REGINA — The top teams in each division clash on Friday Night Football in Week 11.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Montreal Alouettes at Mosaic Stadium in a battle that has no lack for intriguing matchups.
The Green and White lost a tough 20-16 matchup to the current champions in Week 8, but will get reinforcements this time around with two key players on offence returning to the lineup.
Montreal meanwhile is still without its leader in Cody Fajardo, but has showcased its depth over the first half of the season to jump to the league’s best record.
CFL.ca brings you three matchups to watch on Friday Night Football.
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AJ Ouellette vs. Alouettes run defence
Despite boasting one of the best defences in the CFL, the Alouettes entered Week 10 allowing 104.4 rushing yards per game, third worst mark among all teams. In comes a returning Ouellette and his physical running style capable of wearing down opposing defensive fronts.
The tailback will be back in the lineup for the first time since Week 7 and should provide a nice boost to the Green and White ground game. Ouellette has forced 12 missed tackles and generated 10 explosive plays for Saskatchewan in 2024 and will present a challenge to Darnell Sankey and co. on Friday Night Football.
Speaking of returning players, Harris is also back for the Roughriders and immediately faces one of his biggest challenges in the Alouettes pass defence. The strength of this Montreal team is a secondary that has allowed only 242.8 passing yards per game, second only to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (226.9).
The Riders quarterback was enjoying a good season before suffering an injury that has kept him out of the field since Week 3. The pivot will have the help of a skilled group of playmakers in Shawn Bane Jr., Samuel Emilus and the emerging Dohnte Meyers.
On the other side will be a Dequoy that has been on a run of efficiency lately, ranking second in coverage grade since Week 5 according to PFF. The defensive back is second only to …
The No. 1 coverage grade belongs to none another than Milligan Jr. and his league-leading six interceptions. The defensive back is seemingly catching everything that comes his way and will look to flip the game script with a turnover or two once again.
His job will be to stop a passing offence led by Davis Alexander, who has done a remarkable job in the absence of Fajardo. Alexander has thrown only one interception in 69 passes so far this season, taking good care of the football to help the Alouettes to an 8-1 record.