Bombers can punch playoff ticket with win against Alouettes Returning running back Harris has extra motivation to perform well By: Jeff Hamilton Posted: 7:00 PM CDT Friday, Sep. 20, 2019

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This article was published 20/09/2019 (2229 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

MONTREAL — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers can punch their ticket to the playoffs with one more victory this season. A win would improve the Bombers to 10-3 on the season, making it the fourth straight year of posting double digits in the win column — a feat they haven’t reached in 32 years.

All of that is swell for a club that only a few years ago occupied a seemingly permanent spot in the CFL’s basement. To get there, though, Winnipeg will have to go through the Montreal Alouettes in a Week 15 matchup at Molson Stadium Saturday afternoon.

Montreal is another team that has risen from the ashes, even if its return to respectability has been brief. Montreal is 6-5 this season, but already have more wins than all of 2018 and appear destined for the playoffs in a weak East Division.

Neither team knows much about each other, besides what they’ve seen from film in previous weeks. With both teams in a groove, and plenty to play for, the first clash between the two clubs this season should make for some entertaining football.

With that, here are five storylines to keep in mind for Saturday’s game:

1) BUILDING OFF THE BYE

The Bombers needed a rest after going 11 straight weeks without a break, so players more than welcomed the bye week.

Even so, there were still a few in the locker room following a convincing 35-10 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders that lamented having to disband from their teammates. It’s been a familiar scene these last few years and that eagerness to be around one another is likely a good reason why the Bombers have been so successful coming off the break.

Winnipeg is 6-0 in games immediately following a bye week, dating back to the 2017 season.

“Mentally and physically it was really great for guys to regroup and feeling good,” Bombers quarterback Chris Streveler said. “We’ve got such a tight-knit locker room and guys love being around each other. It was extremely exciting to be back and be with everyone… it’s time to hit these last six games running.”

Receivers Lucky Whitehead and Nic Demski, who missed the last game, are back. So, too, is Patrick Neufeld, who will be making his 2019 season debut after missing the first 12 games with an ankle injury. Neufeld is slated to play right guard, after spending all of last season on the left side.

2) MONTREAL FEELING IT

What a difference a few months can make.

The Alouettes were a complete tire fire heading into the season. First, the league had to take over control of the team after longtime owner Bob Wetenhall wanted out (the CFL is still searching for an owner).

Mike Sherman, after one year as head coach, was fired just days before the start of the regular season and, a month later, general manager Kavis Reed was also given his walking papers. Reed was fired for his off-field issues, which included reports that he had been coming up with unethical ways to circumvent the salary cap.

Fast-forward to today and the Alouettes look nothing like the dysfunctional team many predicted they would be. Under the guidance of first-time head coach — and former Bombers great — Khari Jones, there is a renewed excitement around the team.

“I felt something with this group really from the beginning. I feel like we have the makings of just a special team and even at the start of the year, when we were just discovering ourselves and figuring out who we were, I saw something that we had a chance to be good,” Jones said. “Once these guys kind of put together some wins and started really believing in themselves…we’ve been competitive.”

The Alouettes still have plenty of work to do, but, as Jones noted, they have been competitive for much of the season. They enter Saturday with wins in three of their last four games. Of their five losses this season, four have been by 10 or fewer points, with three decided by just one score.

3) A FAMILIAR FACE

Chris Matthews said he has no hard feelings for how things ended in Winnipeg. But that doesn’t mean he isn’t looking for some payback.

The Bombers released Matthews in late August, just months after signing the veteran receiver to a three-year deal. A slow start, injuries, some off-field drama and formidable depth at the position were all reasons for why he was cut.

“It was just a bad fit but it was a great group of guys that are working hard countless days and I miss those guys,” Matthews said Friday. “It will be good to see those guys again.”

Matthews made his debut with the Alouettes last week, reeling in a 42-yard catch in a 27-25 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

It was great to be out on the field again, he said, but it’s Saturday’s game he’s had circled on his calendar since signing with Montreal. Not simply because he gets to play against his former team but also because he’s feeling comfortable enough with the playbook now that he feels due for a breakout game.

“This game is going to be more exciting. It wasn’t just because of Winnipeg but that I knew that I’d be that much further ahead on the offence with these guys,” he said. “That’s all I want to be able to do is play. I had a rough start in the beginning of the season and now I have a fresh start and be able to play like the way I really want to play.”

4) HARRIS BACK FROM SUSPENSION

Andrew Harris returns to the Winnipeg lineup after serving his two-game suspension for a failed drug test.

Despite his absence, the Bombers running back still leads the CFL in rushing with 908 yards on 141 carries. Harris needs just 92 yards to post a third consecutive 1,000-yard rushing season.

Harris has practised with the team throughout his suspension, but should be fresh when he hits the field Saturday. The 32-year-old has gone nearly a month since he last played, making the case that he might just be the healthiest he’s been this season.

Harris has received support from his coaches and teammates, as well as from players on other teams. But not everyone appears to be siding with Harris’s plea that the illegal substance — an anabolic steroid called metandienone — entered his body through a contaminated men’s supplement he bought at a local health store.

“Any cheater deserves to get what they get,” Alouettes veteran defensive end John Bowman told reporters. “If it was up to me, he’d get suspended longer. Whatever he’s got to say, no excuses.”

Harris looked visibly upset when he was asked for a response to Bowman’s comments. Already motivated to prove his doubters wrong, Harris took note of the criticism and plans to use it in his favour.

“It’s ignorant as hell,” Harris said. “But it’s just adding gas to the fire right now. So, thanks John.”

5) HARRIS VS. STANBACK

If the war of words between Bowman and Harris wasn’t enough, Alouettes quarterback Vernon Adams added another iron to the fire stoking against the Bombers running back.

Adams claimed William Stanback to be the best running back in the CFL, ahead of Harris.

“Andrew Harris is a hall of fame guy. He’s been doing it a long time as a receiver and a running back, but as of right now I’m picking Stanback over Harris,” Adams said. “No disrespect to Andrew Harris, don’t try to mix me up. I’m just going with my guy.”

Though Harris has the edge in yards this season (908 to 746) and years in the league (10 to 2), Stanback has been a key piece to the Alouettes’ success this year. Considered to be more of an NFL-style tailback, one that runs downhill and initiates contact, Stanback has the ability to explode for big gains.

The 25-year-old has a 200-yard rushing game this year and has five touchdowns. He had been sharing the running back duties with Jeremiah Johnson in recent weeks but with Johnson now on the injured list, Stanback is expected to get a heavy dose of carries against the Bombers.

Both teams rank in the bottom third of teh CFL in passing yards, with Montreal edging Winnipeg by nearly 50 yards per game (250.4 to 205.1). But they are both atop the CFL in rushing, with Winnipeg averaging 146.3 yards per game, with Montreal second with 126.3.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

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