On Saturday afternoon in Ottawa, the Toronto Varsity Blues rolled to a 42–23 victory over the Carleton Ravens behind an offence that piled up 683 total yards.
Quarterback Scott Barnett set a new OUA single-game passing record with 614 yards, while receiver Chris Joseph broke two program records and tied a national mark with 19 catches for 310 yards.
For a Varsity Blues team that has made the playoffs just twice since 1995, losing both times in the quarterfinals, Saturday’s dominance marked a turning point for second-year head coach Darrell Adams, with the foundation laid over ‘Year Zero’ turning into success in ‘Year One’.
“We don’t worry about the win-loss record. We don’t worry about what anybody has to say outside of our building,” Adams told OB.SESSED on Thursday evening, noting that his staff had a "great opportunity to teach" over the winter while installing a new offence, a new defence, and a new special teams coordinator.
"The guys bought into the vision of doing something different, defying the odds, and really raising the standards around here," said Adams.
“Last year was year zero — I called it ‘discovery,’" said Adams. "Just figuring out what I inherited, what U of T is athletically, academically, historically. It took me a full calendar year to find my footing. It was very challenging, I was a first-time head coach, figuring out how to be a head coach."
Adams said that the knowledge he gained throughout last season allowed him to hit the ground running in terms of preparation for this season, what he calls year one.
“We reaped the benefits of the hard work that we put in in the winter and the summer,” said Adams, saying that the team prepared for the game against Carleton all offseason.
Unlike some other programs, the former star CFL defensive lineman didn’t build through a large recruiting class of flashy transfers, but did bring in about 40 freshmen to the program.
“For us, it’s about the development of our players… I tip my hat to my returning players that really took these guys under their wings and accelerated their development… the returning guys that are showing up and showing out right now, they put the work in during the offseason."
Over the past two seasons, the Blues have leaned on both Barnett and Kaleb O’Donoghue under centre at times.
Both saw action in Toronto's preseason tune-up against McGill, with Barnett completing 5-of-7 passes and ultimately earning the start against Carleton.
"You can never have enough good quarterbacks on your roster, right?," said Adams. "And we give guys equal reps, equal opportunities to develop and showcase their skills.”
Ultimately, Adams said that Barnett’s preparation, the way he handles the offence, his leadership ability, and his arm strength made him the choice.
Adams added that O’Donoghue is “an excellent quarterback too,” and that the staff feels confident going into each week they have “two guys we can win with.”
Both, he said, are smart, high-IQ players who love the game and “continue to push each other” with their different leadership styles.
During the second quarter of the win, that high-IQ was on full display for all in attendance at TAAG Park. Barnett accounted for 199 yards of passing on just two plays and just over a minute of time of possession total on back-to-back drives.
Fourth-year Varsity Blues quarterback Scott Barnett claimed the OUA's single-game passing record with 614 yards on Saturday. Photo: Marc Lafleur/Ravens
First, he found Thomas Roberts over the middle on second-and-nine with a whole lot of room to run, good for 92 yards and the Blues' second touchdown of the day.
Then, Barnett aired it out from his own endzone, finding Chris Joseph to his left 35 yards downfield with absolutely nothing between the third-year receiver and the endzone.
Adams said it all came together in what he called “a perfect storm.” The first game of the season is always the hardest to prepare for as a defence, he explained, especially with a brand new Varsity Blues offence and on the opposite sideline, a new Ravens defensive coordinator starting late in the process.
That uncertainty gave Toronto an edge. “Carleton had no idea what we were going to do with the tempo, with our formations, our motions, our concepts,” said Adams, who's first job in U SPORTS was as the Ravens' strength & conditioning coordinator and defensive line coach.
“It was a matter of, first and foremost, the offensive line had to give Scott time to read and make throws. Two, Scott making the right reads and the right throws. And three, the receivers catching the ball when it’s thrown to them, ball security, and then taking first downs and making them touchdowns,” Adams said.
“All three things had to fall into place, and you know, it was a perfect storm and the guys were in a great rhythm, but we practiced this all summer,” adding that the players really took initiative this summer in terms of organizing their own offseason training sessions.
Barnett connected with only three targets all game, with Joseph stealing the spotlight.
The Richmond, B.C. native's 19 catches tied the U SPORTS single-game record, and his 310 receiving yards broke the Varsity Blues' mark previously set at 232 by Paul de Pass in 2013. He added a seven-yard touchdown in the third quarter.
Fifth-year Jake Oseen (nine receptions for 158 yards and a touchdown) and the third-year Roberts (four receptions for 146 yards and a touchdown) also enjoyed career days.
Adams said the reliance on just three receivers "wasn't a concentrated effort," but a product of execution and finding their key playmakers with space to run. “It's all a matter of making the right read and the right throw,” Adams said.
He credited the receivers’ versatility as well — lining up both outside and in the slot, running different routes, and complimenting each other’s strengths.
The competitiveness of the entire receivers room though, showed up in the little things, especially downfield blocking. “On most of those big runs, there was a lot of extra blocking,” Adams noted.
Chris Joseph led the Blues in receiving yards each of the last two seasons — and seems a good bet to lead the entire conference this season, already at 309 yards after Week 1. Photo: Marc Lafleur/Ravens
Adams said the team bought into the repeated downfield blocking drills he threw at them during the winter.
“Yeah, it can be long and laborious as a receiver when you’ve got to block, block, block, block, block. But then when you go out there and you make plays and [those] guys are scoring touchdowns together, you see the reason why we put all that time and effort into doing those drills, to prepare for the game.”
It wasn't just the offence that had a good day though — the Blues had allowed just one completion from Ravens starting quarterback Tristan Lefebvre on seven attempts.
"[The score] forced them to be more one dimensional," said Adams, "which plays into our strengths, allowing us to do some different things with our coverage disguises and our pressure packages, and the players made plays."
After third-year defensive back Luca Pante picked Lefebvre off immediately following Roberts' touchdown, he gave way to third-year Elijah Barnes.
"We prepared for both quarterbacks," said Adams. "We were expecting to see both at some point just because that's what any good defensive coach would do."
Adams said that preparing for Carleton also wasn’t easy, with a brand new offensive coordinator and an offence no one had seen on film, but gave credit to his defence.
“You wonder, is the head coach making the calls? Is the new OC making the calls? Or is it a combination of both?” Adams said.
Instead of focusing on the offence at-large, the Blues focused on watching film of specific players to find mismatches, strengths, and weaknesses. That included studying both the right-handed Lefebvre's tendencies and the left-handed Barnes' tendencies.
With a large lead, the game script lead to Barnes pushing the ball downfield and the desertion of a run game. The third-year quarterback finished 28-of-47 for 423 yards, with a touchdown.
Adams said the team has long moved on from the win, following the program’s “24-hour rule” and shifting its focus to this Saturday's game, the Varsity Blues' home opener at Varsity Stadium against Waterloo.
Last year's season opener at Waterloo was the Blues' last win before Saturday. But Adams is certainly not taking anything for granted.
"That film is only valuable for the players that are returning this year," said Adams. "We're not worried about the score, we're not worrying about records."
A native of Long Island, N.Y., Adams is somewhat of a rarity in the U SPORTS football coaching ranks — the former Villanova and CFL star never played Canadian university football himself. Photo: Seyran Mammadov/Varsity Blues
Adams said the team looked back at last year’s matchup only to study how returning players were used.
“That game was so [long] ago. They’re a different team. We’re different teams,” he explained. “It’s all about the 2025 Toronto Varsity Blues playing the 2025 Waterloo Warriors.”
But the matchup does hold extra significance for Adams, who will face off against Warriors head coach Chris Bertoia on the opposing sidelines.
Adams spent eight seasons working under Bertoia, first as special teams coordinator, then defensive coordinator, and finally with additional responsibilties as assistant coach.
Adams helped build Bertoia's program and forged lifelong relationships with many staff members.
Having recruited many of the players on the current roster, Adams said he’s looking forward to reconnecting with familiar faces. “Obviously, that school has a special place in my heart,” he said. "I'm looking forward to hosting those guys."
Adams described his replacement, Kevin MacNeill, as one of the brightest defensive coordinator minds in the country. "He's going to have some plans for us," said Adams.
"He's had several days to watch our film and break us down and figure out different ways to give his defence a chance to slow us down. So, you know, I'm looking forward to the game for personal reason to see some of my former comrades and some of the players I recruited and watching them all film, how they've grown and develop over the last two years."
"I know that the culture they're trying to establish there," said Adams. "Coach Bertoia is excellent, wants to play a physical brand of football, wants to run the football, take vertical shots... It’s going to be a rock ‘em, sock ‘em type of game."
The 7 p.m. kickoff doubles as a highlight of University of Toronto orientation week, and student tickets will be offered free of charge, promising a large crowd, especially with the newfound buzz around the program.
“It’s the last event for all those incoming freshmen. They’ll be packed — 5,000 fans, a night game in Toronto. There’s no place like it outside the Panda Game,” he said, smiling.