Media notes
Depth chart – interactive/text
Roster (PDF)
By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – Believe it or not, but all through the 1960s the Alouettes weren’t even Percival Molson Stadium’s hottest ticket.
When capacity crowds of 19,500 filed to their seats to watch Canadian football, it was the McGill Redmen providing the entertainment, while the Alouettes played second fiddle mostly due to their poor play throughout the decade.
But when an expected 88th-consecutive regluar-season sellout crowd of 20,202 fills the seats at the corner of University and Pine Streets this Friday night, it’ll serve as proof that these days, the Als are the biggest football show in town.
Wearing their red and white 60s-style uniforms for their first and only time at home this year, Anthony Calvillo and the Alouettes (6-1-0) will welcome Darian Durant and the Saskatchewan Roughriders (4-3-0) for a vintage matchup at a retro-styled Percival Molson Stadium.
Last week saw both teams come out on top in their respective matchups, with the Als getting their league-leading sixth win against the Bombers in Winnipeg, while the Riders held off a Tiger-Cat comeback attempt for their fourth win of the season.
Success on both sides of the ball
Offensively, Calvillo led the way for Montreal last game, completing 62 per cent of his passes for 261 yards and four touchdowns – including a 71-yard pass to Kerry Watkins for the receiver’s fourth major of the season.
Watkins ended the night with five catches for 105 yards, his second-best outing of the 2009 season following a 119-yard performance against the Eskimos in Week 2.
Montreal’s defence was no slouch either.
Thanks to a pair of forced fumbles – one by rush end Anwar Stewart and the other by cornerback Mark Estelle – in addition to interceptions by Matthieu Proulx and Davis Sanchez, the Als kept their opponents out of the end zone for a second-consecutive game, and lead the league with 106 points allowed.
At Mosaic Stadium in Regina, running back Wes Cates provided Saskatchewan with 117 rushing yards, while backup quarterback Steven Jyles contributed two touchdowns – one through the air on a pass to defensive tackle-turned-tight end Keith Shologan, and one on the ground by way of a two-yard rush.
The Roughriders have eight points, the same amount as the first-place Eskimos, but sit second in the West as Edmonton beat the Riders 38-33 in their only meeting so far this season.
The last time the Als and Riders met was Week 3, a 43-10 victory for the Alouettes in Regina.
Running back Avon Cobourne carried the ball 25 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns in that game, while Saskatchewan was unable to muster much of an offence, totalling just 200 yards.
The Alouettes host the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Montreal’s only home “retro game” this season, on Friday, Aug. 21 at 7:30 p.m. (RDS HD, TSN HD, CKAC SPORTS, CJAD 800 AM).
