Toronto Argonauts vs Ottawa REDBLACKS September 23, 2016 PHOTO: Greg Kolz/Freestyle Photography
Carlos Verde | @Carlos77Verde
Though it seemed impossible a short four days ago, the Ottawa REDBLACKS will have a chance to move into first place in the CFL’s East Division on Monday Night Football (7:30 p.m.), when they pay a visit to the Toronto Argonauts at BMO Field.
The REDBLACKS (1-3-1) forced five turnovers in Wednesday’s win against Montreal and will aim to once again win the turnover battle on Monday against the first-place Argos (2-2) in the ‘6ix’.
“Getting five turnovers was a big part of (the win),” said Ottawa head coach Rick Campbell. “It comes down to the fourth quarter and who makes plays at the end of the game — we’ve been doing a lot of good stuff, but it comes down to making those game-changing plays.”
Monday’s contest will be the third in just 11 days for the REDBLACKS, who dropped their first contest against the Argos — a 26-25 decision — back on July 8 in Ottawa.
“Practice is physically light because we have to try and get a full tank of gas by Monday,” said Campbell of the ultra-short week. “We did our meetings just how we’d normally do it — we have to get ready to play these guys, as it’s a big game against a divisional opponent.”
Storylines
Turnover Battle — After creating just one turnover in the first four weeks of 2017, the REDBLACKS forced five turnovers in Wednesday’s win over Montreal; two interceptions, two fumbles, and a key third-down stand. Ball responsibility will be a big factor against the Argos, who’ve registered a league-high 14 sacks but also allowed the second most (11).
Harris vs. Ray — Former understudy Trevor Harris emerged from mentor Ricky Ray’s shadow years ago, but it’s nonetheless an intriguing storyline when these two meet. Harris (1,755 pass yards) and Ray (1,529) are currently one-two in the CFL in passing, with the REDBLACKS pivot having tossed a league-high 10 pass touchdowns to Ray’s four — grudge match?
Scheduling — It’s no secret the REDBLACKS are on the back end of a hellish 11-day, three-game stretch, but it’s even more remarkable given the comparative embarrassment of rest the Argos have had: Ottawa has played two games — 120 minutes of professional football — since Toronto last took the field in a 33-25 defeat at Winnipeg back on July 13th.
Scouting the Opposition
The Argos are very much a pass-first offence under new head coach Marc Trestman and the aforementioned Ray, especially in sight of the fact dual-threat Toronto running back Brandon Whitaker was placed on the one-game injury list prior to Monday’s contest.
Veteran receiver S.J. Green has been making athletic highlight-reel grabs on a weekly basis thus far in 2017, and his 452 receiving yards rank him second only to Ottawa’s Greg Ellingson (584) in that category. Argos receiver Jeff Fuller — a former 600-yard man with Calgary in 2015 — returns to the lineup this week after missing Toronto’s last two contests through injury.
The much-improved Argo defence has been a talking point early in the season, with newcomer and former NFLer Victor Butler leading the way; the ex-Dallas Cowboy has more sacks (7) than three teams in the CFL.
What They’re Saying
“The coaches have been doing a great job of taking care of us, getting our legs back under us. As players we have to do a better job of mentally preparing for this game. We know we hadn’t been good on turnover differential; we feel like we’ve been playing good overall, but haven’t been great. This past game we showed we can play with anybody.” — Linebacker Taylor Reed
“It feels great following the game plan and knowing guys believe in me. Executing what I need to execute. It’s a brotherhood in that secondary, and I love playing with this group of guys on defence. We believe in preparation; Coach Campbell takes care of us, and we’ve just got to play our butts off on Monday.” — Defensive back Corey Tindal
GAME INFO
Ottawa REDBLACKS at Toronto Argonauts
Week 5 — July 24, 2017
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET
BMO Field (Toronto, Ont.)
BROADCAST INFO
TV (EN): TSN | TSN GO | TSN.ca/LIVE
TV (FR): RDS
TV (INT\L): ESPN 2 | BT (UK and Ireland)
Radio (EN): TSN 1200 | TSN1200.ca
Radio (FR): FM 104,7 Outaouais | FM1047.ca
Radio (Satellite): Sirius XM Canada Channel 167 (EN) and 174 (FR)
