The Montreal Alouettes flew to Vancouver on Friday night, knowing that the club has had little success in BC Lions territory in the past.
“I’ve put all of that out of my mind,” joked Anthony Calvillo, former quarterback turned offensive coordinator for the Alouettes.
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Montreal’s last win at BC Place was on August 20, 2015. Rakeem Cato and Tanner Marsh were then the quarterbacks the Alouettes fielded in a 23-13 win while Tyrell Sutton, current running backs coach, was the balloon carrier. Curiously, head coach Tom Higgins was fired the day after that game. It was only the second win for the Alouettes in Vancouver in 15 years since 2000. After 2015, the Alouettes have lost four times there on as many occasions.
“The big difference this year is that the game takes place in Vancouver on Sunday at 4 p.m., which is 7 p.m. in our time,” Calvillo pleaded, recalling the effects of jet lag. It usually starts in the evening, which is around 10 p.m. for us. We believe it will help us.”
The BC place: hostile terrain
To refresh Calvillo’s memory a little, we’d like to point out that even in the good years when the Alouettes won the Gray Cup, the Montreal team in Vancouver struggled. For example, in 2002, Montreal lost the game in Vancouver by a score of 48-37.
2009 saw a curious 19-12 loss when the Alouettes eventually beat the Lions 56-18 in the playoff semifinals in Montreal. The following year, when Calvillo and the Alouettes won the championship for the second year in a row, Montreal actually won in British Columbia. However, the game took place at Empire Field, which served as the Lions’ temporary home. So, all things considered, Montreal had a 13-game losing streak at BC Place between 2001 and 2014. The Alouettes have lost 17 of their last 18 games at BC Place. In CFL history, Montreal has an away record against the Lions of 9-30-1.
A communication problem
With such an inglorious past, the current edition of the Alouettes is keen to focus on the future given the confrontation with the Lions.
In this context, Calvillo hopes that some problems that have arisen on the ground since the beginning of the campaign will be solved within the offensive unit.
“The coaches have identified a communication problem and we need to improve that this week. You need to create more cohesion between the quarterback, the ball carriers, and the offensive line. We all work together so that the signals are well understood by all players.
Mathieu Betts threatens
Given the strength of the Lions’ defensive line, the Alouettes will have no room for error. That’s especially true in the presence of Quebec’s Mathieu Betts, who has seven sacks in four games this season. Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo needs to take care of himself.
“You have to be on the same page with the players on offense because we’re working in the same unit,” admitted running back William Stanback, emphasizing the importance of blocking yourself on some plays to better protect the quarterback . “These players on offense are my best friends on the field because they help me succeed. […] When it comes time to protect our quarterback, we must be proud of it. We study the opponent’s game system, especially the tendencies of the defensive line on the other side. We see what they love to do and we need to act to make sure we’re protecting our quarterback at all times.