LIVESTREAM PPV: CFL – Toronto Argonauts @Montreal Alouettes, Friday, Oct. 18, 7p EDT (1a Oct. 19 CEDT)
MONTREAL — With a home playoff date locked up, the Montreal Alouettes will try to best their divisional rivals for the second time this season, as the Toronto Argonauts visit Percival Molson Stadium Friday night.
The crowd at “McGill on the hill” will be in for a treat Friday, as William Stanback returns to the lineup after a stint on the injured list. Stanback is chasing a milestone in Week 19, as he has 954 rushing yards this season. The second-year rusher would become the first Alouette to rush for 1,000 yards since Tyrell Sutton in 2015.
Geno Lewis is aiming to be the first Montreal wideout in two years to reach 1,000 receiving yards. After being signed as an unheralded free agent in 2017, Lewis has seen his workload increase, and is now 63 yards shy of the mark.
“They know the numbers and they’ve talked about it,” Khari Jones told MontrealAlouettes.com. “As long as it’s within the scheme of what we do – and I think it will be – I like it and I think it’s great. I think they should aspire to some of those milestone numbers. Hopefully, we can figure out how to get them there.”
Should Lewis surpass 1,000 yards in his final three games, that would make the Als the eighth team to have a receiver reach the milestone in 2019. The lone outliers will be the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, whose leading receiver, Kenny Lawler, has 537 yards.
This is the second of two meetings between the Boatmen and the Alouettes. Their first was Touchdown Atlantic in late August, when Montreal emerged 28-22 victors in a wild game. The teams combined for 981 yards of offence, with the Als outscoring Toronto 22-6 in the second half to clinch the win.
The Argos turned in an encouraging performance against the Ottawa REDBLACKS last week. McLeod Bethel-Thompson was back behind centre after briefly losing his starting role to James Franklin. He did not disappoint, throwing for 300 yards and two touchdowns.
“We came together and played 60 minutes of football,” James Wilder Jr. told Argonauts.ca of the victory. “The main thing we’ve been lacking all year is finishing – finishing the game strong. We did it and it feels good.”
Bethel-Thompson had a career day at Touchdown Atlantic, throwing for 464 yards, the most in his three-year career.
The star of Toronto’s Week 18 triumph over the REDBLACKS was S.J. Green, who became the 18th player in league history to reach 10,000 receiving yards. Green returns to his old stomping grounds Friday; he spent 10 seasons in Montreal, winning two Grey Cups.
“It’s a testament to my consistency in this league and a testament to the teammates I’ve had around me for the last 13 years,” Green said of his milestone. “It’s a great feeling to have been with these guys when it took place. We’ve stuck together and had a lot of ups and downs. The focus isn’t about me having 10,000 yards, it’s on us trying to win games.”
With Michael “Pinball” Clemons ascending to take over the general manager roll, planning for next season has already began. While Bethel-Thompson hasn’t led the team to nearly enough wins, his numbers have clearly designated him as the quarterback of choice for the time being.
However, the Argos are dressing four quarterbacks on their 46-man roster – Bethel-Thompson, Franklin, Dakota Prukop and Michael O’Connor.
It’s expected that both Prukop and O’Connor will get reps in the latter stages of the contest. Prukop saw some action earlier this season, but O’Connor has yet to take a professional football snap. The Orleans, Ont. product was the 20th selection in the 2019 CFL Draft.
Toronto will have to go about trying to win their second straight game without Green’s partner in the receiving corps, Derel Walker, who was placed on the one-game injured list. Despite reaching 1,000 yards two games ago, Walker has been quiet in recent weeks, catching no more than three passes in each of his last three games.
The Alouettes will also be without a key piece come Friday. Veteran defensive end John Bowman is being given the night off as the team prepares for the playoffs. Bowman isn’t nursing any particular injury, but with their playoff position secured, Jones is taking the opportunity to give the 14-year pro the night off.
The Alouettes also announced this week at 10,000 tickets were already sold for the Eastern Semi-Final on Nov. 10.
BY THE NUMBERS
87.1 – Boris Bede’s field goal percentage. If he maintains it, it will be Bede’s best percentage since his rookie year in 2015 (90 per cent).
0-10 – The Argonauts record when trailing after three quarters.
3 – All but three of the Alouettes games have been decided in the final three minutes this season.
1 – A lone two-and-out for Toronto last week. They had 24 during their previous three games.
– With files from MontrealAlouettes.com and Argonauts.ca
AFI, Yare Media and the CFL
American Football International is collaborating with Yare Media and the Canadian Football League to present 2019 CFL games live. This is more than a livestream. This is a stream of the top flight TSN network television broadcast.
