Preview: SSK @ MTL – Week 8
A pair of 5-1 teams will do battle on Thursday night at Percival Molson Stadium as the Montreal Alouettes will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Riders are coming off a win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last week while the Alouettes were on a bye week. The Als head into this week in first place in the East Division while the Riders are first in the West.
Here’s what you need to know about this matchup:
Caleb Evans makes first start of 2024:
Starting quarterback Cody Fajardo exited the Alouettes’ last game with a hamstring injury. He didn’t practice all week and has been ruled out for Thursday’s clash. Caleb Evans, who has served as Fajardo’s backup quarterback all season long.
Evans started two games for an injured Fajardo last season, including one game against the Roughriders. The 26-year-old won both his starts in 2023. He looked sharp throughout training camp and the preseason, and he’ll get an opportunity to be the go-to pivot on Thursday night.
“I feel good,” Evans said. “It feels good to get a full week of reps as opposed to no reps. It feels good to get out there with some of the guys and some of the receivers that are out there. I’m getting used to their speed and what they see. We just communicate that and get on the same page. We’re starting to click and starting to see those communication things on the field.”
The secondary gets some reinforcements:
The Alouettes secondary will get two huge boosts on Thursday, as safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy and defensive back Wesley Sutton will return from injury.
Dequoy missed one game because of a shoulder injury. The East Division’s Most Outstanding Canadian last year has 12 tackles and one interception in five games in 2023. That was the first game the 29-year-old has missed due to injury since the start of the 2022 season.
Sutton, who is a back-to-back East Division All-Star, has been out since training camp with a back ailment. The 28-year-old had 54 defensive tackles, three sacks and one interception for a touchdown in 16 games last year. He’ll return to his familiar spot at defensive half-back on the short side of the field, which had been occupied by Dionte Ruffin since the start of this year.
Ruffin will move to boundary cornerback, which is where he suited up in last year’s Grey Cup victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Nafees Lyon has been placed on the one-game injured list.
“He’s kind of similar to (Argos quarterback) Cameron Dukes,” Dequoy said of Roughriders quarterback Shea Patterson. “He’s evasive, but he can throw the football too. I’d like to see him a little more, but he’s a guy that can move. When you come to tackle him, you have to have your eyes in the right place. He can make you miss.
New faces entering the lineup:
Two players who were signed late last week will make their debuts for the Alouettes in 2024. Veteran receiver Nate Behar will be in the lineup. The 29-year-old has played in 90 games for Edmonton and Ottawa. The Canadian’s best season came in 2022 when he finished with 727 receiving yards on 59 receptions. He’s coming into the lineup for the injured Kaion Julien-Grant.
Linebacker Bryce Notree, who spent last season with the Als, is back. He was released prior to training camp. The 25-year-old had 21 defensive tackles and 11 on special teams in 10 contests in 2023.
As for the Roughriders, they will be without former Alouettes quarterback Trevor Harris and their starting running back AJ Ouellette.
