Als’ Lewis closing in on all-time record
TORONTO — Two down, one more to go for Nik Lewis.
The veteran receiver began the season fourth on the CFL’s all-time reception list behind Hall of Famers Terry Vaughn (1,006), Ben Cahoon (1,017) and Geroy Simon (1,029).
On Saturday, Lewis had six catches for 42 yards in the Montreal Alouettes’ 38-6 road loss to the Toronto Argonauts, boosting his career total to 1,020.
Should Lewis register another 1,000-yard season — he has 43 catches for 403 yards and a TD — it would be the 11th of his career, tying him with Vaughn for the most in CFL history. And that would be yet an impressive feat for a player who was a walk-on at Division II Southern Arkansas.
“It’s a great accomplishment to pass Ben,” Lewis said. “All of those things are good when your career is over and in the off-season you can think about it.
“But right now, my biggest things are what can I do to help this team win, how can I be better? “That’s the fun part about it, 14 years in and I’m still wanting to do better . . . I love a challenge,” Lewis added.
It’s certainly been a challenging year for Montreal (3-5). The Alouettes had a chance Saturday to win the season series with Toronto, but fell to 0-4 on the road and are just one point ahead of third-place Ottawa (2-6-1) in the East Division.
Montreal plays its next two games at home, Thursday versus Winnipeg (6-2) and Aug. 31 versus Ottawa. That means five of its final eight games will be on the road, another big challenge for a franchise looking to avoid missing the playoffs for a third straight year.
MESSAM INJURY: Calgary running back Jerome Messam, the CFL’s rushing leader (559 yards, 4.99-yard average), suffered a knee injury in the Stampeders’ 21-17 road win over the B.C. Lions on Friday night but is expected to suit up against Toronto this week.