CFL Games of Week 5, July 19 - July 24
Posted: Mon Jul 17, 2017 7:08 am
CFL games of Week 5
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Jennings: “I have more range of motion than I did Sunday.”The initial plan was to have Jennings still dress behind Lulay and Alex Ross. Buono shifted gears on that topic and indicated the plan may indeed be to bring in another quarterback as soon as this week.
“I don’t want to be premature, but that is something we are going to decide in the next day or so,” added Buono.
MTL gave up its first sack last week.TORONTO — There’s extra football for CFL fans in Week 5 as five games are on tap across the country.
To kick the week off, the Montreal Alouettes visit the Ottawa REDBLACKS on Wednesday night. The Alouettes are coming off a big win against the Calgary Stampeders and will be looking to keep the REDBLACKS winless on the season. It took a few weeks to get things going but Darian Durant and Ernest Jackson finally found the chemistry Alouettes fans were hoping to see in Week 4. Keeping their connection hot will be key for a win in Ottawa.
Things then move to Hamilton where the Tiger-Cats host the Edmonton Eskimos on Thursday night. The contest could be considered a must-win for the Tabbies as it is the first of a three-game stretch against West opponents and they are still searching for their first win of 2017. Edmonton’s pass-happy offence will be looking to expose a injured Ticats’ secondary as Mike Reilly and co. look to stay undefeated and on top of the West Division.
Friday Night Football has the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visiting the red-hot BC Lions. The Lions are returning home from a three game eastern road trip with three wins in their back pockets. If Jonathon Jennings isn’t ready to return after leaving last week’s contest against Hamilton, Travis Lulay will gladly step in to lead the charge once again. Lulay will have his hands full with Winnipeg’s ball-hawking defence hungry to keep their league-leading interceptions (six) ahead of the pack. Winnipeg will hope that they can bring the momentum of the win over the Toronto Argonauts last week into enemy territory.
The Saskatchewan Roughriders head to Calgary to take on the Stampeders on Saturday night as they return to the field after a Week 4 bye. Kevin Glenn has impressed in the beginning of the Riders’ season as he sits fourth in the league in passing yards (1,055) and is tied for second with Bo Levi Mitchell in passing touchdowns (seven). Calgary’s pass rush will have to contain Glenn if they want to keep the Riders’ offence in check.
And finally, Week 5 finishes off in Toronto as the REDBLACKS play their second game of the week against the Argonauts. Trevor Harris and co. will have the tough task of taking on Toronto’s stellar defence as they hope four days of rest will be enough to get a win against their East Division rivals. Ricky Ray and his squad will hope to forget the loss against the Bombers last week and keep themselves on top of the East with a win.
................•Argonauts return man Martese Jackson accumulated 339 return-yards (148 punt return, 191 kickoff return) the most by an Argonaut since 2005 when Bashir Levingston had 345 return yards.
•Jackson’s 339 return yards in a single game ranks him fourth all-time only trailing: Larry Taylor (428), Bashir Levingston (345) and Marcus Thigpen (340).
CHALLENGES
•Week 4 saw only seven challenges – the lowest amount in any week this season.
•This season, the average of challenges per game is 2.00. Last year’s average was 2.22.
•BC has challenged the most this season with six; however, Hamilton has not challenged a single play so far this season.
•Ottawa owns the best success rate at .750 while Montreal has the worst at .333.
•Of the 32 challenges this season, 18 have been overturned (56%).
•Of the 24 penalty-related challenges this year 10 have been for defensive pass interference and nine for illegal contact.
Five more catches: Montreal’s Nik Lewis continues to inch closer to notching his 1,000th Following his three receptions versus Calgary, he now only needs five more catches to become the fourth player in CFL history with 1,000.Low penalties: Week 4 saw the lowest amount of penalties per game at 15.5.
300+: Ricky Ray is the lone quarterback this season to pass for 300+ yards in each game. His passing yards totals are 506, 323, 366 and 330. If Ray can keep to his pace, he will set a CFL record of 6,881 passing yards in a season. Current record is held by Doug Flutie 6,619 in 1991.
REDBLACKS end late threat from Als, hold on for win
CFL.ca Staff
OTTAWA – The Ottawa REDBLACKS defence forced four turnovers and held strong late in the fourth quarter over the Montreal Alouettes to secure the team’s first victory of the season.
With the Als threatening in the red zone with less than three minutes remaining, the REDBLACKS denied a third down rush attempt to secure the 24-19 win.
While Darian Durant had a strong second half, it was not enough to overcome some early struggles. He threw for 452 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in the loss. His counterpart Trevor Harris threw two touchdown passes of his own to go with 376 passing yards.
Jerrell Gavins intercepted Durant on the first Als possession, the first pick recorded by the REDBLACKS this season. Mixing it up on offence, the REDBLACKS used both the rush and the pass to chip away and move the chains to march downfield but it was not enough to get into scoring territory and Ottawa was forced to punt.
Getting the ball back on offence, Harris found a wide open Brad Sinopoli downfield for a 22-yard gain that put the REDBLACKS in the red zone. Brett Maher booted a field goal to give Ottawa an early 3-0 lead.
The REDBLACKS defence frustrated the Als again, forcing a Brandon Rutley fumble that was recovered by Jonathan Rose with 6:05 remaining in the opening frame. Dionate Spencer dropped a pass in the end zone but Maher recorded another field goal as the REDBLACKS doubled their lead.
Montreal responded on its next drive with a field goal of their own, cutting the deficit to 6-3. The REDBLACKS notched a single at the start of the second quarter.
Back-to-back catches by George Johnson pushed the Alouettes past midfield. Receptions by BJ Cunningham and Lewis kept the chains moving before Rutley found some room to get the near the goal line. The momentum ended on an Antoine Pruneau interception in the end zone, Durant’s second pick of the game.
Ottawa took advantage of the turnover and they did so quickly. Harris connected with Ellingson at midfield and the wideout took care of the rest, outrunning the defence 80 yards to the end zone to increase the REDBLACKS lead to 14-3.
With the three minute warning approaching, Cunningham took matters into his own hands, making a leaping grab on a deep ball from Durant for a 36-yard gain. The Als drive was halted by another turnover, the team’s fourth of the half, as Taylor Reed tackled Durant and forced a fumble which was recovered by the REDBLACKS. Maher added another field goal as the Ottawa lead grew to 17-3.
Unfazed and with less than a minute remaining in the first half, Durant used a series of short passes and worked the sidelines to get into scoring range. Boris Bede kicked a 30-yard field goal to add three more points for Montreal as the halftime whistle sounded.
A special moment kicked off the second half of the game. With 14:12 remaining in the third quarter, Nik Lewis recorded a nine-yard gain for the 1,000th reception in his career. He entered the game five catches shy of the milestone. From there, Ernest Jackson notched a 14-yard gain before Durant connected 51 yards downfield with Tiquan Underwood for the first Als major of the night. Montreal failed to convert on the two-point attempt and still trailed 17-12.
The REDBLACKS offence hit the field looking for a quick response and first down grabs by Spencer, Sinopoli and Joshua Stangby kept the ball moving. Sinopoli capped the nine-play drive with a touchdown and pushed the REDBLACKS lead to 24-12.
Looking to claw back into the game, Durant kept the REDBLACKS defence moving with passes across the field, using his full receiving corps. On his first touchdown grab of the season, Lewis scored on a 4-yard major. Bede missed the extra point kick as Montreal still trailed 24-18.
Both teams locked in on defence in the fourth quarter, not allowing many yards to be gained. The Als added a single halfway through, cutting the deficit to just five points.
A big 35-yard mark by Jackson pushed the Als to midfield. A key run on third down by Cunningham kept the drive alive as Durant worked with under three minutes left in the game. Trying their luck again on third down inside the red zone, the Als were denied and stuffed by the REDBLACKS defence on the eight-yard line to end the threat and secure the victory.
Jackson finished the game with eight receptions and 101 receiving yards in his first game against his former team.
Next week, the Als head west to take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers while the REDBLACKS visit the Toronto Argonauts on Monday night.