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MONTREAL — The rejuvenated Ottawa REDBLACKS won’t have to travel far for their first road game of the season when they head to Montreal to take on the Alouettes on Thursday night.
Ottawa carries momentum into the game after an impressive Week 2 win over Winnipeg.
Not short on confidence, Montreal looks to move to 3-0 on the young season.
Quarterback Dru Brown appears ready to lead Ottawa’s offence as he threw for 238 yards and a touchdown against his former team.
This time around, he’ll see a secondary allowing 254.5 passing yards through a pair of games. Defensive backs Kabion Ento and Nafees Lyon both had interceptions in the Als win in Edmonton last week and have helped limit big plays downfield alongside stars Marc-Antoine Dequoy and Tyrice Beverette.
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They’ll be responsible for shutting down a group of REDBLACKS receivers that can spread the field. Brown found four different wideouts for multiple catches against the Bombers, including Justin Hardy for seven receptions and 111 yards.
Jaelon Acklin, Dominique Rhymes and Bralon Addison round out a receiving group capable of putting points on the board in a hurry.
Brown feels like the entire organization is ready to take the next step, which includes their Thursday night game against the defending champions.
“I can’t speak for how it’s been here,” Brown told reporters.
“I do know that since I’ve been here, coach (Bob) Dyce, the whole staff and whole organization has instilled confidence in us as players. There’s a lot of joy but also a radiating confidence that we can win games using all three phases. That’s encouraging. If we continue to be critical of ourselves, we can continue to get better each week and be playing our best football at the end of the year. That’s the goal.”
With running back Devonte Williams out for the season, questions were circling about who would take pressure off Brown by performing in the run game.
If Week 2 was any indication, they have their answer in Ryquell Armstead who rushed for 95 yards on 16 carries.
Armstead will be in tough against a defensive front holding opposing rushers to 82 yards per game.
Als defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson, along with linebacker Darnell Sankey, have done a good job of limiting yardage and disrupting quarterbacks in the pocket. As a team, the Als have five sacks on the season.
Veteran quarterback Cody Fajardo has been among the most consistent pivots so far, throwing for 523 yards and four touchdowns in a pair of wins. With just one interception, taking care of the football has been key to his success.
But having allowed four sacks, the ability of the Als offensive line to give Fajardo more time to make decisions could lead to even greater success. Helping Fajardo make plays downfield on Thursday night will be the trio of Kaion Julien-Grant, Tyson Philpot and Cole Spieker.
With defensive back Justin Howell rejoining Monshadrik Hunter in the secondary, making those big plays won’t come easy.
Fajardo also needs to be aware of the playmaking ability of Alonzo Addae and linebacker Adarius Pickett who already have an interception.
While it’s far too early to read too much into statistics, Bob Dyce’s defence seems committed to shutting down the pass game.
Similar to their opponents, the Als also faced questions in the run game they hope have been answered. Walter Fletcher has 24 carries for 118 yards, 82 of which game in the win over Edmonton.
The REDBLACKS avoided Brady Oliveira against the Bombers but the 42-yards they limited them to was impressive nonetheless.
Defensive linemen Lorenzo Mauldin IV and Michael Wakefield aim to make life tough for Fletcher and Fajardo. It’s been pressure by committee for the REDBLACKS as defensive back Damon Webb joins Mauldin and Wakefield with a sack on the season.
Happy with his team’s defensive play in Week 1, head coach Bob Dyce expects more of the same against another talented offence.
“Everybody has to stand up when it comes their time to stand up,” Dyce told reporters.
“They know the expectation is, when the game’s on the line, these guys are looking for the opportunity to make plays. That’s the mindset we have.”
A win for Ottawa, albeit early, would move them to the top of the East Division standings.
Montreal can be the first team to three wins with a victory.
Kickoff from Percival Molson Memorial Stadium is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. ET. Catch the game on TSN/RDS. International and U.S. fans can watch the action on CFL+.
— with files from OttawaREDBLACKS.com and MontrealAlouettes.com
