MONTREAL — The Saskatchewan Roughriders will look to put together another winning streak when they take on the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday.
Saskatchewan won its previous game — a 30-29 decision over the host Toronto Argonauts last Saturday — so it will be looking for its second straight victory Sunday (11 a.m., CKRM, TSN) at Percival Molson Stadium.
The Roughriders (8-5-0) have had two winning streaks already this season, posting back-to-back victories July 22 and July 29 and four in a row Aug. 19, Aug. 25, Sept. 2 and Sept. 8.
Montreal (3-10-0) won two straight games Aug. 24 and Aug. 31, but that’s its longest winning streak of the season. However, the Als have endured a pair of two-game losing skids and a six-game losing streak.
Here’s one man’s list of five things (or players) to watch during Sunday’s game.
- Johnny Football: Alouettes quarterback Johnny Manziel has yet to demonstrate that he’s going to be a quality CFL starter — he has thrown five interceptions but no touchdown passes in three appearances this season — but he has people’s attention because of his time in the NCAA and NFL. The Roughriders have yet to face Manziel this season, but a number of Saskatchewan’s defenders know him from their days in college or in the NFL. Expect head coach-GM Chris Jones and his defensive assistants to throw a variety of looks at Manziel on Sunday to test his mettle. If he can’t handle them, the Alouettes will be in for a long day considering that his backup, Antonio Pipkin, is a CFL rookie as well.
- On the defensive: Jones said recently that his defence hasn’t played up to its standards in recent weeks — and yet Saskatchewan has won five of its past six games. The Roughriders have allowed 157 points in that span (an average of 26.2 per game) after surrendering 175 points in their first seven games (an average of 25.0 per game), so that’s not a big difference. The biggest discrepancy is in net yards allowed. Saskatchewan’s D gave up an average of 309.3 yards in its first seven games, but its average over the past six games is 377.2 yards.
- Going long: Roughriders tailback/returner Marcus Thigpen has been a long-distance demon this season, recording a 97-yard kickoff return for a touchdown and TD runs of 80 and 82 yards. On Sept. 15, he ran back the opening kickoff against the Ottawa Redblacks, becoming the first Roughrider to score on a kickoff return since Corey Holmes went 81 yards against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on June 25, 2005. Thigpen’s long TD runs — 80 yards against Hamilton on July 19 and 82 yards last Saturday in Toronto — made him the first player in Saskatchewan franchise history to have two 80-plus-yard scoring runs in one season.
- Pitching and catching: With Naaman Roosevelt sidelined, Kenny Shaw gets his shot in the Roughriders’ receiving corps. A 1,000-yard man with the Argos in 2016, Shaw played just three games with Ottawa in 2017 before suffering a knee injury. He hasn’t played since, but the Roughriders are confident he can fill Roosevelt’s shoes Sunday. Shaw will join a receiving corps that is relatively light on CFL experience, but Shaq Evans, Jordan Williams-Lambert and Kyran Moore have shown flashes of big-play ability — although more consistency is required. The Als’ defence has struggled against the pass this season, allowing a league-high average of 315.4 yards per game.
- Right at home: Roughriders special-teamers (and former University of Sherbrooke stars) Alexandre Chevrier and Alexandre Gagne are to play in their home province for the first time in their CFL careers Sunday. Gagne goes into the game as the Roughriders’ leading special-teams tackler this season with 14, a number that tied him for fifth in the CFL going into Week 16. Chevrier was tied for 13th in the league with 11 special-teams tackles; he was third on the team behind Gagne and Chad Geter (13). Gagne and Chevrier have been stellar on special teams all season, helping Saskatchewan go into the week with the league’s lowest opponents’ kickoff-return average (20.1 yards) and second-lowest opponents’ punt-return average (8.9 yards).
