There are eight games left to the 2018 season. Four of which are against East teams. Tomorrow’s contest in REDBLACKS territory is the third and last of the year against the squad that currently sits at the top of the division.
It’s an important one. To keep the spirit of last week’s nail-biting win alive. To start the climb towards a better spot than last. To hope to make it to the playoffs.
”At this point in the season, every game is critical, said Woody Baron in a post-practice interview on Wednesday. Especially the ones in the East. We have a handful of them left so we have to take advantage of every single one of them. We’re trying to claw our way back into the playoff picture one game at a time.’‘
We’re expecting a close match, like the first two against Ottawa, and we’ll be keeping an eye out for what follows.
The return of the Knap
Important element of consistency since the beginning of the season, the D-line got even stronger earlier this week when defensive end Gabriel Knapton was called back. The seasoned vets standing at both ends – Knapton and Bowman – and the two productive rookies in the middle – Baron and Brown – will certainly have to keep shutting down the run game (because let’s not ignore the fact that William Powell has four 100+ yards efforts this season), but mostly press Trevor Harris and put a serious brake on the pass game. Reminder : 601 was the REDBLACKS offence total yardage against our defence on August 11…
Other reminder: turnovers are HUGE. Linebacker Chris Ackie made his first pick-six as a pro earlier this month as the team was facing Ottawa and it seemed to give everybody wings.
Little Pick-me-up
Mickey Donovan’s group stood out at the beginning of the season, but faced a few struggles recently. The offence should, however, be able to rely on the services of speedy kick returner Stefan Logan in terms of field positioning. Suffering from an ankle injury since the July 6 home game, versus the REDBLACKS, actually, Lo came out in tiptop shape this week at practice, ready to make amends. A little pick-me-up that could have a big impact on how fast Antonio Pipkin and his receivers reach the red zone.
P for Progress
Or for Pipkin. The 23-year-old quarterback will be starting under centre for the third time with the Alouettes. While all eyes will be on him, his will be downfield. Who wasn’t impressed by his ability to find open receivers, even 52 yards deep, even with a d-lineman attempting to drag him to the ground? As a matter of fact, he was the first QB in Alouettes history to score two rushing TDs and pass for more than 300 yards in the same game. The wonder boy is quite promising and the best part is that his teammates are rising to the challenge. Receivers Eugene Lewis and Ernest Jackson took the offence a step up since Pip came back. Combined, in games 9 and 10, they collected 18 receptions for 286 yards, more than double their numbers following games 7 and 8.
*Fun fact*
In a press conference, Coach Sherman joked about Tevaughn Campbell finally deciding to commit to football. Member of the National Rugby Team, Tevaughn played a few games in the Montreal uniform in 2017 and was added to the roster again a few weeks ago. You will be able to see him and his impressive speed (he ran the fastest 40-yard dash in National Combine history) starting at cornerback tomorrow.
Tune in to TSN or TSN690 or come watch the game with us at the Casino de Montréal!
More info on the event here.
