Minas Panagiotakis/CFL.ca
HAMILTON — Twenty seven point nine.
That’s exactly how many points per game the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Montreal Alouettes have scored in the first eight weeks of the season. Despite (almost) equally prolific offences, the two teams occupy opposite ends of the standings with the Alouettes in first (6-1) and the Ticats in last (2-5).
If you think this your typical first-versus-last matchup, think again. The Tabbies are coming off two straight wins and have been competitive in most of their games this season behind an explosive offence led by Bo Levi Mitchell.
The Alouettes are a different challenge altogether, however. The current champions lead the league in opposing net offence (317.3), points allowed (21.7) and touchdowns allowed (14). That’s thanks to a defence headlined by defensive back Marc-Antoine Dequoy, who led all players in defensive grade in the month of July according to Pro Football Focus.
CFL.ca brings you three matchups to watch on Friday Night Football.
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Bo Levi Mitchell vs. Marc-Antoine Dequoy
Dequoy earned full marks for July in the CFL Honour Roll powered by PFF, after registering the highest defensive grade of the month. That sets him up for an interesting game of cat-and-mouse with Mitchell, who has been on a streak of his own.
The veteran pivot threw for a career-high five touchdown passes and trails only BC’s Vernon Adams Jr. in passing yards after eight weeks.
Dequoy’s grade comes in large part due to a lockdown coverage that has caused quarterbacks to avoid targeting receivers covered by the National defensive back. Dequoy has only been targeted nine times over six games, allowing zero touchdowns and registering an interception. Montreal’s defence is allowing only 223.1 yards through the air, while Hamilton ranks second in passing yards per game (324.1). Something has got to give.
James Butler vs. Tyrice Beverette
If there’s one way to attack the Alouettes it’s through the ground. The Als have allowed 5.3 yards per carry so far in 2024, second worst mark across all nine teams. In comes James Butler fresh off his best game as a runner since Week 1. The tailback rushed 21 times for 98 yards as the Ticats produced a complete offensive performance against the Elks in Week 8.
Butler will be met time and time again by versatile defender Tyrice Beverette, who leads all Montreal players in run defence with a 78.8 grade. The linebacker has 18 tackles in the running game with six stops and only one missed tackle.
Davis Alexander vs. Jamal Peters
Alexander took over for Caleb Evans in Week 8 and lead the Als to 17 second-half points and a comeback win by completing 15 of 18 passes for 178 yards and two majors.
The young pivot now gets his first CFL start and will go against a Tiger-Cats team allowing 357.9 passing yards per game. Despite the struggles stopping the pass, the Ticats still feature one of the most talented defensive backs in the league in Jamal Peters, who had his second interception of the season last week against the Edmonton Elks and is always a threat to take the ball away at any given time.
