Harris returns; first place on the line for Argos, REDBLACKS

TORONTO — At first glance, notching win number one at BMO Field on Wednesday night seems like a tall task for the Double Blue.

The Ottawa REDBLACKS airshow is in town this week, bringing with it the CFL’s only undefeated team, the league’s number one offence and the CFL-leading passer and receiver.

But while former Argo Trevor Harris and his go-to target Chris Williams are coming in hot, the Boatmen have built some momentum of their own. The Argos are one of the hottest teams in the CFL after sweeping a two-game set out west, teeing up a Week 4 mid-week duel for first in the East.

“It means a lot,” rookie defensive tackle Ken Bishop told Argonauts.ca of the Argos’ successful trip to the west coast. “It shows our comaraderie; it was good to get away from Toronto for a minute and get to know all the guys a little better.

“It was good for the team.”

After falling 42-20 in a long-anticipated season-opener at BMO Field, the Argos, in essence, went away early in July and have returned a changed team.

A 30-17 win in a highly-charged atmosphere for the Riders’ season-opener at Mosaic washed away that bitter taste from Week 1. Against the Lions, meanwhile, the Argos did everything right, staying patient throughout the first half and then striking in the second half with turnovers, timely scores and five field goals from Lirim Hajrullahu on the way to a 25-14 victory.

Suffice to say Head Coach Scott Milanovich got what he wanted out of his team after a season-opener to forget.

“That’s what I was looking for,” said Milanovich. “Some fight, some pride, some determination that we’re not going to let this thing linger; we’re going to get it turned around.”

The Argos scored two touchdowns early and never looked back against the Riders, then hit the Lions right where you’d least expect – on the ground. Brandon Whitaker rushed for 97 yards on 13 carries (7.5 per carry) and added 55 through the air on seven catches.

“Our coaches did a great job scheming the run game and our run game was getting a hat on a hat and blocking up some pretty good football players,” said Milanovich. “That should give us a lot more confidence in the run game – we were struggling a little bit.”

They’ll look to establish the ground game again against a REDBLACKS team that’s lost roughly half of its defence since appearing in the 103rd Grey Cup against the Edmonton Eskimos. They’ll also look to attack an Ottawa secondary that’ll be without veterans Forrest Hightower and Jerrell Gavins, who were both placed on the one-game injured list.

Still, even with Ricky Ray starting to settle into form (he threw for 283 yards and a touchdown in the win over BC), trying to keep up with the REDBLACKS’ high-octane offence is a losing cause. Rich Stubler’s defence will have to do something no other team has done this season: slow down Williams.

Williams is on pace to break records for receiving and all-purpose yards in a season, as his 164.3 yards per game put him on pace for 2,958 receiving yards. He seems to be finding his feet in his second season back in the CFL, last week burning the Stampeders’ secondary three times en route to a 26-26 tie.

After their best defensive effort of the season against BC, the Argos know the key to stopping Williams is disrupting Harris.

“For us it’s all about communicating and knowing where [Williams] is at all times,” said cornerback A.J. Jefferson, who will make his first start of 2016 after being activated from the six-game injured list.

“Obviously Trevor is the guy that’s gonna get him the ball, so if we can put pressure on Trevor and make him make some bad decisions I don’t see why it would be a problem.”

Added Bishop: “I have faith in our corners, but as long as we get pressure on their quarterback – if he can’t get the ball to him then he can’t be effective.”

For the fans, Wednesday’s matchup brings plenty of on-field drama. It pits Harris against Ray for the first time after they were teammates last season, when Harris went 9-7 as a starter and led the league in touchdown passes before being sat in favour of Ray.

The Argos re-signed Ray in the off-season and according to all accounts also tried to re-sign Harris, who they say would’ve been given the opportunity to compete to start. But in the end the 30-year-old Harris signed a deal with Ottawa on the first day of free agency.

An injury to Henry Burris in Ottawa’s season-opening win put Harris in the spotlight and so far he’s thrived, leading the league with 1,083 yards and nine touchdowns to just one interception. His 80 per cent completion rate puts him at a record-breaking pace, while he’s thrown three touchdown passes in each of his last three games – a feat accomplished only eight times over the last 11 years.

“When you get put in a game with a bunch of thoroughbreds that we have up front and the receivers that are so dynamic like we have, it’s just one of those situations where the quarterback is playing really well but it’s a product of everything around me,” Harris told OttawaREDBLACKS.com. “I’m just grateful to be here with such a great group.”

Ottawa stormed out to a 2-0 start with a thrilling overtime win over Edmonton in Week 1 followed by a gutsy road win in Montreal in Week 2. The REDBLACKS couldn’t capitalize on multiple opportunities to win late in Week 3, including a late fumble on the goal line by Nic Grigsby and a dropped interception in overtime which forced them to settle for the first CFL tie since 2009.

“It is awkward, I think everybody in the stadium – the fans, the media, the coaches, the players – it kind of left you wanting more and more of a resolution,” said Campbell of the REDBLACKS’ home-opener.

“Guys were disappointed we didn’t make some plays to close out the game, but at the same time that point could be a factor, especially the way this league is playing out where everybody is going to be close in the standings – that point could be valuable for us so we’ve got that in our pocket.”

RELATED:
» Buy: REDBLACKS at Argos tickets
» Depth Charts: TOR | OTT
» Game Notes: All you need to know for Week 4
» Morris: Argos see steady progression in Ray
» Landry: Wednesday night is all about Ray and Harris
» Williams headlines Week 3 Shaw Top Performers

The Argos will try to do something no team has done in 2016: stop Chris Williams (CFL.ca)

A short week and a road trip to Toronto makes for a tough Week 4 matchup, something the REDBLACKS have had to prepare for mentally more than anything.

“It’s more of a mental thing,” said SirVincent Rogers. “Just making sure we’re mentally in tune and we’re sharpening all the edges. We have to show up ready to compete.”

“We feel good on a short week,” added Damaso Munoz. “We did a lot more mental work this week getting our bodies ready for this game – it’s a big game.”

While Campbell acknowledges everyone could be close in the standings come late October, the REDBLACKS have a chance on Wednesday to put some distance between themselves and the rest of the East.

That’s what’s at stake in this one.

“We’re moving onto Toronto,” Campbell said. “We break our season down into phases and after this game it’s a natural cutoff for us as far as our first four games.

“If we can find a way to get this done and be 3-0-1 after four games it’d be a pretty good deal for us but it’s going to be tough.”

Kickoff is at 7:30 p.m. ET and can be seen live on TSN or followed online via CFL.ca GameTracker.

– With files from Argonauts.ca/OttawaREDBLACKS.com

CFL Fantasy

What the fans are saying:

A short week for the REDBLACKS to go along with some injuries isn’t enough to deter neither fans nor writers, as few people see Ottawa going winless in back to back weeks. Can the Argos pull off the upset or will it be business as usual for Trevor Harris, Chris Williams and co.?

» Play CFL Pick ‘Em

What the writers are saying: