Article by Duncan Gray
Week 2 Review
Toronto
|
42
|
Saskatchewan
|
40
|
|
BC
|
16
|
Ottawa
|
27
|
|
Calgary
|
11
|
Montreal
|
29
|
|
Hamilton
|
52
|
Winnipeg
|
26
|
Who'd have thought it. In Week 2 the four East Division
teams completed a clean sweep of wins over teams from the much stronger (at
least it was last season) West. And in just two weeks Ottawa REDBLACKS have
equalled the number of wins they had in the whole of last season.
The big headlines of the weekend weren't about Ottawa though.
They came from the Friday night game everyone had the least expectations
of.
After last week's injuries Montreal Alouettes went
into their game with number one rated Calgary Stampeders with a choice
to make between two rookie quarterbacks. Rather than the Canadian Brandon
Bridge they chose to go with Florida native Rakeem
Cato. Cato's history is that he played his college football at Marshall
where he set several quarterback records. He wasn't taken in the 2015 NFL
draft, had a try out with the Cleveland Browns and finally signed with Montreal
as a free agent.
On Friday night Cato played the sort
of game the phrase "dream debut" was invented for. In his first drive
he led Montreal 95 yards, completing five passes out of five, the last one to Samuel
Giguere for the touchdown. The Al's defence was going
well too, the big name Stampeders offence didn't get going all night, didn't
even get on the scoreboard until late in the third quarter. Meantime Cato
completed 20 of 25 passes for 241 yards and 3 touchdowns and we had the biggest
upset of the season so far.
On Thursday night it looked like it could be Week 1 all over
again as another quarterback was injured. This time the victim was Winnipeg
Blue Bombers Drew Willy who suffered a violent helmet to helmet clash while
being sacked by the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. On the very next play Ti-Cats'
Brandon Banks returned a punt all the way, one of five touchdowns scored on
offence, defence and special teams before half time. Hamilton maintained their
lead through the second half and once again looked impressive.
There's a definite buzz going around the nation's capital
this year. It's the second season of there being a CFL franchise back in town
and the team's getting plenty of support. The first home game at TD Place
Stadium was a sell out and the Ottawa REDBLACKS didn't disappoint. In a
close game they'd fallen behind BC Lions in the third quarter, but on
the first play of the fourth Henry Burris threw a 30 yard touchdown pass,
caught by Greg Ellingson despite a deflection, and followed it with an 11
yarder to Ernest Jackson on the next drive. And that was the game. The
REDBLACKS are one of only two unbeaten teams. They put together a strong all
round performance but there are tougher tests to come.
The last game of the weekend was so good it eclipsed the
Rakeem Cato story. There were big plays for both sides as Toronto Argonauts and
Saskatchewan Roughriders played through to overtime. Particularly in the
fourth quarter there was an incredible catch by 'Riders wide receiver Ryan
Smith followed by a complete reversal on the very next play as Argo's A.J.
Jefferson ran back a 100 yard pick six. Toronto's Trevor Harris showed he could
withstand pressure, throwing a touchdown pass with 6 seconds to tie the game at
28 all. In overtime it all came down to 2 point conversions. Both teams scored
TDs on both their possessions but ultimately it was the Saskatchewan
quarterback Kevin Glenn who succumbed to the pressure, failing to connect with
his receiver on the final conversion attempt and leaving the win with Toronto.
If you didn't see this one check out the highlights here.
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