Lions Cool Off Roughriders 35-20

B.C. Lions quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. has come to trust wide receiver Justin McInnis.

Really trust him.

“I’d trust him with my kids,” Adams said with a smile Saturday after the Lions topped the Saskatchewan Roughriders 35-20.

The result marked Saskatchewan’s (4-1) first loss of the season and extended B.C.’s (5-1) win streak to four games. 

“Winning in the West is tough. So any wins we get in this division are huge,” said Lions head coach Rick Campbell. 

“I say this to all the coaches we play against: this is one of those years where there’s no bad team. You have to line up and play really well to beat anyone. So I’m just super proud of our guys.” 

Adams and McInnis were dynamic in the victory, with the quarterback throwing for 451 yards. McInnis reeled in all 14 passes tossed his way for an eye-popping 243 yards, including a touchdown. 

“It’s just another confidence booster,” McInnis said. “As each week goes on, I feel like I’m getting better and better. I feel like VA’s trusting me more. I look forward to seeing what we can do down the stretch together and continue this kind of pace that we’re on.”

McInnis has been hard to stop ever since he signed with the Lions as a free agent in February, Adams said. 

“And he’s got such strong hands. I’m throwing the ball a little bit behind him and he’s making great catches with (defensive backs) all over him,” Adams said. “He’s just a huge part of this team, this offence.”

Midway through the first quarter, Adams sailed a long ball to McInnis down the sideline that gained 38 yards and put the Lions at Saskatchewan’s 16-yard line. The quarterback followed up with three more passes to the receiver, capping the six-play, 63-yard scoring drive with a five-yard toss to McInnis in the end zone for the first touchdown of the night. 

The play gave Adams sole possession of the league lead in most TD passes (12) this season. 

The Lions QB came into Saturday’s game with a single interception on the season after being picked off back in B.C.’s first game of the campaign. 

Rolan Milligan Jr. snapped the streak midway through the third quarter, picking off a pass and sprinting 32 yards down the field. The play marked Adams’ first interception in 200 passes. 

“Ultimately, I want to be better. I want to be better for the team. Completions, I’ve got to get more completions,” said Adams, who connected on 26 of 42 pass attempts in the win. “It was tough at first but we fought through it. Man, we fought through it and we just kept fighting.”

Making his second career start, Saskatchewan quarterback Shea Patterson made good on 17 of 25 attempts for 278 yards with one interception. 

Paterson did a “pretty good job” finding different guys, said Roughriders head coach Corey Mace, but got into a bit of trouble when he tried to extend plays with his legs. 

“It’s just understanding where we are in some situations on the field that we can’t take sacks,” Mace said. “I know Shea. He’s gonna be hard on himself. He’ll take the coaching. There’s nothing to do but get ready for next week.”

Running back A.J. Ouellette contributed a pair of TDs on the ground for the Riders.

“There’s a lot we’ve got to look at, and that’s everybody starting with myself and then coaches and players all included,” Mace said. “So this is something I think that we needed and it’s early in the season so that’s a plus.”

Field goals proved crucial for both sides on Saturday, with Lions kicker Sean Whyte making seven across the game to set a new team record. 

His longest of the night was a 50-yard kick that narrowly floated over the crossbar 17 seconds into the second quarter. 

Whyte has made his last 39 field goal attempts stretching back to last season, tying Rene Parades for the second-longest streak in league history.

“I always tell him (Whyte) he’s the greatest. He’s the greatest kicker to come through here,” Adams said. “I don’t want it to be that many field goals again, but he’s just doing what he’s supposed to do.”

NOTES: Milligan has four interceptions in his last three games. … Lions wide receiver Jevon Cottoy was a late scratch due to a rib injury. He was replaced in the lineup by Canadian receiver Kieran Poissant. … Riders offensive lineman Jemarcus Hardrick was carted off the field after sustaining an apparent lower-body injury early in the third quarter.

UP NEXT

Roughriders: Host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-4) on Friday.

Lions: Visit the Calgary Stampeders (2-3) on Sunday, July 21.

(Canadian Press)