Roughriders entertain Alouettes

Oct 8, 2014 - 3:41 PM Montreal, QC (SportsNetwork.com) - The title in the West Division remains up for grabs, but time is running out for those teams chasing the Calgary Stampeders, the only club to have already secured a postseason spot.

During Week 16 action, the Saskatchewan Roughriders try to draw closer to the Stamps as they challenge the Montreal Alouettes in a cross-conference showdown at Percical-Molson Stadium.

Saskatchewan, the defending Grey Cup Champion, at one point was the hottest team in the league with a seven-game win streak, but since then the squad has dropped two in a row and three of the last four. Last Friday the squad was tripped up by Calgary, 31-24, assuring the Stampeders a place in the postseason.

After being shut out the previous week, the Riders appeared to be well on their way to yet another scoreless effort as Calgary held a 24-0 advantage into the third quarter before the hosts showed signs of life. Head coach Corey Chamblin went with a hunch and started Seth Doege at quarterback, but that was a decision that was met with disaster.

Doege attempted nine passes and had as many completions to the opposition (three) as he did to men in green. The signal caller was sacked once and finished with a mere 28 yards before Tino Sunseri made his return to the lineup. Sunseri managed to breathe life into the Riders as he converted all but three of his 19 tries for 289 yards and a score, but it turned out to be too little, too late.

Sunseri also ran the ball four times for 21 yards and a score, again putting himself in harm's way a bit too often. Dan DePalma made his debut for Saskatchewan and the West Chester University product did not disappoint as he turned his first three CFL receptions into 83 yards and a major.

On the ground, the Riders logged 117 yards on 25 attempts, 78 of those yards coming from Anthony Allen, while former Alouettes running back Jerome Messam scored his first TD of the 2014 season.

With the struggles at quarterback, following a serious injury to Darian Durant, now comes word that the Riders have plans on adding Kerry Joseph to the roster. Joseph, a former Most Outstanding Player and 2007 Grey Cup Champion, spent 11 seasons in the CFL with four different teams and was last on a roster a season ago, listed as a backup to Mike Reilly.

At this point it is unclear what Joseph's role will be with the Riders, but even if he is just a mentor who can push those ahead of him on the depth chart, that's something positive.

As for the Als, after winning just once in the first eight games, the team has managed to post back-to-back victories and triumphs in four of the last five, putting themselves in a position to challenge for the East Division where they, and Toronto, are just two points behind the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Montreal enjoyed a break in the action last week after taking down a pesky Ottawa group on the road, 15-7, the visitors getting by with only 296 yards of total offense, while being flagged 14 times for a loss of 139 yards. Jonathan Crompton completed only 14-of-29 passes for 181 yards and was intercepted twice, so it was the defense that saved the day instead as Chip Cox took a lateral following a fumble and rumbled into the end zone in the second quarter.

Still showing minus-two in the turnover department on the season, Montreal has been very opportunistic when it comes to separating opponents from the ball, having recorded a league-high 15 fumble recoveries. Unfortunately, the pass defense has only six interceptions, and the offense has unwillingly handed the ball over on downs a total of 10 times, second-most behind Ottawa (14).

Saskatchewan has performed much better when it comes to turning the ball over this season, sporting a plus-10 in the department as it places second behind Montreal in recovered fumbles with 14. However, the Riders could stand to put a bit more effort on forcing opponents into giving them the ball back on downs, having completed that task a league-low four times.

During Week 8 action, when there just happened to be a total of five games, the Riders managed to slip by Montreal at home by a score of 16-11. Back then, Durant was still under center for the Riders, converting 19-of-30 passes for 221 yards and a score, the major going to Rob Bagg who caught six balls for a game-high 90 yards.

Saskatchewan kickers Josh Bartel and Chris Milo filled in the gaps with three and seven points, respectively, as the Riders generated 330 yards of offense but still had difficulty getting into the end zone.

While the Als were still seeking a replacement for Anthony Calvillo at quarterback, the team turned to Alex Brink the first time around and he threw for 187 yards on 19 completions, but had an interception and was sacked three times, just like Durant. Montreal's only major of the game was a thrilling 123-yard missed field goal return by Duron Carter in the fourth quarter, drawing the visitors to within a point at 12-11.

Despite the loss in the first meeting of the season, Montreal still leads the all-time series by a count of 38-30-1, taking into account only regular-season matchups dating back to 1961.