A battle in Toronto is set Monday night for the Montreal Alouettes. Ten days after their loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, the team looks to rebound against their division rivals, the Toronto Argonauts. Three practices into the week, the Alouettes are ready for a battle in Toronto.
Alouettes Ready for Battle in Toronto
After missing last week’s practices and game due to an eye infection, quarterback Kevin Glenn returned to practice this week and is set to play on Monday. Since his last game three weeks ago against the Ottawa Redblacks, the receiving core has changed quite considerably.
Both Kenny Stafford and S.J. Green have gone down with injuries, while players like B.J. Cunningham and Corbin Louks have been activated from the practice roster. Essentially, Glenn has a new arsenal of receivers at his disposal on Monday.
“It’s like coming out of training camp, if you want to call it that,” said Glenn. “I’ve been with a lot of these [receivers] through training camp. I’ve been able to throw balls to them in practice before, but not necessarily in a game.”
As a veteran, Glenn needs to step up his leadership to pave the way for some of the more inexperienced receivers, like he did in their week one win against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Cunningham is a receiver that knows what Glenn can bring to the offence.
“He’s looking good, we’re moving the ball well and everything is flowing smooth. We got our veteran guy back and it’s time to go out there and make some plays for him,” added Cunningham.
Cunningham led the team in receiving yards last week with 63 on six receptions, also good for the team lead. He started the season on the practice roster, but the injuries have opened the door to him, and he isn’t about to look bad anytime. With size, speed and skilled hands, Cunningham is as versatile as any receiver on the Alouettes, and he could break out for a big game any time soon.
Good Time to Get Away from Home
The Alouettes have been abysmal so far at home this season, losing twice and getting outscored 59-20. The Argonauts have a similar fate at their new home, getting outscored 72-40 in their two home losses. This might be a perfect time for the Alouettes to get away from home and enter a not-so-hostile arena to return to their winning ways.
Even though they might still face less pressure from their home fans, they are focused, regardless of the venue.
“A lot of guys at away games are more focused. You have to come out to get ready to play to the crowd. It worked against Winnipeg to our advantage, so we’re going to try to come out with the W,” said Cunningham, who is also excited about getting to play on grass. BMO Field is the only stadium in the league to feature grass.
Besides playing in a stadium new to the league, Glenn sees the game as an opportunity to take away points from division rivals.
“I think it will be good to go on the road and get a win against a divisional opponent. In order to do that, we’re going to have to match their intensity. They haven’t won one at home, so you know they’re going to come out ready,” said the quarterback.
One surprising statistic that may play to the Alouettes advantage is that 75% of the 16 CFL so far have been won by the road team. Only three home teams have won a game.
“It’s been a crazy year in our league, not many home teams have won, but that trend will change,” added Popp, with a likely hope that his team with continue the trend on Monday.
Without too much focus on the away-team winning percentage, the Alouettes are ready for a battle in Toronto.
Main Photo.
