The Saskatchewan Roughriders are the CFL’s top ballhawks this season but don’t expect B.C. Lions’ quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. to stay grounded in the Western Semi-Final.
“You guys aren’t going to see me play conservative,” the 31-year-old pivot vowed to reporters on Friday. “I’m going to go through my reads and I’m going to do the best I can that when the shot is there, I’m going to take that shot. If it’s not, I have to do a good job getting down to my resets and things like that.”
In their first year under head coach Corey Mace, the Riders have become a fearsome defensive unit. They wrapped up the regular season second in net yards allowed and third in offensive points surrendered, all while leading the CFL with 49 takeaways — 10 more than the next-best team. Halfback Rolan Milligan Jr. is the favourite to win Most Outstanding Defensive Player after notching eight interceptions and was joined by four defensive teammates on the West Division All-CFL team.
All of that was on full display the last time Saskatchewan hosted the Lions, a 39-8 blowout for the home side that featured six B.C. turnovers. However, Adams has plenty of reasons for confidence after being stuck on the bench for that game. He has gone over 450 yards through the air in each of his last three starts against the Riders, including a victory in Week 6, combining for 1,364 yards and seven total touchdowns compared to just three interceptions.
“Oh man, I can’t even put my finger on it,” Adams grinned sheepishly when asked about his success versus the Green and White. “It’s just going through my reads, coaches putting together a good game plan, my receivers making me look better than I am, my O-line giving me time. It’s a total team effort when something like that happens.”
The team’s effort seems to have more to do with Adams’ presence than any other factor, as the B.C. offence has been lethal when he’s been at the helm over the past two seasons. Unfortunately for them, they weren’t wise enough to keep him there this year, leading them to hit the road in the postseason.
After a blazing hot start that had him as the mid-season frontrunner for Most Outstanding Player, Adams suffered a knee injury in Week 9. With their star sidelined, the Lions made the bold move to repatriate Canadian QB Nathan Rourke from the NFL and install him as the starter. The Oakville, Ont. native struggled to make the transition back north but unlike in 2022, when VA was acquired mid-year to sub in for an injured Rourke, Adams wasn’t handed back his job when he was healthy enough to take it.
“It’s pro football, man. It’s a part of the journey, ups and downs all through the year. I’ve been through this a couple of times, you guys know that, and so I knew how to handle it this time,” Adams said of the quarterback controversy. “All I could do was just come to work every day, bring energy, bring a good attitude, and do whatever I can to help the guys win. I can’t worry about what decisions they make upstairs; I just have to be me and come to work every day.”
Despite the record-setting money scheduled to be paid to Rourke next year, Adams was handed back the reins for the team’s regular-season finale and had a dazzling 385-yard performance against Montreal. After the game, players made clear they felt the Lions were his team all along. It will be for the playoffs.
For members of the Rider’s defence, VA’s vows of aggression are no surprise given their history with him.
“I wouldn’t expect VA to do it another way. That’s him. He’s going to attack. He’s aggressive with the ball. He believes in his receivers,” said defensive tackle Micah Johnson. “He’ll hang in the pocket long, take a hit to deliver the ball downfield. He can maneuver around the pocket to extend plays to get the long ball. We kind of know that’s his DNA.”
In the 10 games he has taken snaps in this season, Adams has completed 197-of-302 passes for 2,929 yards, 16 touchdowns, and nine interceptions, while rushing for 213 more and three majors. He knows he’ll need to use both elements of his game judiciously to upset the Riders at home.
“Whatever the game gives me, that’s what I have to do. I don’t want to scramble for no reason, but if the pocket is collapsing and I have a lane to go get a few yards — a first down, hopefully — then I need to do that,” he said.
“This is the best defence in the league with turnovers. They’re trying to take that ball away so I just got to go through my stuff, get my playmakers the ball and let them do the rest.”
While the Lions hope Adams gives them an edge they didn’t have in their last meeting with Saskatchewan, the Riders know they have something they were missing in their early season loss to B.C. — their own quarterback Trevor Harris. The pair are friends and long-time rivals, having been embroiled in their own QB controversy back in 2022 with the Montreal Alouettes. Harris came out on top that time and hopes to do so again on this occasion.
“I love Vernon but not tomorrow,” the 38-year-old said bluntly. “Tomorrow, it’s our day. I don’t want it to be his day.”
If the result of the rivalry is a duel between gunslingers, that works just fine for the prairie hosts.
“I’m confident in the whole back end. Them guys been picking stuff off all year,” Johnson smiled. “If that’s how we gonna play it, we can play it like that.”
The B.C. Lions (9-9) will visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-8-1) for the Western Semi-Final on Saturday, November 2. Kickoff is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. EDT at Mosaic Stadium.
