The Eskimos will hit the halfway mark of their season when they host the Montreal Alouettes Saturday night on The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium.
Last week, the Eskimos held a 20-10 lead at half-time on the road against the B.C. Lions, but were out-scored 21-3 in the second half on their way to a 31-23 loss.
Penalties have been a huge issue for the Eskimos this season as they lead the CFL in both the number of penalties taken (94) and penalty yards (895). This week on the Eskimos Coaches Show on 630 CHED, head coach Jason Maas took ownership of the discipline issues plaguing his team. Maas is also trying new tactics in practice to challenge players to be more disciplined and those tactics will carry into the games.
Listen below: Head coach Jason Maas says taking players out of portions of practice who take penalties is difficult but a necessary next step
The Eskimos have seen a drop-off in production from the CFL’s leading receiver Duke Williams but have seen an increase with Derel Walker.
Over the last two games, Williams has only six catches for 87 yards on 17 targets; he still leads the league in receiving with 759 yards.
Right behind Williams is Walker, who is second in the league in receiving with 734 yards, after back-to-back 100-yard receiving games. Walker has recorded 154 and 117 yards in the last two games on 11 receptions.
Saturday’s game will be a milestone night for linebacker J.C. Sherritt who will play his 100th CFL game. Sherritt is the fourth all-time leading tackler in Eskimos history and is fourth in the CFL in defensive tackles–with 45. He says he appreciates the eight seasons he has played in Edmonton.
“There’s not a day I don’t wake up… everybody knows the older you get and you still do something you love so much, it’s just awesome,” Sherritt said. “You look around and see guys born in 1994 coming in, which is a trip, but every day is a great day.”
The Eskimos will make four changes to the 46-man roster. Running back C.J. Gable has been placed on the one-game injured list and will be replaced by fellow back Shaq Cooper, who will make his first CFL start. Cooper recorded 70 yards from scrimmage in a pre-season game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders and scored a touchdown.
Also returning to the roster are linebackers Adam Konar and Christophe Mulumba-Tshimanga, who were both pulled off the six-game injured list and receiver Vidal Hazelton.
Coming out is defensive back Arjen Colquhoun, who has been placed on the six-game injured list. Linebacker Brandon Pittman has been placed on the practice roster and receiver Sam Giguere who was released earlier in the week.
The following is the projected offensive and defensive starters for the Eskimos:
Offence
Quarterback: Mike Reilly
Running back: Shaq Cooper (Fullback: Calvin McCarty)
Offensive line: Matt O’Donnell-Travis Bond-Justin Sorensen-David Beard-Colin Kelly
Receivers: Derel Walker-Duke Williams-Natey Adjei-Bryant Mitchell-Kenny Stafford
Defence
Defensive Line: Kwaku Boateng-Almondo Sewell-Mike Moore-Alex Bazzie
Linebackers: Christophe Mulumba-Tshimanga-J.C. Sherritt-Chris Edwards
Defensive backs: Mercy Maston-Aaron Grymes-Josh Woodman-Forrest Hightower-Nick Taylor
The Montreal Alouettes have a 1-7 record and are 1-18 in their last 19 games. Complicating matters is the revolving door at quarterback. On Saturday the Alouettes with start Antonio Pipkin at quarterback who will become the fifth starter and sixth quarterback to make an appearance in just nine games this season. Johnny Manziel is in concussion protocol after taking a blow to the head in the third quarter of the Alouettes 24-17 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks last week. Manziel threw for 168 yards passing and rushed for 37 yards in the loss in his second start for the Alouettes.
The Eskimos played the Alouettes on July 26 in Montreal winning 44-23. This is the final meeting of the season between the two teams.
You can hear live coverage of Saturday’s game between the Eskimos and Lions on 630 CHED starting with Countdown to Kick-off at 5:30 p.m. MT. The opening kick-off on The Brick Field at Commonwealth Stadium is 7 p.m. with Morley Scott and Dave Campbell calling all of the live action. Plus, hear analysis from former Eskimos offensive lineman and two-time Grey Cup champion Blake Dermott; Brenden Ullrich will be reporting from the Eskimos sidelines.