B.C. Lions 27, Alouettes 3: Vernon Adams Jr ignites slumbering offence

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Turns out there is a “secret sauce” to the B.C. Lions success.

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We still don’t know the exact ingredients, save one: Vernon Adams Jr.

With ‘Big Play VA’ under centre on Saturday night at B.C. Place, the Lions didn’t just look revitalized — they looked dangerous. The Leos QB racked up 385 yards passing and three total touchdowns in the 27-3 win over the Montreal Alouettes, capping off B.C.’s regular season and sending them to the playoffs with a jolt of energy.

“It felt amazing. I feel like the whole team really just had the energy tonight,” said receiver Keon Hatcher. “Offence, defence … everybody was locked in today. It’s just a different energy when 3 is back there. He brings a different energy. Man, he’s vocal. We love Nathan — no doubt about that. Man, but with VA, I just feel like this is his squad, and we reacted to it that way.

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“We came out today with, ‘Let’s go win this mother****. We got 3 today.’ This is his team. Happy to have him back there. You can tell, with the energy of the team, it was a little different tonight. We’re gonna carry that through these playoffs.”

While Nathan Rourke, baffled by the team’s offensive inconsistency in the previous weeks said there was no “secret sauce” they’d been hiding, there was definitely something different in the team’s recipe on Saturday.

The way the quarterback situation evolved this year, with Adams getting hurt on Aug. 1, then not getting the chance to battle with Rourke for his No. 1 role after he was healthy left its marks on both the team and Adams’ psyche.

To come out Saturday and tear the Alouettes up in his first start since that fateful game in Winnipeg had Adams in an emotional state.

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“It feels great, man,” he said post-game. “I always have to give all the glory to God. But it’s been tough times, and just sitting back and watching and just how everything unfolded throughout the season.

“It means a lot,” he added of his teammates’ support off the field, and on it Saturday.

“It means a lot, man, because they know how much I’ve put on and off the field into this. From our mini camps last year, this past off-season … I’ve done nothing but try to give my all to this organization — and they see that. It just means a lot that they just have my back. That’s it, man. I just want to finish this year off right and do what we can do.”

Adams connected on 26-of-36 passes for 385 yards and two passing touchdowns, while rushing for another. He also had two picks; one he admitted was his own fault, the other another bad-luck bobble that ended up in the hands of the Als.

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Three or more Lions receivers had 50-plus yards for the first time since Touchdown Pacific in August. Hatcher had his first 100-yard game of the season, going for 117 on eight catches. Justin McInnis padded his lead atop the league receiving standings with seven catches for 107 yards. Stanley Berryhill III had 81, and Ayden Eberhardt 44.

On the first play from scrimmage, the Alouettes sent an all-out blitz, but Adams stepped up into the rush and hit McInnis on a rare vertical route for a 43-yard gain. Four plays later, Adams punched it in on a two-yard keeper.

“They brought cover zero first play of the game. It was crazy, because I told the quarterbacks, I told Nate and Chase (Brice), I think (Montreal defensive coordinator Noel) Thorpe is going to heat me up first play. He’s going to think my eyes aren’t ready. He did, and Justin made a great play,” said Adams.

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Adams hit on another moon shot two drives later, connecting with Berryhill on a 52-yard strike.

Both those plays had something that B.C. had lacked in recent weeks — open receivers. McInnis was open behind the defence before coming back to outfight Marc-Antoine Dequoy for the ball, and Berryhill was four yards clear of his defender on his touchdown.

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Even the defence seemed re-energized. Mathieu Betts recorded just his second sack since coming back from the Detroit Lions. Ben Hladik had a goal line, WWE suplex tackle on second down, and punched the ball out on Davis Alexander’s fourth-quarter QB sneak from the two-yard line.

It was a rallying, gang-tackling unit that stifled an Als offence averaging 26.6 points per game (4th) and zero touchdowns on four trips to the red zone — including inside the five-yard line three times.

“I’m happy that everybody showed up and showed up with zest and enthusiasm. Montreal was heating us up early, a lot of blitzing, zero everything, really trying to get after us, and we made them pay,” said head coach Rick Campbell. “And that was huge, those (red zone) stops. I know what it’s like to be on the other side. It’s frustrating when you get stopped on those tight red zone plays.”

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Also showing up Saturday, despite the atmospheric river doing its best to drown the Lower Mainland, were 28,436 fans through the gate. The Lions had sold more than 31,000 tickets for the game, so to only lost 10 per cent to the inclement weather was impressive.

The next possible chance they have to see their team play at B.C. Place again will be the Grey Cup on Nov. 17. The Lions will take next week to prepare for their Western semifinal on the road — likely in Saskatchewan — and to get fully healthy as Ace Eley, Garry Peters, William Stanback and Kent Perkins all left Saturday’s game with injuries. Campbell was confident the first three would be full strength for the playoffs, while Perkins’ head injury requires further diagnoses.

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“I talked to them yesterday about we’ve got a playoff game in two weeks from today,” said Campbell. “This is step one of making sure we show up the best version of ourselves. Everybody; me, coaches, football ops, everybody.”

And as for his starter in the playoffs? Adams.

“I want to give him an opportunity to finish what he started,” said Campbell.

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