The Montreal Alouettes travel to Hamilton on Saturday following a strong defensive performance at home over the Calgary Stampeders. Cody Fajardo is listed as a game-time decision due to a left shoulder injury sustained last week.

Montreal Alouettes (4-3): The Montreal Alouettes are on a 2-game win streak with wins against Calgary and Hamilton after their bye. The Alouettes have been improving in multiple areas recently such as getting William Stanback going in the run game by giving him more carries, allowing fewer sacks, and receivers being targetted more evenly creating a more balanced passing game despite Kaion Julien-Grant being injured. The defense has continued to play well despite multiple key injuries.

Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-4): The Saskatchewan Roughriders are fresh off a win over Ottawa that saw Brett Lauther kick a field goal to take the lead in the final minute. They are without Trevor Harris who joined the Riders in free agency after being an Alouette last year. Mason Fine has been playing well at quarterback for them and showing signs of development.

Game Details:

Date/Location: Friday, August 11 /Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, Montreal, QC

Kickoff Time: 7:30 PM ET, 4:30 PM PT

Channel: TSN (Canada), CFL+ (USA, International)

Odds: 

Spread: Montreal -2.5 (-120), Hamilton +2.5 (-110)

Moneyline: Montreal -150, Hamilton +125

Over/Under: 45.5 (Over -105, Under -115)

Other Articles:

Mike Mitchell’s Week 10 Power Rankings

Week 9 First and 2nd Team Top Performers

Week 10 QB Weekly, Week 10 RB Weekly, Week 10 WR Weekly

Week 8 1st and 2nd Team

Week 9 QB Rankings, Week 9 RB Rankings, Week 9 WR Weekly

CFL First Period All-Star Team (Weeks 1-7)

@JonathanClink on Twitter

Defensive Keys to the Game

The Alouettes had quite a few changes last week with injuries to key players such as starting middle linebacker Avery Williams and starting halfback Dionte Ruffin who were both moved to the 6-game injured list. They were also without starting cover linebacker Najee Murray who is done for the season.

Players Filling Roles of Injured Players

Frederic Chagnon started last week at middle linebacker and played a good game that saw him get a 1st quarter knockdown and some good tackling on James Butler. Reggie Stubblefield came in to start at halfback and provided very good coverage and was listed to not allow a reception his way by PFF. J.R. Reed made his presence felt early with some heavy hits in his start at cover linebacker and also jumped a route for an interception.

Run Stop and Rush the Passer

Last week against Hamilton Montreal made some key 3rd quarter run stops and Hamilton abandoned the ground game. If Montreal can deprive Saskatchewan of their run support they can make life difficult for Saskatchewan’s quarterback Mason Fine who still does not have many starts to his name.

Montreal’s secondary will have to lockdown Tevin Jones and Shawn Bane Jr. who have both had some very good games since Mason Fine took over. Samuel Emilus, Jake Wieneke and Jeremiah Sterns are all capable of making some big plays. If Montreal can get to the quarterback early they may be able to force the young quarterback into making some costly mistakes.

Last week Shawn Lemon had 2 sacks, an interception and a forced fumble in his second game for the Alouettes.

Offensive Keys to the Game

Pass Protection/ Quick Passing Plays

Saskatchewan’s pass rush played very well last week against Ottawa. It is going to be very important for Cody Fajardo to go through his progressions quickly and get rid of the ball fast to the open receiver. Montreal will need to play a very good game at the offensive line. Last week Saskatchewan’s Anthony Lanier II had 3 sacks and the team sacked Dustin Crum 6 times.

Montreal has 3 rookie receivers in their lineup who all can play very well. Austin Mack of course is one of the top CFL receivers so far this year. Tyler Snead showcased he can use his speed to make long plays out of short passes. Quartney Davis can go up and win a 50/50 ball and has deep play capabilities. 

Tyson Philpot showed tremendous growth last year in his rookie season and Hergy Mayala had 50 catches last year. All 5 of the Alouettes’ starting receivers can be trusted to make big plays. Last week Regis Cibasu had the only receiving touchdown playing in a second-string role.

In the face of a strong pass rush, it will be highly important to see the open man quickly and get the ball to him.

Run the Ball

Montreal will be without their runningback William Stanback who just had 2 very good games. It is going to be important to establish the run with Walter Fletcher starting at running back. Earlier in the season Montreal was not running the ball and the offensive line was sometimes playing on their heels in pass protection. Montreal will do well to have a balanced offense to keep the defense on their toes. Last year Walter Fletcher ran for 5.7 yards per carry on 85 rushes and played well when Stanback had to miss time.

Injuries, Depth Chart Changes From Last Week:

Cody Fajardo is listed as a game-time decision.

Safety 2nd string: Zack Lindley is out with a head injury. Tysen-Otis Copeland moved from 2nd string half back to 2nd string safety in his place.

Halfback 2nd string: Raheem Wilson comes on to fill the position in his first game since a torn ACL last October.

Linebacker 2nd string: Last week Tyrell Richards was listed as a 2nd string outside linebacker and Bryce Notree was listed as 2nd string middle linebacker. This week they are switched and Richards is listed as middle linebacker.

Defensive Tackle 2nd string: Marcus Valdez is brought into the lineup. The Boston College product was just signed by the Alouettes on July 24 and will play his first CFL game.

Right Tackle: Jamar McGloster is moved back to the practice roster as Landon Rice returns from injury to get the start. McGloster played well during his absence.

WR: Cole Spieker is moved back to the practice roster after providing depth last week.

Runningback: William Stanback is out with a hip injury. Walter Fletcher will start in his place.

Depth Charts:

Score Prediction:

A big question mark is will Cody Fajardo play and how effective will he be with that left shoulder injury. Playing through pain can really limit a player’s abilities. Montreal’s defense has done a great job the last 2 weeks and I expect another good game from them.

I predict Montreal to win by a score of 27 to 19.