MontrealAlouettes.com
MONTREAL – The Alouettes (8-4) and Tiger-Cats (4-8) may be headed in opposite directions in the standings this season, but anytime these longtime rivals collide it’s always a tough battle.
With the teams having split the first two games of their season series with a win apiece on their respective homefields, the Als are now looking to take an even tighter grip on first place in the East by not giving up any ground on their four-point lead over Toronto while the Ticats are just trying to remain in the playoff picture.
Coming off a short-week, Marc Trestman and his squad know they’re in for a fight.
“I think it’s going to be a heck of a football game,” predicted the Alouettes Coach. “We’re facing a team whose quarterback is leading the league in touchdown passes. They’re the highest-scoring team in the league and they’re a team that’s coming off a very tough loss which is a very tough time to play a great quarterback. He threw for 156 yards last week and he’s not going to do that again. We’re going to have to really be on our toes,” explained Trestman.
Here’s a primer for what promises to be an explosive encounter between two of the league’s most stacked offensive teams.
Allergic to cats? It’s funny how so much has been made of the fact the Alouettes have lost their last four games at Ivor Wynne Stadium. Sure it’s the longest such home streak enjoyed by any CFL team against the Als, but what preceded that Hamilton hot stretch isn’t quite as encouraging. The Als were 8-1 over their previous nine games leading up to the start of the Ti-Cats current string of success which began on Oct. 10, 2010.
Home improvement tips: So far in 2012, homefield has been anything but sweet for the Ti-Cats who are in a three-way tie for the worst home record in the league at 3-3. The Tabbies may want to pick their opponents’ brains on Friday with the Als sporting the CFL’s best home record this season at 6-1.
London loves the long ball: As if already having shattered his career best with 634 receiving yards wasn’t enough for Brandon London, he is also doing it as quickly as he can. The 27-year-old receiver leads the CFL with a whopping 19.8 yards per catch on the year.
Did someone say long ball? Known for his career longevity, 40-year-old Anthony Calvillo isn’t only long in the tooth, he’s long on his throws. The league’s passing yards leader is also tops in 30-plus yard completions with 34. AC’s favorite target when dialing long distance? It isn’t London but rather S.J. Green who leads the CFL with 13 catches for 30-plus yards.
Livin’ la vida Luca: Should the game come down to the wire, the Alouettes would be wise to not leave the outcome resting on the foot of Ticats kicker Luca Congi. The league leader with a 93.1% success rate on field goals this season, he’s made good on on 27-of-29 attempts on the year. To make matters worse, Congi is a perfect 10-for-10 on tries north of 40 yards.
Smiling Hank: With 4,514 passing yards and 31 TDs in 14 regular season games against Montreal since 2005, the Alouettes might as well have bequeathed the handle on the Hamilton QB themselves. Only five times in that span did Burris throw for under 300 yards, and that includes a pair of 280+ yard outings. Having thrown for just 156 yards against Winnipeg a week ago, you can bet that Hank will be looking to turn his Week 13 frown upside down against the Als on Friday.
