Pre-Game: #TORvsMTL

MontrealAlouettes.com

This Sunday November 2nd, come witness the ultimate showdown of your Montreal Alouettes in the regular season at McGill Stadium while they face their eternal rivals of Toronto. In a playoff race where nothing is granted, much is at stake for your favorites, the importance of this game is simply crucial for both teams. A victory from the Als will assured them of playing a playoff game at McGill Stadium. The excitement is at its height, see you there!

QUICK LINKS:  PLAYOFF TICKETS »  STM SHUTTLE »  PARKING »  PRE-GAME PARTY »  DEPTH CHART »

Here’s a handy guide of all you need to know about this Fan Day presented by Tim Hortons: 

• Starting at 10:30 a.m. and continuing through the end of the first quarter, Alouettes players’ wives will help Purolator and Sun Youth volunteers collect non-perishable food items and cash donations at each entrance of the stadium.

• Alouettes fans are asked to arrive early on Sunday as kickoff will be at noon, i.e. one hour earlier than usual. Also, following last week’s events, extra security measures will be in effect on Sunday.

• Sunday also marks the day that clocks are turned back an hour.

• Every fan at the stadium will receive the 2014 Alouettes team photo. All Alouettes merchandise will be discounted by 25% at the different Red Zone locations at the stadium. 

• There will also be many prizes to be won, including a helicopter tour accompanied by Alouettes kicker Sean Whyte, a prize offered by Bell Helicopter.

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With only 2 weeks left on the CFL calendar, the Alouettes-Argonauts matchup has a lot of playoff implications. Here are the scenarios in which the Alouettes could clinch their playoff berth this week:

– An Alouettes win would clinch a home playoff game.

– An Alouettes win and a Tiger-Cats defeat against the REDBLACKS would clinch the division and the home field advantage for the East final.

A kickers matchup

Sunday’s game will be played between two teams that can count on solid kickers. Sean Whyte should have an interesting matchup against Swayze Waters. The two athletes are in the CFL’s top 3 for the % of field goal attempts that are made. Waters is 2nd with a 89,4% average while Whyte is sitting in 3rd place with a 88,1% average.

Also, Waters leads the league for the average length of made field goals. He has an average of 34,7 yards this year. Whyte isn’t too far behind with his 31,8 yards average that is good for 3rd place in the league. This means it wouldn’t be surprising to see this game being decided on a long field goal.

Turnovers lead to wins… or losses

This game could also be decided on turnovers and if that’s the case, the Alouettes shouldn’t be the team complaining. Since the beginning of the season, Montreal has a +9 turnover differential, which is good for the 2nd place in the CFL. It’s a bit more complicated for the Argos that are stuck in 8th position with their -14 differential on that front.

It’s important because Toronto hasn’t lost a game in which they had the edge on the turnover front this year. Meanwhile, the Alouettes haven’t been able to win a game in which they were trailing their adversary for that stat. This is a CFL wide trend because teams with a negative turnover differential have a 10-53 record in 2014.

Two elite offensive lines

One thing that both teams have in common is the strength of the offensive line. Montreal has only allowed 30 quarterback sacks since the beginning of the year. Only the Stampeders are doing better in 2014. The Argos are ranked 3rd in the league with 38 allowed sacks.

This protection is important because this season in the CFL, 14,4% of the possessions without a sack were touchdowns. This number dips to 3,7% when there’s one sack allowed.

Milestones to watch for on Sunday

• Sean Whyte could tie his franchise record by converting his next 3 field goal attempts. 

• With the next quarterback sack, John Bowman will get to 17th place in CFL history for career sacks with 83. 

• S.J. Green needs 3 catches to have his 5th consecutive season with 50 or more catches. 

• Jerald Brown is 4 defensive tackles away from the best season of his CFL career. 

In collaboration with Budweiser and le Dindon du Québec, the west end-zone at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium will be better known as a party zone by Alouettes fans this season!

Beginning when the stadium doors open, the area will be transformed into an open fan zone, allowing supporters to converge in an electric atmosphere from pre-game until the final whistle.

REMINDER: Please note that the north entrance to the west end-zone will now close 10 minutes before kick-off until 5 minutes following the final whistle. During the game, access to the west end-zone will be limited to the south entrance only.

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Once again this season, starting two hours before kick-off, Alouettes cheerleaders, alumni, and players, as well as team mascot Touché will be on-site outside of Percival Molson Memorial Stadium’s east entrance to sign autographs, take photos, and mingle with fans.

Already backed by some of the loudest supporters in the CFL, a drumline meanwhile will be adding to the aural ambiance, and major team sponsors will also be doing their part to keep things festive.

Vote for the belairdirect Protector of the Game!

The belairdirect Protector of the Game trophy is awarded to the Alouettes player who has distinguished himself by protecting his team against their opponents.

Examples include:

• Protecting the running back with an important block leading to a big play on the ground;

• Catching an interception in the end zone;

• Protecting the quarterback from a sack;

After each game, Alouettes fans can vote on who among the three players nominated by Pierre Vercheval should win the trophy.

The official belairdirect Protector of the Game trophy will be presented to the winning player during every home game, on the field following warm-ups.

VOTE »

Can’t make it to the game?

Alouettes season ticket holders can transfer their unused tickets to friends for free via the online account manager.

Need additional tickets?

Alouettes season ticket holders can also purchase extra tickets at their special reduced rate by contacting their account manager at 514-787-2525.

Already a season ticket holder? Get 10% off all Alouettes merchandise at any Red Zoke kiosk in-stadium upon presentation of the membership card found in your season ticket booklet.

The Alouettes and the STM offer you a free and fast direct link between Percival Molson Memorial Stadium and the Square Victoria (orange line) and McGill (green line) metro stations every game day!

Bus service starts two hours before kick-off and continues until halfway through the first quarter.

**IMPORTANT**

Please note that Peel Street is closed to all Northbound traffic between Sherbrooke and Docteur Penfield.

Note also that until the end of the season the yellow line will be closed. We recommend that the supporters use the metro from the Papineau station and thereafter.

Taking the bus to Berri add 15 minutes to the run.

Departs: Rue Viger / Beaver Hall (north-west side) – Square Victoria metro.

Stop # 1: University / de la Gauchetière;
Stop # 2: University / René-Lévesque;
Stop # 3: University / Ste-Catherine – McGill metro;
Stop # 4: University / Président Kennedy – McGill metro;

Arrives: Avenue des Pins / Avenue du Parc.

Return bus service resumes at the start of the fourth quarter until one hour after the final whistle.

Departs: Avenue du Parc / Avenue des Pins.

Stop # 1: Union / Président Kennedy – McGill metro;
Stop # 2: Union / Ste-Catherine – McGill metro;

Arrives: Rue Viger / Beaver Hall – Square Victoria metro.

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