The duel between the Alouettes and the BC Lions at Percival Molson Stadium scheduled for Saturday evening will of course be accompanied by quarterbacks Cody Fajardo and Vernon Adams Jr. However, the outcome of the game could only be decided at the line of scrimmage.
In the Alouettes’ 35-19 loss in Vancouver on July 9, Fajardo suffered seven sacks, including two by Quebec’s Mathieu Betts.
“It’s a good opponent on paper and the Lions’ defensive linemen did very well against them in the last game,” agreed Alouettes offensive lineman Pier-Olivier Lestage. We communicate better now and I think we form a better offensive line than we did at the beginning of the season.
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“On the line of scrimmage you have to want more than the man in front of you and you have to assert yourself physically, show character and aggressiveness,” noted veteran Kristian Matte. The Lions have a very good defensive front, they’re guys that can do different things in a second down situation and have multiple yards in front of them. It is precisely in these moments that care must be taken to limit them. The goal is to go into the game with confidence.”
For the running backs, expect William Stanback to help block players from the Lions’ defensive line. This is the bet the Alouettes coaches appear to have made, disregarding Walter Fletcher for this confrontation.
The annoying Vernon Adams Jr.
If the Alouettes’ offensive line wants to make Fajardo’s job easier, the defensive unit has an opportunity to upset Adams Jr., a quarterback they know very well. The former Alouettes have completed 17 touchdown passes since the start of the season, piling up nearly 300 yards per game. He had 11 interceptions, but six of them in a single game against the Toronto Argonauts in early July. Since then, Adams Jr. has defended the ball quite well.
In the last duel against the Alouettes, the Lions quarterback completed 21 passes in 26 attempts and was only intercepted once by Quebecer Marc-Antoine Dequoy.