Preview: Als travel to Regina to take on Roughriders
The Montreal Alouettes will kick off a two-game road trip Saturday in Regina when they take on the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 7:00 p.m. ET. The Als will look to snap a five-game losing streak.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson to start
Earlier this week, Bethel-Thompson was activated off the six-game injured list early, so that he could practice this week. The 37-year-old has missed the last three games because of an elbow injury.
“Everybody understands the magnitude of this game, and how we’re into September, and what football means after Labour Day,” the Als quarterback said. “There are 1,000 factors on top of getting on the right track.”
This will be the 100th game of Bethel-Thompson’s career. He’s also two touchdown passes away from hitting the century mark.
He hasn’t played since suffering the injury back on Aug. 8 against the Edmonton Elks. He exited that game after halftime and was replaced by Caleb Evans.
“You have to believe that everything happens for a reason,” Bethel-Thompson said. “I’m grateful for this week, this moment and the opportunity. I’ve learned the lessons that I’ve learned, and I want to move forward.”
Time to SWING
“We have to swing.”
That’s what receiver Austin Mack said in this week’s episode of the PodcAls when he was asked about what the offence had to do to get back on track.
“Swing, execute, and don’t be scared,” he added.
“Just watch how I play this week. They’re going to feel me in the run game; they’re going to feel me in the pass game. We’re not going to shy away from anything. We’re going to swing. We’re going to hit [the Roughriders] in the mouth. We have to get back to [being who we are].”
Mack made his return to the lineup last Saturday against the Tiger-Cats. He led the team in receiving yards, with 45.
Standings
When you lose games and other teams start winning, it’s normal that the standings are going to be a little more condensed. Ottawa and Toronto are both sitting at four wins while the Alouettes are at five.
The interesting thing about this week’s games is that the Eastern teams are all facing off against Western opponents.
Hamilton plays Winnipeg, Ottawa is in Vancouver, and Toronto hosts Edmonton. So, with a win in Regina, and a couple of victories by teams in the other division, the Als could get a little more breathing room heading into next week’s game against the Argos.
But don’t expect the Alouettes to be looking over their shoulders.
“I could care less about the leeway we were given or what it looks like,” head coach Jason Maas said. “We’re concentrated on this week and this week only. That’s how we approach everything. If you look at the scoreboard, you look at standings and you look at all that, you’re looking at the wrong thing in my opinion. Our focus is strictly on this game.”
