Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-7) at Montreal Alouettes (9-5)
Game 15 | Sunday, October 16 @ 1:00 p.m., EST
Percival Molson Stadium – Montreal, Quebec
BROADCAST INFORMATION
TV BROADCAST: TSN featuring Gord Miller (play-by-play) and Matt Dunigan (analyst)
RADIO BROADCAST: AM 900 CHML featuring Rick Zamperin (play-by-play) and John Salavantis (analyst)
THE MATCH-UP
Sunday’s game will mark the fourth and final meeting between the Tiger-Cats and Alouettes. The match-up will be the 171st meeting between the two clubs since 1950, with Montreal holding an 86-77 edge in the all-time series. The Tiger-Cats have won two of the previous three meetings this season but were defeated by Montreal 43-13 in their last trip to Percival Molson Stadium on September 11.
The Tiger-Cats enter Sunday’s contest coming off a 33-17 loss to Winnipeg on October 7. Hamilton’s offence was unable to get much going against a stout Winnipeg ‘D’ and couldn’t capitalize on the solid play of their defence, which held the Blue Bombers until into the third quarter. If the Tiger-Cats want a shot at a home playoff date a win on Sunday is imperative. With a win, the Ticats can pull within one game of Montreal, who still has a very tough schedule, and would lock up the season series.
The Alouettes have won three straight after downing the Toronto Argonauts 29-19 at home on Thanksgiving Monday, in a game where Anthony Calvillo surpassed Damon Allen as the CFL’s all-time leading passer. With a win, Montreal will either remain tied with Winnipeg for first in the East Division, or take over sole possession of the top rank should the Bombers lose at Edmonton.
2011 STATISTICAL RANKINGS
HAMILTON MONTREAL
Total Offence Per Game 346.8 (5th) 415.2 (1st)
Rushing Offence Per Game 94.9 (7th) 106.0 (4th)
Passing Offence Per Game 264.5 (5th) 326.5 (1st)
Total Defence Per Game 386.2 (7th) 350.2 (4th)
Rushing Defence Per Game 116.9 (7th) 82.5 (1st)
Passing Defence Per Game 286.6 (7th) 283.8 (6th)
Points Per Game 28.2 (3rd) 31.2 (1st)
Opponents Points Per Game 27.8 (6th) 24.8 (4th)
2011 INDIVIDUAL STATISTIC LEADERS
K. Glenn: 254/405, 3325 yds, 19 TD, 11 INT A. Calvillo: 330/518, 4268 yds, 29 TD, 5 INT
A. Cobourne: 171-831 yds, 8 TD B. Whitaker: 176-1107 yds, 2 TD
C. Williams: 60-952 yds, 6 TD J. Richardson: 91-1452 yds, 11 TD
J. Johnson: 72 tackles C. Cox: 55 tackles
J. Hickman: 11 sacks J. Bowman: 9 sacks
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Dee Webb # 18/ DB / Hamilton
Even though he’s only been in the Black and Gold a few days, all eyes will be on Mr. Webb on Sunday. The Tiger-Cats acquired Webb in a trade for Maurice Mann earlier this week, to try and bolster an ailing secondary. Webb will start right away and will have the unenviable task of covering the league’s top receiver in Jamel Richardson. Working in Webb’s favour is the fact that he just saw number 18 in blue and red this past Monday, when he was still a member of the Toronto Argonauts. Webb will need to prove his worth and help limit the Als biggest weapon if the Ticats want to leave Molson Stadium with a win on Sunday.
De’Audra Dix # 35 / DB / Montreal
On the flip side of the ball, De’Audra Dix will be asked to fill in for an injured Dwight Anderson once again. Originally a training camp casualty this year, Dix was brought back after Jerald Brown went down in week one. When Anderson was healthy, his main assignment against the Tiger-Cats was to cover prolific rookie receiver Chris Williams. Chances are that Dix will be the one covering Hamilton’s number 80 now, and his ability to do so will go a long way in determining the outcome of the game. When Williams finds room to operate in the defensive backfield, he can score from anywhere on the field, so you know that the diminutive receiver will be a priority for Montreal’s defence.
KEY MATCH-UP
Hamilton’s secondary vs. Montreal’s receiving corps.
The Tiger-Cats will start two new players in their secondary this Sunday, in Woodny Turenne and Dee Webb. Facing the league’s top offence probably isn’t ideal, but what better way to find out what each player can bring to the team than to line up across from the best. Injuries have beset an already beleaguered
secondary in the past few weeks, but the mark of a good team is their ability to get productive play from “the next man up”.
