Game Day: Alouettes at Argonauts

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MONTREAL ALOUETTES (2-3) at TORONTO ARGONAUTS (3-3)

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Friday, 7:30 pm, BMO Field

TV: TSN; Radio: 1050 AM

Line: Toronto by 2.5 points

Weather: Partly cloudy, 15C; 20% chance of rain; wind 11 km / h

STATISTICS PACKAGE

HILLMTL

AVERAGES PER GAME (with league rankings)

POINTS FOR

18.7 (8th) 26.2 (1st)

POINTS AGAINST

23.5 (6th) 24.8 (7th)

YARDS RUSH

92.5 (5th) 149.4 (1st)

YARDS PASS

282.2 (fourth) 243.6 (sixth)

Net yards

353.8 (4th) 385.6 (1st)

YARDS ALLOWED

317.7 (3rd) 346.8 (6th)

FIVE THINGS TO SEE

MAC IS BACK

McLeod Bethel-Thompson gets the start for an injured Nick Arbuckle. The quarterback known affectionately as Mac has posted solid numbers against the Als; what you have to do is find a way to win. This will be his first appearance of the season at BMO. During the 2019 campaign, MBT led the Argos to two home wins to end the season, each against the woeful Ottawa. You will need to be protected, and establishing a running game will help.

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SUPPORT TO THE WALL

Als RB William Stanback is the best in the business. He leads the league with three rushing games for 100 yards or more. He’s a downhill running back in the mold of Riders RB William Powell, who hit the Argos last week rushing for 122 yards. Stanback rushed for 139 yards in Montreal’s loss to visiting BC last week, including 81 in the first half.

UP AND ADAMS

Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. missed his head coach and quarterback coach Khari Jones last week as Jones was in isolation after testing positive for COVID. Jones has nurtured Adams, who is a playmaker. It will be interesting to see how Jones scores plays for Adams, whose confidence may falter.

FOLLOWING WITH JONESES

Khari Jones and Ryan Dinwiddie are both from Sacramento, Jones from the north side of the state capital and Dinwiddie from the south side. They each started a Gray Cup game for Winnipeg during their playing careers. Friday marks the first time they will meet as head coaches. Another Jones, Chris, returns with the Argos. His first concert was in Montreal as coach of the D line in 2002.

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BEDE RENEWS TIES

P / PK Boris Bede played five seasons in Montreal, appearing in 80 regular season games. He will be playing his former team for the first time as an opponent, an occasion that Bede says will be exciting. The Argos are scheduled to play in Montreal on October 22, which is likely to bring a lot of excitement for Bede.

REMARKABLE

The Als have six players on the six-game disabled list, including Mario Alford, who began his three-shot soccer career with the Argos. Returns specialist broke an ankle bone against BC. His replacement, Rashad Ross, will make his Als debut … Toronto has 12 players on the six-game disabled list … Tigie Sankoh will make his debut for the Argos. The 23-year-old was chosen third overall in the world draft earlier this year. He signed as a free agent with the Cleveland Browns in 2018 as part of the NFL’s International Players Program and spent the following seasons on the team’s practice squad before being released at the start of the 2020 season. Sankoh was born in Sierra Leone, but He grew up in Maryland before his family moved to England when he was 15 years old. Sankoh was a defensive back for the British Football League’s London Warriors … Montreal has won three straight games over the Argos and four of the last five in a rivalry dating back to 1946.

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THE KEY PARTY

Argos OGDylan Giffen vs. As DT Almondo Sewell

The rookie has his first start against veteran Sewell, who is among the best at his position. Giffen is a physicist, but Sewell is a beast on the inside. The Argos list Giffen as a starter in the depth chart, but there is still a chance that Shane Richards will get the call to start the game. Richards is dealing with an ankle injury. The left guard post has featured Peter Nicastro, Philip Blake and later Richards as starters. If Giffen starts, and likely will, he will be the fourth player in seven games to start as left guard. The Als want to control the line of scrimmage and with Sewell as an anchor, Argos’ O line should be at its best.

OUR TAKE: Als 25, Argos 18

OUR TAKE: Chris Jones will eventually make his mark on defense, but it takes time and probably a few additions to Toronto’s unit roster. The Als aren’t as beaten up as the Argos and their running game sets the pace with Stanback as the featured running back. Adams Jr. is not going to be as bad as last week. This is a tough game for the Argos, who must be clean and win the fumble battle. The Argos are undefeated at home, but their margin for error is slim.