Which players stood out during Als preseason win over Ticats?

Cody Fajardo (7), William Stanback (31)

The Alouettes completed the 2023 preseason with a perfect 2-0 record after they beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 25-22, at Percival Molson Stadium on Friday night.

There are things that the team needs to improve on before they begin the regular season at home against Ottawa next weekend, but there are plenty of positives to build on, too.

“We just said we want to compete every week and every day,” head coach Jason Maas said after the win. “That’s been the mindset since Day one with our guys. We’re here to compete. Every single day we need to see compete, toughness and effort from everybody. I feel like the winning takes care of itself when you do that.”

Unlike last week, many of the starters got to play. This was the first time we saw the entire starting offence and defence play together in a game.

Let’s look at what stood out.

Cody Fajardo’s performance:

Alouettes fans got their first look at new starting quarterback Cody Fajardo in this game. The veteran had a strong training camp, and that continued on the opening drive of the game.

He connected with three different receivers (Keshunn Abram, Cole Spieker (twice) and Kaion Julien-Grant (twice) and threw a touchdown pass to Julien-Grant to give the Alouettes their first lead of the game. He finished the drive 5-for-6 for 48 yards and a touchdown.

“It was huge for the offence and huge for me,” Fajardo said of that drive. “I haven’t played football for a while it feels like. I was nervous going into it, as I always am. I was excited to be there with the guys. We put in a lot of hard work in training camp and to see it come to fruition on that first drive and score a touchdown was awesome.”

The 31-year-old also showed his escape-ability when he spun away from pressure to pick up positive yards on his only carry.

Fajardo came out of the game with just under five minutes remaining in the second quarter. He went 7-for-14 for 77 yards and a touchdown. The Als were down 11-10 when he came out of the game for backup quarterback Caleb Evans.

All in all, the Als starting quarterback played well.

“The whole first drive, he just ran the offence the way it is supposed to be run,” Maas said of Fajardo. “He was lights out. Even making the play with his legs, we’ve seen that all camp. This is the best I have seen Cody look with his feet since I’ve known him. He didn’t do anything we didn’t see him do all camp, which I was very excited about because it’s taking it from the practice field to the game. That’s the expectation for him. I know we can put together drives, I know the offence is built that way.”

William Stanback has some jump:

William Stanback missed 13 games because of a foot injury last season. When he returned to the lineup, it took him some time to get back into game shape. He finally broke off a long run in the East Division Final against Toronto, but he never looked like the dominant running back he had been in previous seasons.

Stanback didn’t suit up in last week’s preseason game in Ottawa, but he made his 2023 debut last night against the Tiger-Cats, and he looked really good.

The 28-year-old had four carries for 25 yards (his longest was a nine-yard run). Those aren’t huge numbers, but if you watched him run, you could tell that he was feeling like himself again. That’s an encouraging sign for an Als offence that will probably run the ball a lot this season.

“I felt really good,” Stanback said after the game. “I could’ve played the whole game if they let me, but knowing it’s a preseason game, I need to get ready for next week. I felt really light and nimble on my feet. I just felt really good. I felt like I’m back to myself and how I was before. I’m going to help the team in every way possible when I can be on the field.”

Israel Antwine makes an impression:

Rookie defensive tackle Israel Antwine didn’t look out of place in training camp. The 23-year-old was effective in the preseason opener against Ottawa, but he wasn’t flashy.

Israel Antwine (95)

In the second exhibition game against Hamilton, he showed plenty of flash, as he registered a pair of quarterback sacks against the Ticats. Even in preseason, registering a sack as a defensive tackle isn’t easy.

The Alouettes will likely start veteran Almondo Sewell and second-year pro Mustafa Johnson at defensive tackle in 2023, but there is an opening for an American to back them up. There’s a lot to like about Antwine. He’s big (6-foot-3, 309 pounds), he’s strong, and he’s incredibly tough to move on the interior of the defensive line.

Kordell Rodgers stands out in the secondary:

An injury sidelined Kordell Rodgers for a few days during training camp, including last week’s game in Ottawa. The 24-year-old needed to have a big game on Friday night at home, and he did just that.

Rodgers intercepted Ticats quarterback Taylor Powell in the third quarter. He followed that up by breaking up back-to-back pass attempts by Powell towards former Alouette Jon’Vea Johnson.

Kordell Rodgers (19)

“He did what was expected of him,” veteran Ciante Evans said of Rodgers’ performance. “He’s been battling through some injuries in camp, and he didn’t get to showcase his abilities in the first preseason game. This is what was expected of him. This is professional football, so anytime you get an opportunity to compete and come away victorious more than he lost tonight. He did a great job.”

Prior to this game, general manager Danny Maciocia mentioned that he wanted to evaluate the youngsters in the secondary. That makes Rodgers’ performance significant because teams can’t keep too many American defensive backs on the roster.

Finalizing the roster:

The Alouettes front office and coaching staff will need to get together on Saturday to finalize their roster. Cuts need to be made and sent to the CFL head office by 10:00 p.m. Saturday night.

The team will be back at practice on Tuesday at Olympic Stadium. They’ll open the regular season at home against the Ottawa Redblacks next Saturday night.