Preview: Alouettes vs REDBLACKS
CFL.ca staff
Ottawa – The Ottawa REDBLACKS in their CFL infancy are entering new territory, and a win on Friday night can take them a significant step further.
East Division rivals clash in a matchup with early playoff implications in the Nation’s Capital.
Two key points are up for grabs while Michael Sam could make his CFL debut, as the REDBLACKS play host to the Montreal Alouettes on Friday Night Football, a matchup between division rivals with huge early-season implications in the standings.
Ottawa, already a winner over Montreal this season back in Week 1, is 3-2 through five games, tied atop the East Division standings and a game ahead of the Alouettes. TD Place is already sold out and although the calendar says August, there’s a mid-autumn buzz in the air.
“We’re looking forward to it,” quarterback Henry Burris told OttawaREDBLACKS.com. “It’s an Eastern opponent, a team that we’ve played.”
“Good team,” added second-year head coach Rick Campbell. “It’s always big when you’re playing at home. They’re an East Division opponent and we want to put our best foot forward.”
In a highly-anticipated season-opener over a month ago that was charged up by a revamped Ottawa offence, the REDBLACKS went on the road and earned a 20-16 win over the Alouettes. They rallied from deficits at halftime and going into the fourth, while the defence held and the running game controlled the clock.
But while winning close games late is something the REDBLACKS have learned how to do this season – all three of their wins have involved fourth-quarter comebacks – Friday’s rematch with the Alouettes involves a much higher degree of difficult.
The Alouettes were forced to use then-third string quarterback Brandon Bridge for the second half of that ball game following injuries to Dan LeFevour and Jonathan Crompton. Since then, the emergence of 23-year-old Rakeem Cato has totally changed the outlook of the Als’ offence.
“We know they’re going to come down that highway with a vengeance and look to reverse what happened in their ballpark in Week 1,” said Burris. “It’s a big rivalry. We expect them to bring their best.”
“It’s a very good team. Very good defence, well-coached team so we have to make sure we’re on top of our game and we put on a good show for our fans.”
So far the REDBLACKS have done just that. Two of their three wins have come at home, while their peripherals back up their success. They currently own the CFL’s second-best defence, allowing 306 yards per game. Opponents are averaging only 5.2 yards on first down thus far.
Offensively they’ve struggled overall to run the football, but their passing attack is substantially improved compared to 2014. Burris owns a quarterback rating of 88.4 and has completed 67.2 per cent of his passes, currently a career high. The offensive line has started the same five players every week while the team overall has 18 players that have started all five games.
Yet in the end, success has come down to brief moments in games – clutch moments in fourth quarters and, in a win over Calgary two weeks ago, overtime. Of the 15 quarters they’ve played so far not including the fourth, they’ve led at the end of only two of them. Last year Ottawa was 0-11 when trailing after three quarters.