Montreal @ Hamilton preview
Tim Hortons Field
Last Meeting ( Nov 3, 2018 ) Montreal 30, Hamilton 28
The Hamilton Tiger-Cats look to build on their record-setting performance when they host the Montreal Alouettes in an East Division clash Friday. The Tiger-Cats racked up 604 yards of offence en route to a 64-14 victory over the Toronto Argonauts in Week 2, which matched a franchise record for the largest margin of victory and hope to improve to 3-0 for the first time since 2004.
"I think we can be real good," Hamilton wide receiver Brandon Banks told reporters. "The sky's the limit and we could average 500 yards a game." Montreal showed signs of improvement after last year's dismal 13-loss campaign despite a 32-25 setback to the Edmonton Eskimos in its season opener. The Alouettes, who were off last week, clawed their way back from a 25-8 deficit to tie the game before falling on a last-minute touchdown and hope Vernon Adams Jr., who kick-started the comeback after starting quarterback Antonio Pipkin went down with an ankle injury, can lead the team to their second straight win in Hamilton. "I'm going to go out there and do what I can to get my playmakers the ball," Adams told reporters. "Everybody's buying in this year and we're working hard not to give up."
TV: 7:30 p.m. ET, TSN, RDS, ESPN2
ABOUT THE ALOUETTES (0-1): Adams completed 7-of-10 passes for 134 yards and a touchdown after Pipkin suffered a sprained ankle late in the third quarter against Edmonton. Hard hitting safety Taylor Loffler, who was one of Montreal's top free agent signings in the winter, will miss Friday's game with an undisclosed injury as will linebacker Bo Lokombo. The Alouettes signed Canadian quarterback Brandon Bridge, who spent the last three seasons with the Saskatchewan Roughriders, to a one-year deal with Pipkin expected to miss six weeks and added linebacker Glenn Love to the practice roster.
ABOUT THE TIGER-CATS (2-0): Jeremiah Masoli went 23-of-31 through the air for 338 yards and three touchdowns - all to Bralon Addison, who finished with six receptions for 107 yards - against Toronto. Sean Thomas Erlington was named one of the CFL's Top Performers of the Week after rushing for 109 yards to go along with three receptions for 56 yards against the Argonauts. Mercer Timmis, who rushed for 205 yards and four touchdowns in 18 games with Hamilton last season, announced his retirement because of concussion-related symptoms while wide receiver Luke Tasker (upper body) is questionable after missing a game.
EXTRA POINTS
1. The Alouettes are 3-16 on the road dating back to the start of the 2017 season.
2. Banks has cracked 100 receiving yards in five of his last seven games.
3. Hamilton has won three of the last four meetings with Montreal by an average of 33 points.
PREDICTION: Tiger-Cats 38, Alouettes 21