Follow the match between the Alouettes and the Lions on RDS airwaves and on RDS.ca
SUMMARY – Alouettes 0, Lions 17 (3rd quarter)
Pre-match notes :
Second act. Second dress rehearsal. We can give whatever name we want to this second of three games without impact in the standings before the playoffs that the Montreal Alouettes will play against the British Columbia Lions on Saturday.
One thing is certain: some “understudies” of the Alouettes (12-3-1) will have the opportunity to jump on stage at BC Place.
This is the case for Davis Alexander. The one who replaced Cody Fajardo at short notice during last Monday’s match once again took rehearsals with the first attacking unit during his team’s only training on Thursday. Fajardo is still at home in California, where his partner gave birth to the couple’s second child some 10 days ago.
Fajardo will join his teammates in Vancouver and was listed as the starting quarterback by head coach Jason Maas in the Alouettes’ roster released to the media on Friday.
“Both will be called upon to play,” he promised on Thursday.
This is also the case in the Birds’ backfield, as Walter Fletcher, who has taken almost all of the reps as a running back this season, will be given time off for this meeting.
Sean Thomas Erlington and Stevie Scott III, who will participate in a first match this season, will be there.
“Sean didn’t get a ton of carries this season and Stevie didn’t get a single one. If something were to happen to Walter, we want these guys to have had playing time,” Maas noted.
On the offensive line, Jamar McGloster, after playing 11 games last season, will be inserted into the lineup for the first time in 2024. Veteran Kristian Matte, who returned to training this week after being held to sidelined since July 11, is still on the injured list for six games.
Finally, Shedler Fervius will replace receiver Austin Mack for this meeting. However, it is veteran Nate Behar who will be the starter on the right flank. Fervius, who has not played since September 6, against these same Lions (8-9), is registered as a substitute for Kaion Julien-Grant.
While this number of roster changes may seem low, the reality of the Canadian League means that Maas does not have the luxury of resting all of these starters at the same time.
“We are going to travel with 47 players, that’s always what we do in case injuries occur a few hours, or even a few minutes before the start of the match,” explained the coach. Of this number, 45 will be part of the training. The way the training courses are built, they are small training courses. The salary cap is a reality and we cannot afford to exceed it at this point in the season. Danny [Macciocia, le directeur général] handles it superbly; we haven’t exceeded it all season.
“We will do as much rotation as we can within these parameters. But the expectations of the 45 players in uniform are always the same on our side. If you’re in uniform, you’re expected to play as well as the guy in front of you. We are not lowering our standards. (…) If you do it, it doesn’t matter who is in the lineup. »
Difficult in BC
It is historically difficult for the Alouettes to win games in British Columbia: the team has not won there since August 20, 2015, when it was led by Tom Higgins and its No. 1 quarterback was Rakeem Kato. The challenge is even greater just five days after your last meeting.
“This match may not mean anything in the standings, but it is important in our eyes,” assured Maas. We don’t want to play below our standards. We are going to British Columbia with the firm intention of winning. We will give everything for 60 minutes and hope for a positive result.
“We won in Winnipeg, Regina and Edmonton, in addition to canceling in Calgary. Since I’ve been here, the only city we haven’t won is Vancouver. Travel weighs on your performance, but we travel nine times during the season. We prepare our guys physically and mentally for these trips; they are expected to be able to play. (…) It’s difficult, but it’s not impossible to win on the road. »
McInnis within reach of an exploit
For the Lions, Quebec receiver Justin McInnis leads the CFL with 1,363 receiving yards. The Pierrefonds athlete could become the first Canadian since Andy Fantuz to finish a campaign at the top of the Ambrosie circuit for receiving yards. He had collected 1,380 in 2010.
McInnis is also approaching the 1,400 yard mark. If he were to reach it, he would become the first Canadian to cross this plateau while finishing first among receivers on the circuit since Dave Sapunjis, with 1,655 yards in 1995.
Ben Cahoon is the only Canadian Alouettes receiver to have amassed more than 1,400 receiving yards in a season. He concluded the 2003 season with 1,561 yards, good for third place.
Finally, after a masterful performance against the Alouettes in their last matchup, quarterback Nathan Rourke has been looking for a bit since then and Vernon Adams Jr. will be the starter.
