Outside of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, there’s no hotter team in the CFL than the Montreal Alouettes.
Four straight wins have boosted them to a tie atop the East Division with Toronto. They’ll attempt to keep their roll going Saturday night when the Saskatchewan Roughriders visit for a game that carries heavy playoff implications both ways.
Montreal routed Toronto 37-16 on Oct. 22 to join the Argonauts at 6-4. Running back William Stanback carried the load with 203 yards, tying his career high, on 24 carries. He scored a touchdown and now leads the league with 880 yards.
“It was just sticking to the game plan, executing at a high level, believing in the reads, believing in my runs, believing in my guys up front,” he said to the Montreal Gazette. “I feel like we found our niche, we found our groove and we’re just trying to ride this wave we got going on.”
The matchup with Saskatchewan marks a noted boost in competition. After that game, the Als have a home-and-home with 10-1 Winnipeg, which has won eight in a row, followed by the season finale with hapless Ottawa.
Meanwhile, the Roughriders (6-4) come to town fresh off a critical 20-17 win last week at Calgary, avoiding a three-game sweep at the Stampeders’ hands. Saskatchewan was outgained 381-290, but intercepted Bo Levi Mitchell three times to offset his 311 passing yards.
Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo played one of his better games of the year, hitting 21 of 26 passes for 222 yards and a pair of scores. The last one to Kyran Moore early in the fourth quarter provided the margin of victory.
Paramount on the mind of Saskatchewan coach Craig Dickenson, though, is how his defense can keep the 6-foot, 233-pound Stanback in check.
“He’s a beast. He’s really big. He can run and he’s really strong,” Dickenson said to the Regina Leader-Post.
This is the only meeting of the teams this year, unless they play for the Grey Cup in December.
–Field Level Media
