The B.C. Lions will be out to sweep the season series with the visiting Calgary Stampeders on Saturday night in Vancouver and clinch a spot in the playoffs for the first time since 2018.
The Lions (9-3) are 2-0 against the Stampeders (8-5) this season after defeating them 31-29 in overtime Sept. 17 at Calgary. B.C. also won 41-40 Aug. 13 at Calgary.
Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was 25-for-32 passing for 294 yards last week in his first start for B.C. It was B.C.’s first win since quarterback Nathan Rourke (foot) was injured Aug. 19 in a 28-10 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
With Rourke likely out for the season, Adams was obtained from the Montreal Alouettes in an Aug. 31 trade.
“It means so much,” Adams said after the win. “It means a lot. It’s been a roller-coaster type of year. We had a great week of practice. Guys took me in. I had a bad practice on Day 1 and the guys still stayed with me. All these guys are playmakers. It helps a lot. I need to do a better job getting them the ball, going through my reads, not skipping anything and just getting completions.”
Calgary quarterback Jake Maier was 26-for-38 in passing for 301 yards and three touchdowns last week.
Maier said the difference between the teams was “just execution.”
“I feel like, offensively, kind of in the middle of the game coming out of the half, we weren’t very effective,” Maier said. “Luckily, we turned it around in the fourth and made a little run and made it interesting there, but when we got to overtime, the clear difference is they got their two-point conversion and we didn’t. It is what it is.”
Stampeders linebacker Cameron Judge will not play Saturday. He was suspended one game for punching Lions receiver Lucky Whitehead just after the end of the game last week.
Calgary linebacker Josiah Schakel (ankle) also will be out. For B.C., defensive lineman Sione Teuhema (lower leg) won’t play and offensive lineman Sukh Chungh (knee) is listed as doubtful.
–Field Level Media