Montreal Alouettes' Austin Mack (81) makes a reception in front of B.C. Lions' Jalon Edwards-Cooper (29) during the first half of a CFL football game, in Vancouver, B.C., Sunday, July 9, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck
VANCOUVER – Shaun Shivers scored a touchdown in his debut as the B.C. Lions rebounded from their first loss of the season to blitz the Montreal Alouettes 35-19 on Sunday.
Playing in front of a home crowd at B.C. Place, Vernon Adams Jr. went 20-for-25 with one touchdown.
The Lions (4-1) also benefited from special team mishaps from the Alouettes, including a blocked field goal attempt that was returned by cornerback Jalon Edwards-Coopers.
Cody Fajardo went 24-for-38 for the Alouettes (2-2) but was sacked six times by an aggressive Lions defence.
Shivers first touchdown as a Lion came as he rushed three yards out of the shotgun formation to cap off a six-play, 45-yard scoring drive in the second quarter to extend the Lions lead to seven at the time.
He finished the game with 57 yards and one touchdown.
Mathieu Betts, who leads the league in sacks, added two to his tally to bring his season record to nine after repeatedly pressuring Fajardo.
The game nearly had a nightmare start for the Lions, with Adams throwing a pick six on the second play of the game only for it to be called back for illegal contact by the Als.
The quarterback rebounded to lead the first scoring drive of the game, with backup Dom Davis punching it in from the one-yard line.
The Alouettes have lost the last three of four games against the Lions and their all-time record at B.C. Place falls to 9-31-1.
UP NEXT
The B.C. Lions have a bye next week before returning to host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on July 22. The Alouettes will play the Toronto Argonauts in Montreal on Friday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 9, 2023.
