CFL.ca
VANCOUVER — The BC Lions return home this week to face the Montreal Alouettes after going a perfect two-for-two on their extended road trip through Ontario.
The Leos bounced back from a demoralizing Week 9 home loss to the first-place Calgary Stampeders with a pair of hard-fought wins against the Ottawa REDBLACKS — 29-23 in Week 10 — and Toronto Argonauts, 16-13, last week.
For the Montreal Alouettes, Thursday night’s visitors, the last three weeks have been the exact opposite; the Als demolished Ottawa on the road, 43-19, in Week 9, but have suffered a pair of deflating losses in the two weeks since.
At 7-3, the Lions will feel they’re well-positioned to make a second-half run for the West Division title against Calgary, while the 3-7 Als have to sort out their offensive issues if they’re to remain relevant in the ultra-competitive East Division.
Desperate for an offensive spark, the Montreal Alouettes are turning to Rakeem Cato under centre for the first time since Week 4. Cato, a Marshall alum, went 18-of-25 for 203 yards in his one and only start this season, a 31-7 loss to Hamilton.
“We made an organizational decision (on) several things; it’s not just a quarterback change, we need to see what we have for the future at that position,” Als head coach and general manager Jim Popp told MontrealAlouettes.com. “When, outside of two games, you’re averaging 15.1 points a game — about 12 points below the league average — we’re not doing well enough. We’ve got to find other ways to see if (we can) spark anything.”
The Als’ offence will hope for a boost from wide receiver Duron Carter, who was suspended for the team’s defeat last week against Ottawa for an incident earlier in the season.
“If you’re winning or in first place, you usually don’t touch your roster,” furthered Popp. “If you’re not, you’re behind and not generating enough points, eventually you’ve got to start looking at some other options.”
The Montreal skipper noted that the shift to Cato was not a straight knock on the 37 year-old Kevin Glenn, who’d tossed six interceptions in the Alouettes’ last two losses.
“This is nothing that’s directed right at Kevin Glenn,” insisted Popp. “He’s not the only one (where) we’re making a change, but this is a move for the future in that we’re trying to see what we have while trying to win games.”
The Als have been one of the league’s best defences through 11 weeks, surrendering just 237 points — the third-lowest mark in the league and best in the East.
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One of the keys to Montreal’s defensive success, along with its balanced defensive line, has been the strong play of defensive back Jovon Johnson; the Iowa product who has posted a career-high five sacks this season.
“It feels good to get to the quarterback and put pressure on the QB,” said Johnson, known largely for his ball-hawking prowess as a member of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers throughout the 2009-11 seasons. “Whatever helps the team, I’m all for it.”
As for the challenge posed by BC’s balanced attack, Johnson believes the key to stopping the Leos lies in shutting down three major players.
“Their offence is good across the board, but we know who their big-play guys are: Chris Rainey, Bryan Burnham and Emmanuel Arceneaux,” said the Montreal DB. “If we can limit those guys, keep them contained, we’ll be okay.”
The BC Lions gutted out a pair of tough road victories in Weeks 10 and 11 and return home to BC Place with both confidence and the knowledge that no game can be taken lightly in today’s CFL.
“We’re looking forward to playing at home, (and) obviously getting back on the winning ways on the road has been good for the football club,” Lions head coach Wally Buono told BCLions.com. “It’s going to be a very tough game; the Alouettes are always noted for their great defence and it’s no different this year.”
Buono sees the Als as a team that could be sparked by the insertion of Cato under centre and understands the importance of picking up wins against the league’s struggling teams to maintain pace with the best in the West.
“The quarterback is the single most important player on the team,” explained Buono. “Cato is accurate, he throws the ball (and) has the ability to make defences pay with his legs — a play that’s four seconds turns into eight seconds.”
Leos quarterback Jonathon Jennings stresses that, while BC recorded two strong road wins, the team has to find a way between now and the end of the season to make its home at BC Place a fortress.
“It’s nice to know you can win in hostile environments, but we have to continue to get better at home,” said the BC pivot. “2-2 is not great. It’s not terrible, but we want to be better and get the fans involved and excited about Vancouver football.”
Excitement hasn’t been hard to find on the Lions’ roster thus far in 2016. Linebackers Solomon Elimimian and Adam Bighill have registered the second- and third-most tackles in the league respectively, while Alex Bazzie has posted a league-high nine sacks. Return man Chris Rainey has electrified with a pair of return touchdowns, and BC’s offence has shown flair both in the air and on the ground at points during the first half.
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Rakeem Cato will look to provide a punch in the arm for the Als’ offence (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
By the Numbers
23% – Red zone conversion rate against Montreal’s defence; the Als are the stoutest red zone defence in the league.
26-9 – BC’s lead in the all-time series between the Lions and Als in Vancouver. Home field advantage?
50.6 – BC kicker Richie Leone’s current average yardage on a punt, tied with Jon Ryan’s all-time CFL record.
74 – League-leading tackles recorded by Montreal linebacker Bear Woods.
The Skinny
The Lions will look to fortify their home turf on Friday night against an Als team that has struggled to put points on the board for the vast majority of 2016.
If BC can get its ground game going against Montreal’s strong front seven, Jim Popp’s team could be in for a Pacific-coast beating.
If Rakeem Cato can prove his mettle as a starting quarterback and be the dual threat many have expected him to be, the Als may be in with a fighting chance against a BC team still trying to find its identity at home.
With the likes of Chris Rainey and Stefan Lofan running the return game for the Lions and Als respectively, don’t discount the impact special teams might have on Friday night in Vancouver either.
Kickoff is slated for 10:00 p.m. ET and can be seen live on TSN or followed online via CFL.ca Game Tracker.
With files from MontrealAlouettes.com/BCLions.com
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