MontrealAlouettes.com
MONTREAL – It won’t be the last time that the Alouettes play in Steeltown, but it might be the last time they travel to creaky, soon-to-be defunct Ivor Wynne Stadium, as Montreal will face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats this Friday at 7:00 p.m.
Winners of their last two home games, the Alouettes improved to an 8-4 record to gain some breathing room over the Argos (6-6) and the Ti-Cats (4-8) in the race for top spot in the East Division.
“We have a great chance to lock up this East Division,” admitted slotback Jamel Richardson still searching for his first 100-yard receiving game of the season. “Right now, we’ve managed to build a little cushion and we’re in a position to control our own destiny this late in the season. We don’t need to depend on anybody but ourselves which is always a great feeling.”
Yes, the Als have won six of their last seven games but with the four of the Als’ remaining six regular season games are on the road, the team’s record at 2-3 away from Molson Percival Stadium may become a factor.
“It took us 12 weeks to play well on all three phases, which serves as an indication that it’s nothing is easy in this league nor is it time to relax,” warned Anthony Calvillo, who topped 300 yards in passing for a ninth time this season last weekend.
“We’re on a short week, so it’s going to be a challenge. They’re [Hamilton] fighting for a playoff berth and we’re fighting to stay number one in the East,” added Calvillo. “We have to duplicate last week’s performance and start the game with a lot of energy. I think guys will be up for the challenge.”
The veteran pivot has thrown for a combined four touchdowns and 703 yards in his first two meetings against Hamilton this season, with a large contribution coming from receiver Brandon London’s 169 yards on eight receptions and one touchdown grab.
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The Alouettes will pay special attention to Chris Williams on Friday. |
London will be making his second consecutive start since suffering a knee injury against the Ti-Cats back in Week 8 and the 27-year-old is fresh off his fourth 100-yard game of the season.
“I needed that type of productivity to get my confidence back last week,” admitted London, who still has to wear a protective knee brace for precautionary measures. “I’m more mature as a receiver and balls are coming my way. Hopefully they keep calling my number so that I can continue to prove myself and make plays for my team because it won’t be easy in Hamilton.”
The passing game has been able to continue to soar thanks in large part to running back Victor Anderson who has shown he’s capable of filling in for injured Brandon Whitaker. Anderson and the offensive line should do some major damage Friday night against the league’s worst rush defence yielding 130.3 yards per game.
The Als’ special teams unit also sprung to life, scoring their first touchdown since last October thanks to Trent Guy’s epic 129-yard missed field goal return. Their next challenge: bottling up the ever-dangerous Chris Williams, who is the most dominant returner in the CFL today.
Williams’ return game has been a big part of the Ticats scoring and the 2011 CFL rookie of the year’s league-record six return touchdowns this season have been a point of emphasis for Montreal in meeting rooms.
Notes: For three consecutive weeks now, Chris Williams has cooled off and has been held to a less than 10-yard average on kickoff returns … Als defensive tackle Ventrell Jenkins and cornerback Seth Williams are both expected to miss Friday’s game against Hamilton … Ti-Cats’ defensive back Marcell Young, who missed 10 games with a broken hand, will replace Nick Graham on Friday … Friday’s game will likely be the Alouettes’ last at Ivor Wynne Stadium, barring a shake-up in the standings which would see the Alouettes finish behind the Ticats at the end of the season.
