Montreal saw their opponentβs running backs have success on the ground in each of their last 2 games. So far this season James Butler has averaged 4.7 yards per carry as he has rushed 71 times for 331 yards and a touchdown. Butler can be a dangerous back so Montrealβs run defense will need to be on point Friday.
Exploit Weak Spots in Zone Coverage
At times particularly earlier in the season Hamiltonβs secondary would be in a zone coverage that would often give receivers excess room to find soft spots to get open in gaps in coverage. If Montrealβs receivers can get to these soft spots then they may be able to exploit this.
Run the Ball
With Davis Alexander getting his first career CFL start run support will be highly valuable to take pressure off of his shoulders. Hamilton has allowed on average 4.8 yards per rush. Walter Fletcher so far this season has rushed 57 times for 306 yards, 5.37 yards per carry. Despite having the 2nd highest rushing average among starting running backs he has had 6 rushes per game or fewer in each of the last 4 games.
#10 QB Davis Alexander
Completed 15 of his 18 passes for 178 yards and 2 touchdowns last week all in the 2nd half.
#6 WR Tyson Philpot
Last week Philpot led the team in receiving with 7 catches for 88 yards. He is currently 2nd in receiving in the league having caught 51 passes for 691 yards with 5 touchdowns. His 321 YAC is the most in the league.
#22 CB Dionte Ruffin
Dionte Ruffin and Kabion Ento have been one of the best cornerback duos in the league this season. Last week Ruffin only allowed 1 reception his way which was for 7 yards. Ruffin has 18 tackles and 2 interceptions so far this season.
Last week Murray did not allow a reception his way. He has 28 tackles on the season.
#24 S Marc-Antoine Dequoy
Dequoy did not allow a reception his way last week. He has 15 tackles, an interception, and a forced fumble so far this season.
5 Tiger-Cats to Watch
#18 QB Bo Levi Mitchell
Last week Mitchell completed 17 of his 25 passes for 316 yards and a career-high 5 touchdowns with 1 interception.
Last week Butler rushed 21 times for 98 yards, a 4.7 average. If Hamilton runs the ball as much as they did last week and Montrealβs run defense is not tighter than itβs been as of late then he may have a big game.
#81 WR Luther Hakunavanhu
Last week Hakunavanhu had 2 catches for a team-leading 83 yards and a touchdown. He has 6 catches for 131 yards and 3 touchdowns this season.
#17 WR Shemar Bridges
Bridges leads the team in receiving having caught 39 passes for 450 yards and 3 touchdowns. He is currently 6th in receiving in the league, 2nd among CFL rookies.
Sayles is consistently a problem in the interior for opposing teams both in the pass rush and as a run-stopper. He has 17 tackles and 3 sacks in 7 games so far this season.
Injury Report:
Depth Charts:
Score Prediction:
I think we are going to see a very entertaining game in which Montreal wins a close one. Montreal has allowed the fewest points per game at 21.7 while Hamilton has allowed the most at 31.6 per game. Additionally, Montrealβs offense demonstrated a strong ability to continue rolling with Davis Alexander last week. I predict Montreal to win this game 33-24.
