MONTREAL — A can’t-miss game opens Week 8 as the Saskatchewan Roughriders visit the Montreal Alouettes in a battle of first place teams.
Saskatchewan climbed back atop the West Division with a 19-9 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, combined with a BC Lions loss, last week.
Montreal was on a bye and is looking to get back into the win column after suffering their first loss of the season to Toronto in Week 6.
A complete team effort on offence has allowed the Roughriders to continue to have success without starting quarterback Trevor Harris.
Shea Patterson is set to occupy the pocket for a fourth straight week and is helped along by an array of receiving options that are stepping up when needed.
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It was rookie Ajou Ajou who stood out against the Bombers with four catches for 110 yards. They’ll need a repeat performance and strong play from the duo of Shawn Bane Jr. and Samuel Emilus as they’re going up against the top pass defence in the CFL.
No team has allowed fewer passing yards than the Als 1,340. Defensive back Dionte Ruffin leads the way with a pair of interceptions, while Marc-Antoine Dequoy and Kabion Ento help round out a talented secondary.
With defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson tied for the league lead with four sacks and linebacker Tyrice Beverette able to effectively drop back in coverage, pressure on Patterson will come from all angles.
The hostile atmosphere and tough defence he’ll face is something Patterson is relishing.
“It’s got to be the cowbells and the constant guy over the speakers. He talks the entire game,” he told reporters of the challenges of playing in Montreal.
“I’m looking forward to it, though. It’s a very fun atmosphere to be in. The city of Montreal is beautiful. I’m excited to go out there.”
The other duty of Johnson and Beverette is stopping the Riders’ run game, which is without top rusher AJ Ouellette who’s out with a hip injury.
As Ouellette watches from the sidelines, Frankie Hickson, Thomas Bertrand-Hudon and Clint Ratkovich are tasked with exposing an Als front allowing 109 yards a game on the ground.
Montreal head coach Jason Maas is dealing with an injured quarterback of his own as Cody Fajardo left the game against the Argos with a hamstring injury and is set to miss this week’s contest after being placed on the six-game injured list.
Without Fajardo, the snaps go to Caleb Evans.
Evans came on in relief against the Argos and threw for 127 yards with two touchdowns and a pair of interceptions. Throughout his four-year CFL career, Evans has put together 3,330 yards and 15 touchdowns against 22 interceptions.
There’s no doubt Tyson Philpot has to come up with another impactful game. The third-year receiver already has a career high in yards with 602 and could surpass previous bests in receptions and touchdowns with a strong showing against a Riders team surrendering 328.2 yards through the air per game.
If Philpot isn’t open, watch for the ball to go the way of Cole Spieker. Spieker is second on the team behind Philpot with three touchdown receptions.
Tasked with covering Philpot, Spieker and the Als passing offence is Rolan Milligan Jr. and DaMarcus Fields, who’ll be once again relied upon to shutdown big plays. Support could also come from the return of Amari Henderson and linebacker C.J. Avery.
As the secondary focuses on a talented receiving core, Corey Mace’s front aims to blanket Walter Fletcher at running back. Fletcher has just one 80-plus yard game but is averaging 5.6 yards per carry.
The job for Fletcher doesn’t get any easier this week as the Riders have been excellent defending the run.
Anthony Lanier and Micah Johnson on the defensive line, along with Jameer Thurman at linebacker play a key role in stopping Fletcher and forcing the quarterback into poor decisions in the air.
The defence’s effectiveness against the run is a team effort, Thurman says.
“I think everyone buys into our run defence, DBs included, they play a huge part in this.” Thurman told reporters.
“The D-line, they’re stout, and if other teams want to climb up to the linebackers like teams have been trying to do, our D-linemen are going to eat. If they want to stay on those blocks versus our D-linemen, then we’re also going to eat at linebacker. If they want to try to test the edge, our DBs are coming up and they’re filling the gaps where needed.”
Saskatchewan holds a slim lead over the BC Lions in the West Division race, a gap they can widen with a win.
For the first time this season, Montreal is in search of a victory after a loss.
Kickoff from Percival Molson Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. EDT. Catch the action on TSN/RDS. International and U.S. fans can watch the game on CFL+.
— With files from Riderville.com and MontrealAlouettes.com