Preview Montreal Alouettes at B.C. Lions
Lions Back Home To Tackle Alouettes
Following their successful nine-day invasion of Ontario, the BC Lions (7-3) are back home to tackle the Montreal Alouettes (3-7) on Friday night at BC Place Stadium. For the second place Lions, it’s the start of a pretty favourable stretch where the club will play five of its final eight contests at home, before hopefully earning themselves their first home playoff date since the 2012 Western Final. First things first; they must take care of business against a hungry Alouettes squad that will certainly be out for blood after falling 38-18 to the Leos on August 4th at Molson Stadium. Just like every other week, Jonathon Jennings is certainly taking nothing for granted. “They’re in a desperation mode right now, they need a win” Jennings said of the Alouettes. “It’s crucial for us to continue to win and continue to try and catch Calgary. It’s always nice playing in front of our home crowd. We can’t wait to see the crowd come out here and to get them amped up for some football.” The Lions enter this contest three points behind the Stampeders for top spot in the West Division.
Although Jennings and company should be commended for pulling out late victories in Ottawa and Toronto, the consensus at practice this week is playing a full 60 minutes would make life a whole lot easier. “The biggest thing in anything you do is finishing. We did a great job of finishing and we’re trying to pull it out together and play that way the entire game. That’s our goal moving forward but it’s nice to know that we can finish,” Jennings said. “It’s nice to know that you can win in hostile environments, but we have to continue to get better at home. 2-2 is not great. It’s not terrible but we want to be better and get the fans involved and excited about Vancouver football.”
Here are some other storylines for the Friday night clash:
Cato Behind Centre
Gee, wouldn’t you know it? For the fourth time in five weeks, the Lions’ opponent will be making a quarterback change. Only this time, it isn’t a return from injury. Rakeem Cato gets the start after Kevin Glenn struggled by throwing six interceptions in back to back Alouettes losses. Cato was ineffective in his only start of the season, a 31-7 loss to Hamilton in week four. Mike Edem and company insists the motto doesn’t change with another new face controlling the opposing offence. “We just have to keep doing what we do,” Edem said. “Just focus on the BC Lions and everything will take care of itself. We just worry about working, getting better every day and as long as we keep making strides, we’re unstoppable.”
Edem knows a thing or two regarding Cato’s attributes after spending time in Montreal last season. “He’s a real athletic quarterback, he’s got some quickness to him,” Edem said. “At the same time he has a great arm. He can put the ball where he wants, he’s pretty accurate and you have to make sure he doesn’t scramble.”
New-Look (Again) Secondary
Staying in the secondary, more juggling is imminent after Ronnie Yell was placed on the six-game injured list with a foot fracture. Like last week, Brandon Stewart is expected to switch sides to Yell’s place, while Chandler Fenner and Keynan Parker both have taken practice reps at the weak side position. Fenner attended training camp in Kamloops and was working out in Bellevue, Washington with former Seattle Seahawks teammates Richard Sherman and Bobby Wagner when he received the call to return north. He is relishing the chance to make his CFL debut. “You never know when a call is going to come, so you always have to be ready. Fenner said. “It’s a crazy story, but I am just happy to be a part of the team and get the chance to help in a game. We have walking legends out here. It’s like hall of fame guys out here, on our field so I try to ask as many questions as I can. I like to see what the seasoned guys do and bring that to the table.” Parker deserves kudos for making a couple of key plays to help preserve the three-point win in Toronto last week.
Backfield Shuffle
Sticking with a winning formula, the Lions will use Jeremiah Johnson as the featured tailback in place of Anthony Allen. It follows the same two-game rotation the club has been using. Just how beneficial has the two-headed monster at running back been for the club? All you have to do is check the statistics, as the Lions lead the CFL with 962 total rushing yards this season. “It’s most definitely an advantage,” Johnson said of the arrangement. “Just staying fresh, staying not injured. When you look at it that way, it works out for the both of us. You never know, if we both get up it will really be a two-headed beast.” The thing you have to consider most is the club’s record since adopting this arrangement. As long as the W’s keep coming, everyone will be happy. “I’m very excited to get back out there, Johnson added. “We’re coming off a two-game winning streak and just trying to keep that going.”
Three Keys To Victory
Establish the running game: Speaking of those impressive ground game statistics; the Lions are facing a Montreal defence that has allowed only four rushing touchdowns, the least in the CFL. Bear Woods, Winston Venable and John Bowman are among the key Alouettes’ run-stoppers and the home team will look to exploit them early on. If Johnson and company can establish a run game, it will go a long way in helping them win their eighth game of the season.
Start fast: It’s been listed under this section before, but consider the fact the Lions are facing a club that hasn’t been too confident the last couple of weeks puts extra importance on a quick start. They don’t want to give the Alouettes any reason to be confident early. Consider the August 4th meeting, where Jennings connected with Bryan Burnham on a 49-yard completion on the first play of scrimmage. That’s what it’s all about: controlling the game from the get- go.
Bend, but don’t break: You can expect Cato to try and make a big play early himself. The Lions’ defence has done a good job of getting off the field on 2nd down this season, especially when deep in their own territory. It was a big reason they were able to escape Toronto after giving only 13 points. Moral of the story: allowing a big play or two is fine, but it’s the response that will be most remembered.
Extra Yardage
The Lions will look to start a new streak of dominance against the visitors from La belle province: the Alouettes prevailed 23-13 at BC Place on August 20th of last season, snapping a 14-game losing streak at the venue that included an overtime loss to Edmonton in the 2005 Grey Cup. Their only win in Vancouver during that time frame was a 16-12 result at Empire Field on July 16th, 2010.
Much has been made about the impact Wally Buono has made since his return to the sidelines, but consider this nugget: When you factor in the Lions’ fairytale finish in 2011, the club has won 18 of its’ last 23 games under Buono’s guidance. I think it’s safe to say the game hasn’t passed him by.
Who you gonna call? How about ‘Team 100’? Not only are Solomon Elimimian and Adam Bighill ranked first and second respectively in CFL tackles, they are both on pace to eclipse 100 defensive tackles in 2016. No team in league history has ever had two players go over the century mark in the same year.
Following the release of Levy Adcock early this week, the starting right tackle position once again belongs to Antonio Johnson. After emerging from training camp as one of the surprises on the offensive line, the product of North Texas University proved to be a stable option in his seven regular season appearances.
