By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – It was Week 9 of the 2007 CFL season and the Alouettes had just put the finishing touches on a dominating 27-9 victory against the Tiger-Cats at Percival Molson Stadium. Quarterback Anthony Calvillo had just thrown for 397 yards and a touchdown, while running back Avon Cobourne… did nothing.
In fact, if you were to look at the box score for that Aug. 25 matchup, you won’t even find Cobourne’s name. The leading rusher in the win Jarrett Payton with 74 yards, followed by Dahrran Diedrick with 12.
Cobourne was on the sidelines, awaiting his turn.
Fast-forward almost a year and you’ll find much of the same, with one glaring exception: Cobourne is on top of the world.
If someone were to tell you a year ago that Cobourne, the five-foot-eight running back with braces would be performing at such a high level, you might have thought they were out of their mind.
But that is definitely the case as Cobourne is well on pace to not only rush for 1,000 yards this season, but also to break a G-note as a receiver as well. By amassing 107 yards on the ground last game at Toronto, while adding a touchdown and a 103 more through the air, Cobourne was once again the top Alouette on the field.
“It’s a real blessing, I didn’t know what to expect coming into the season,” said Cobourne.
Who’d blame him? After a season of playing linebacker and making appearances almost exclusively on special teams, even general manager Jim Popp couldn’t have told you where Cobourne would land up next.
“Even (Popp) didn’t think I would be this good,” Cobourne stated confidently.
Good yes, electrifying yes, record breaking? Maybe.
With 463 receiving yards and 715 on the ground, Cobourne is on pace to become the first player in CFL history to record both 1,000 yards receiving and rushing. In fact, this feat has only been accomplished twice in pro football.
Only former San Francisco 49er Roger Craig and former St. Louis Ram Marshall Faulk have achieved the millennium mark in both rushing and receiving, Cobourne hopes to become the third.
“I didn’t even know about it until (the media) started talking,” he said.
“As a running back, I think of it as a let down if you don’t get 1,000 yards; it would be a blessing to catch for 1,000 but right now my mind is on the Grey Cup,” he added.
With Cobourne’s play as of late, his ideal season of joining the record books and raising the Alouettes’ sixth Grey Cup would seem to be hardly just a dream anymore.
“Again, I’m very blessed to be given the opportunity, but I just have one goal and it’s the Grey Cup.”
The Alouettes host the BC Lions tonight at Percival Molson Stadium (RDS, TSN, CKAC SPORTS, CJAD).
