Peter McCabe/CFL.ca
TORONTO — The BC Lions and Montreal Alouettes was a highly anticipated matchup that didn’t disappoint.
The Alouettes came into the game with a 10-1 record, a playoff spot secured and looking like the team to beat in the CFL.
The Lions meanwhile were coming off their first win in six games, but looking revitalized after quarterback Nathan Rourke showcased his playmaking ability that tantalized football fans across Canada two years ago in the Touchdown Pacific win over the Ottawa REDBLACKS.
It’s easy to see why the Als would be picked as the favourites to come away with yet another win.
“Okay, listen, I love BC. As I said, I think they might be the most dangerous team,” said Donnovan Bennett in a conversation with Henoc Muamba in this week’s edition of The Waggle Podcast before Friday’s matchup. “They’re too deep it’s outstanding. However, Montreal still has been the class of the league all year. They have not flinched, Cody Fajardo has come back, hasn’t missed a beat, and we had these great Labor Day Classic games. I like Montreal in this spot. I think this might be a Grey Cup preview, but I like Montreal to win this version of it.”
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BC went into Montreal to come away with 37-23 win that was headlined by former Alouettes running back William Stanback.
The tailback rushed for 128 yards and a touchdown against his former team, opening up the game on offence as Rourke added 304 passing yards but also finished with three interceptions against a stingy defence.
Not everyone doubted that the Leos had what it takes to take down the current champs.
“(Rourke) and his whole team (will) travel all the way to Montreal and take the W against the defending champions,” predicted Muamba in his weekly picks. “You’ve got Mathieu Betts who’s back on that defence and is going to be applying pressure. (Sione) Teuhema is going to be applying pressure.
“I’m looking at the BC Lions coming into Montreal and putting a number two there in that losing column for the Als.”
The Lions ended up registering three sacks against Fajardo, including one by Teuhema as the pivot threw for only 240 yards, a major and a pick by linebacker T.J. Lee.
The win keeps BC in a tight race with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers for first place in the West Division as both teams currently hold a 7-6 record, with the Bombers owning the tie breaker between the two. The Als meanwhile drop to 10-2 but are still comfortably ahead of the Ottawa REDBLACKS (8-3-1) for first place in the East Division.
That sets up a possible Grey Cup matchup at BC Place between Lions and Als in November, but there’s still a long road ahead for both teams to make it to the big game. The Lions now head back home to host the Toronto Argonauts on Friday, Sep. 13, in Week 15 action. The Als meanwhile go on the road to face the Stampeders in Calgary on Saturday, Sep. 14.
