We took a look at what could be said on the eve of this Sunday’s playoff game (1 p.m.) between the Alouettes and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, two teams who have mutual respect for each other. , but who do not love each other at all.
Whenever these two teams face each other, it plays hard on the pitch, and the spat between the whistles are numerous. Discipline will be on both sides in the Eastern Semi-Final at Tim Horton’s Field, but the action between the white lines will not lack intensity.
As we know, William Stanback failed to get going in the two games between the two rivals this season. The Eastern Division’s representative for MVP of the Year was limited to a total of 99 yards on 24 carries during those two games.
PHOTO BERNARD BRAULT, PRESS ARCHIVES
Running back William Stanback
But if Stanback and the Alouettes’ offensive line, four of whose members just signed new contracts, struggle once again against Hamilton, there will be hope regardless thanks to the presence of Trevor Harris, who is certainly capable of winning a match on his own or almost if he is well protected.
Harris had six touchdown passes in the 2018 Eastern Final, a CFL record for a playoff game, as he and the Ottawa Rouge et Noir knocked out the Tiger-Cats. With the Edmonton Eskimos, two years ago, he started his playoff game against the Alouettes with his first 22 assists. If he’s comfortable in his pocket, Harris can butcher a tertiary like few other quarterbacks can in the CFL.
On the other hand, the players who form the hard core of the Tiger-Cats’ defense are real people. Ted Laurent, Dylan Wynn and Simoni Lawrence never let it go and the watchword will be to hit Harris hard, and as soon as possible.
On the other side of the ball, it’s Jeremiah Masoli’s play that should decide what kind of game the Tiger-Cats offense will have. After five full seasons as the team’s starting quarterback, Masoli remains an enigma. Sometimes spectacular, sometimes very ordinary, he could obtain his autonomy in February, and his game from this Sunday could be decisive as to his future with the Tiger-Cats, who have another good quarter in Dane Evans.
The Tiger-Cats have four receivers who have caught at least 40 assists this season, including Brandon Banks, who remains their most dangerous offensive player. On the ground, Quebecer Sean Thomas Erlington and Don Jackson form a respectable duo.
The Alouettes’ defense is very good… when it controls its emotions. It’s always a challenge for her to do that, and the most recent example is Patrick Levels’ Guarantee. Without being asked, the linebacker was unable to contain himself and guaranteed a victory for the Alouettes on Monday. The news quickly spread to southern Ontario, but the Tiger-Cats barely responded.
The difference in this game could be the special teams play. The Alouettes have changed their returner every two minutes since Mario Alford’s injury and their cover units have given up a few long returns this season. It could be a problem against Jeff Reinebold’s squad, an excellent special units coach who normally has a thing or two up his sleeve.
If the Alouettes hadn’t spent a good part of the season inventing new ways to let wins slip, they would be on vacation this weekend. It was the Toronto Argonauts who would have faced the Tiger-Cats in the division semifinals, while the Alouettes would already have their place in the Eastern final, which they would have played at home.
Instead, they will have to defeat a team that has a 15-2 record (season and playoffs) at Tim Horton’s Field since being led by Orlando Steinauer. A team that hopes to be able to play the Gray Cup game in its stadium and in front of its fans in two weeks.
The Alouettes have the tools to meet this challenge. Their propensity to self-destruct in important moments, however, is nothing to instill confidence in. Khari Jones’ side will put their hands full on the Tiger-Cats, but will fail to pull off the key play in the fourth quarter.
Our prediction: Alouettes 25, Tiger-Cats 29