Pre-Game Breakdown: Ticats vs. Alouettes

The Tiger-Cats (6-2) are back at home after stretching their winning streak to five in Edmonton, topping the Eskimos 49-20 at Commonwealth Stadium. They’ll return to Tim Hortons Field to face the Alouettes (3-5), who was the last team to beat them.
Last week’s game saw another fast start for the Ticats, as they picked off Matt Nichols on the first Eskimos possession of the game before marching the opposite way and scoring the first points of the game on their first drive. The Ticats showed up on both sides of the ball again, creating eight turnovers on defence and amassing nearly 400 yards offence in the victory. Zach Collaros and Terrell Sinkfield were on the same page in the game, connecting for two touchdowns in the first half and 118 yards over the course of the game. The team’s 35 points scored off of takeaways increased their season total to 118, a league-high by a long shot.
The Alouettes snapped their losing streak last week, topping the BC Lions on the road after losing three straight games by three points each. Montreal piled on 23 points in the final quarter of last week’s win, outscoring the Lions by 10 in the quarter which ended up being the final margin of victory. Rakeem Cato threw a season-low 19 pass attempts in the game, but completed 16 of them for 154 yards in the game. The team’s rushing attack was out in full force against the Lions, as the Als gained 251 yards and 17 of 24 first downs on the ground during the contest.
Tonight’s road game against the Alouettes will kick off at 7:30 p.m. ET. To catch all the action from home, tune into TSN or 1150 CKOC and the Ticats TV GameDay Live stream on Ticats.ca for the most in-depth coverage of the game. To enhance your game-watching experience be sure to sign up for Ticats All Access to play the GameDay Predictor Challenge!

TIGER-CATS HISTORY AGAINST MONTREAL

KEYS TO THE GAME:

Early points are key: Alouettes have given up just one first-possession touchdown all season and only seven points to opposing teams on their first drives. Overall, the team has a formidable +30 first-quarter point differential, allowing just 20 points to opponents in the first quarter, shutting out the Ticats in the first frame of their earlier meeting. The Ticats are the only team in the league that has been better than the Als in the first quarter, outscoring opponents by 78 points this season. A quick start to get the crowd into the game at Tim Hortons Field should put the pressure on the Alouettes offence and defence; forcing the opponents into a tough situation and hostile environment early will be key on Thursday night.
Continue turnover success: It sounds like a broken record at this point, but the Ticats have thrived off of creating turnovers and turning those around to score points. Alouettes quarterback Rakeem Cato has been particularly turnover-prone on the road, throwing six interceptions on the road and just one at home in Montreal. Tim Hortons Field has been very turnover friendly for the Ticats in their three home games this season, and the matchup presents the perfect storm for another big night in that department.
Stop the first down run: The Alouettes have excelled on the ground in 2015, rushing for an average of 121.5 yards per game. Montreal loves to run the ball on first down in particular, running a league-high 180 rushing plays on first down. The team gained 17 first downs on the ground in last week’s win over the Lions, using the ground game to grind out the end of the contest, setting up a final-minute insurance field goal. If the Ticats can hold the Als potent rushing attack to short gains on first down, it will take the run out of the playbook on second down. Forcing the Alouettes offence into one-dimensional situations will provide more opportunities for takeaways and a higher level of success getting off the field on second down.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Luke Tasker: It’s been back-to-back 100-yard games for Tasker, following a 73-yard performance in his first game back from injury. The gritty receiver has not missed a beat with his quarterback, making a big impact immediately. On Thursday night, Tasker will shoot for three consecutive 100-yard receiving games, a feat that has not been accomplished since Mac Cody did it in the 1996 season.

Zach Collaros: Collaros has been downright dominant over the course of the Ticats current winning streak. In the five games, Collaros has completed 69% of his pass attempts (97-of-140) for 1,408 passing yards, leading his team to 16 touchdowns in 53 possessions in the last four games for an extremely high 30.2% mark. The Ticats quarterback has been safe with the football as well, throwing for 14 touchdowns and just two interceptions over his last five games. Considering the way that Collaros is playing as of late, he’s a must-watch player in any game.

Mike Daly: Daly, who began the season second on the team’s depth chart at safety, has had quite the season for himself. Asked to fill in for both Craig Butler and Courtney Stephen on separate occasions this season, Daly has proven that he belongs in the team’s starting lineup with three interceptions, a sack and 15 defensive tackles. Strong play from the free safety position has earned Daly the start this week, despite the fact that both Butler and Stephen are healthy; he’ll be a player to watch in this week’s game against the Als.

Johnny Sears Jr.: The Ticats defence has already been scary good as of late, and they’ll receive a big playmaker back on Thursday night. After a stint on the six-game injured list, Johnny Sears is back in the defensive lineup for the Ticats. Sears returns to his usual halfback position in tonight’s game, making his first start since Week Two against the Bombers. In his two games for the Tiger-Cats since signing a contract in free agency, Sears has recorded two interceptions–one of which was a pick six– four tackles, and a sack.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME:

Ticats defensive line vs. Alouettes offensive line
Hamilton’s defensive line did not register a single sack in last week’s game against the Eskimos, after combining for 11 in the previous three games.
The three games that Hall, Hickman, Laurent and Norwood combined for 11 sacks were the team’s first three games at Tim Hortons Field, and it seems as if home field is conducive to quarterback pressure for the Ticats.
In this week’s East Division matchup, the Ticats pass rushers will go head to head with one of the stronger offensive lines in the CFL. The Alouettes offensive line, ranked third in the league in this category, has allowed just 19 sacks this season.
The biggest priority between these two talented personnel groups is the battle in the trenches when it comes to the run game. The Als rushing attack has been extremely strong this season, no small thanks to a strong effort from the big guys up front.
The Ticats sport the top rushing defence in the league, allowing 75.1 yards per game, thanks to the anchoring ability of Ted Laurent and the ability of his defensive tackle counterpart, Bryan Hall, to shoot the gap and disrupt opposing backfields.
Whoever gets the bigger push in the battle of the big men could be the deciding factor as these two teams go head to head.

TEAM CONNECTIONS:

Offensive guard Ryan Bomben played the first four seasons of his CFL career (2010-2014) as a member of the Alouettes offensive line, while Ed Gainey also spent two seasons in the burgundy and blue (2012-13).

Meanwhile, there are five former Ticats on the opposition’s roster: Samuel Giguere (47 games), Dobson Collins (4 games), Kyries Hebert (2 games), Dan Lefevour (4 games), Brandon Rutley (5 games).