Head To Head: Tiger-Cats vs Alouettes

Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-4) vs. Montreal Alouettes  (5-3)
Game 9 | Monday, September 5 @ 1:00 p.m., EST
Ivor Wynne Stadium – Hamilton, Ontario

BROADCAST INFORMATION

TV BROADCAST:  TSN featuring Rod Black (play-by-play) and Duane Forde (analyst)
RADIO BROADCAST:  AM 900 CHML featuring Rick Zamperin (play-by-play) and John Salavantis (analyst)

THE MATCH-UP

Monday’s game will be the second of four regular season meetings between the Tiger-Cats and the Alouettes in the 2011 season. The match-up will be the 162nd meeting between the two teams since 1950, with the Alouettes holding an 85-76 advantage in the all-time series. Hamilton has never lost a game in regulation time when they face Montreal on Labour day, holding a 7-0-1 record against their rivals from Quebec. The last time the Ticats and Alouettes played at Ivor Wynne Stadium on July 29, 2011, Hamilton was victorious, defeating the Als 34-26 in a game that went down to the wire. 

The Tiger-Cats are coming into Monday’s contest looking to put a gut wrenching 30-27 loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last week behind them. Although the Tiger-Cats played some excellent football in Swaggerville, unfortunately some untimely mistakes by both the offence and the defence resulted in an effort that came up short on the scoreboard. The Ticats will try to duplicate the result of their July 29 game against the Als, a game in which the Black and Gold’s offence was clicking and their defence harassed Montreal pivot Anthony Calvillo all game long.

The defending Grey Cup Champions are also coming into Monday’s game on the wake of a disheartening loss, allowing the Calgary Stampeders to run away with a 38-31 win in the closing seconds of their game last weekend. With the extra rest this week due to the Monday game, both the Tiger-Cats and Alouettes have had ample time to prepare for each other in a game that could produce a new second place team in the East. The Labour Day game marks the halfway point of the season for both teams and with a rematch scheduled for next Sunday in Montreal, this game will be about sending a message for two teams that don’t like each other. 

This will be the tenth meeting between head coaches Marcel Bellefeuille and Marc Trestman. Bellefeuille has a career record of 23-29 as a CFL head coach in the regular season and holds a 3-6 record against the Alouettes. Trestman has a career record of 43-19 as a CFL head coach in the regular season and holds a 8-3 record against the Ticats.

2011 STATISTICAL RANKINGS

Total Offence Per Game	355.4 (4th)	413.5 (1st)
Rushing Offence Per Game	90.8 (7th)	109.9 (2nd)
Passing Offence Per Game	273.6 (6th)	320.2 (1st)
Total Defence Per Game	372.5 (6th)	352.3 (3rd)
Rushing Defence Per Game	94.5 (4th)	71.9 (1st)
Passing Defence Per Game	296.1 (7th)	295.8 (6th)
Points Per Game	27.0 (3rd)	31.6 (1st)
Opponents Points Per Game	25.8 (6th)	24.2 (3rd)

2011 INDIVIDUAL STATISTIC LEADERS

PLAYERS TO WATCH

Maurice Mann #86 / WR / Hamilton
Mann will make his long awaited return to the Tiger-Cats receiving corps this Monday, after missing six games with a heel injury suffered back in July. Before the injury, the five-year veteran had been enjoying a hot start to the 2011 season, grabbing 15 balls for 173 yards and a touchdown in two games, clearly a favourite target of Cats quarterback Kevin Glenn. The 6’2″, 190 lbs wideout turned slot receiver has a knack for separating himself from opposing defenders, using his long stride to blow by defensive backs and cut balls upfield quickly after the catch. Mann has been patiently waiting for his chance to get back on the gridiron and will add to the long list of offensive weapons the Tiger-Cats have at the receiver position. 

Justin Hickman #95 / DE / Hamilton
The Tiger-Cats sack leader did not disappoint when Hamilton and Montreal played each other earlier in the season. The third-year veteran from UCLA chewed through the Alouette’s elite offensive line all game long, disrupting Montreal’s offensive rhythm and brining quarterback Anthony Calvillo to the turf twice. With five sacks already this season, Hickman, who bagged 14 quarterbacks through his first two seasons in the CFL, is well on his way to shattering his single season sack record of seven. Hickman and fellow defensive end Stevie Baggs, who is coming off his best game of the season in Winnipeg, will need to penetrate Montreal’s line and get to Calvillo to slow down the CFL’s leading passing attack. 
     
Jamel Richardson #18 / WR / Montreal
Richardson has been consistently one of, if not the best, receivers in the league since arriving in Montreal three seasons ago and this year is no different. Richardson, who is leading the CFL in receptions (48) and yards (703), has four 100 yard receiving games and three multiple touchdown games so far this season through seven games, a remarkable accomplishment. Richardson is also on pace to obliterate his personal single season receiving yards record and is offering no signs of slowing down. Hamilton’s secondary will do their best to keep number eighteen in front of them on Monday after he posted 93 yards and a touchdown last time the two teams met. 

Ramon Guzman #52 / LB / Montreal
With starting middle linebacker Shea Emry questionable with a concussion and weak side linebacker Diamond Ferri probable after a hamstring injury kept him out of last week’s game, to say the Alouettes linebacking corps is banged up would be an understatement. With Emry unlikely to go, import linebacker Ramon Guzman will be called upon by Alouettes defensive coordinator Tim Tibesar to fill the void left in
the middle left by Emry. Guzman, a three-year player from the University of Buffalo, is no slouch, but it will be interesting to see if he will be up to the task of taking on Avon Cobourne and the Ticats rushing attack on Monday.

    
KEY MATCH-UP

Kevin Glenn vs. Montreal’s Secondary
The Aloutettes defence suffered a serious blow to their secondary last week in their loss to Calgary. After intercepting a Henry Burris pass, Montreal’s all-star cornerback Mark Estelle was brought down awkwardly from behind by Stamps receiver Nik Lewis, tearing multiple ligaments in his knee. The season ending injury will shelf Estelle, who will join defensive starters, safety Etienne Boulay and half back Jerlad Brown on the sidelines leaving Montreal’s defence with some serious holes to plug on the back end. Replacing Estelle will be rookie cornerback Seth Williams who will be activated from the practice roster. Montreal, who is giving up the least amount of yards on the ground per game this season, coughs up 295.8 yards per game through the air, a number that will surely be in danger to increase with Estelle out of the lineup. On the other side of the ball, Kevin Glenn will enter Monday’s game looking to exploit the holes in Montreal’s secondary, stretching the field with receivers Bakari Grant and Mo Mann and finding Dave Stala and Matt Carter on intermediate routes. Expect Montreal’s mix and matched secondary to be playing off of Hamilton’s quick receivers, which will give playmakers like speedy rookie Chris Williams more room to work than usual. Monday’s game has the potential to be a battle of two quarterbacks who aren’t afraid to let the ball fly, in a game that could be decided through the air.