Confident Redblacks looking for quick start against Montreal
Ottawa has three wins despite not leading a game after the first quarter
OTTAWA— The Ottawa Redblacks aren’t worried about being rusty coming off a bye week, especially with the chance to clinch a season series with a division rival at stake.
The Redblacks look for their second win of the season over Montreal when they host the Alouettes on Friday night in front of a sold-out crowd at TD Place. A win would ensure the Redblacks have the tie-breaker should the teams wind up with the same record at the end of the season.
“You want to play every game with the same intensity, but there’s no denying there’s a little more adrenalin when you’re playing a rival,” said defensive back Antoine Pruneau. “Everyone seems ready to go and the focus is there. I think it helped that we came back a day early and had time to get a couple days of practice in before focusing on Montreal.”
The Redblacks (3-2) defeated the Alouettes (2-3) 20-16 in the season opener. The Alouettes are a different team from Week1, but the Redblacks say they are playing with a lot more confidence.
“Their offence is a little different from last time we played them and I know our defence is going to be pre- pared for them,” Redblacks receiver Brad Sinopoli said. “Ideally we want to start early. Most of our games we’ve had a slow start and had to come from behind and claw our way back to get into it. Being at home we want to get the fans on our side and hopefully score a quick one and go from there.”
Ottawa knows it will need to find a way to contain Montreal quarterback Rakeem Cato if they hope to stop the Alouettes offence.
“He’s a good thrower and he reads stuff well,” said Ottawa coach Rick Campbell. “He has the ability that if the play breaks down he can scramble so we need to be smart in our pass-rush lanes and try and keep him in the pocket so he doesn’t run around and do damage with his feet.”
In Ottawa’s last game, a 29-26 home win over Calgary in Week 5, the Redblacks scored in the first quarter for the first time this season on a touchdown with 19 seconds remaining. The Redblacks have yet to lead a game at the end of the first quarter, but have managed to split the four games in which they trailed.