12 loss to Montreal. Receivers Justin Hardy (ankle) and Bralon Addison (hand) and linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox (knee) all return from injury.

A victory Friday night could give Ottawa its first season sweep of Toronto since ’85 when the franchise was the Rough Riders.

(Canadian Press)