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Vernon Adams Jr. throws four touchdown passes, leads Als over Redblacks

Sep 3, 2021 | 8:53 PM

OTTAWA — Vernon Adams Jr., threw four touchdown passes Friday night to help the Montreal Alouettes to a 51-29 win over the Ottawa Redblacks.

Eugene Lewis and Jack Wieneke each caught two of those TD passes.

Adams Jr. completed 18 of his 23 passes and connected with Lewis on 55- and 39-yard strikes along with 9- and 13-yard scores with Wieneke. Adams Jr., finished with 288 yards passing yards.

Dominique Davis didn’t start at quarterback for the Redblacks (1-3) but was solid in relief of Matt Nichols, throwing for 267 yards (21 for 30) and two touchdowns. Davis, who also had a rushing touchdown, took over in the second quarter after Nichols was just 2-of-5 for 23 yards with one interception in the opening quarter.

By the time the game reached the fourth quarter it was out of reach as the Alouettes (2-2) grabbed a 34-13 lead in the third after Adams Jr., found Wieneke alone in the endzone with 90 second left in the quarter. It was the first third-quarter points the Alouettes have scored this season.

They didn’t stop there as Justin Davis had a 72-yard interception return for a touchdown and a 41-13 lead just over a minute into the fourth.

The Redblacks got to Adams Jr., for a safety five minutes into the fourth and a 1-yard touchdown from Davis midway through that wasn’t converted cutting the lead to 41-21.

Alouettes defensive lineman Almondo Sewell scored in the dying minutes for his first career touchdown, but Davis responded with a 9-yard touchdown pass to Daniel Petermann with two minutes to play. A two-point conversion made it 48-29.

David Cote ended the night with a 16-yard field goal with 18 seconds to play.

Cote opened the scoring on the opening drive of the game with a 27-yard field goal. The Alouettes drive was aided with a 20-yard pass interference call on the Redblacks after it looked as though had opened the game by forcing a two-and-out.

After Lewis’ first touchdown was converted by Cote, Lewis Ward kicked a 31-yard field goal on the last play of the first quarter to get the Redblacks on the board cutting Montreal’s lead to 10-3.

Cote kicked a 37-yard field goal and Wieneke hauled in a 9-yard pass from Adams Jr., giving the Alouettes a 20-3 lead midway through the second.

In the final three minutes of the half Davis threw a 5-yard touchdown to Petermann, Lewis caught his second TD pass of the game and Ward nailed a 40-yard field goal as the half ended with Montreal up 27-13.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published September 3, 2021.

Darren Desaulniers, The Canadian Press