Lions vs. Alouettes: Montreal looks to rebound versus B.C. squad
Article content
The 37-year-old gets his second straight start behind centre in place of injured starter Davis Alexander. Alexander, who suffered a hamstring injury during Montreal's win over the Edmonton Elks on June 19, is expected back in time for Montreal's next game against the Toronto Argonauts on July 17, according to head coach Jason Maas.
Article content
Article content
Article content
Bethel-Thompson will look to rebound following a 35-17 loss last Friday in Hamilton against the Tiger-Cats, during which he completed 24 of 41 passes for 203 yards and was intercepted twice.
Article content
'Every day I get more reps, I feel more and more comfortable,' said Bethel-Thompson. 'I feel like we were prepared last week. I felt like we had a good week of practice and we were ready to go. Obviously that game didn't go the way we wanted it to, but I felt like we had a good preparation again this week.
Article content
'I'm excited for the opportunity to come back home, protect our house, and find a way to get a win.'
Article content
One area of emphasis for the Alouettes in practice this week was their execution on first-down opportunities. Last week, Montreal (3-1) converted on a season-low 16 first-down chances, a statistic Maas understands is crucial to his team's overall success on offence.
Article content
'You stay on the positive side of things; you have a much better chance of executing,' said Maas. 'If you just look at second-down conversion percentage in this league, anything eight-plus (yards) is very difficult to manage, but anything under that is more manageable.'
Article content
'It's obviously a hard down to execute on, but the first down is huge,' Bethel-Thompson added. 'The difference between conversion rates on second and medium and second and long is big in this league. It's big in every league.
Article content
'We got to be good at first down and we got to be good in the red zone. I think we'll do that and we got a good game plan for it.'
Article content
While the Alouettes will be without their starting pivot, the Lions (1-3) will welcome back their No. 1 quarterback, Nathan Rourke, on Saturday. Rourke has missed B.C.'s last two games with an oblique injury he sustained late in his team's 34-20 Week 2 loss to Winnipeg on June 12.
Article content
'I feel good,' Rourke told reporters following Thursday's practice. 'I think, again, it's one of those things that's just been based on how it responds. I've done a fair amount of stuff this week and continue to try to progress.'
Article content
The Lions, who are in search of their first road win of the season, will also be counting on Rourke to lead the team out of a three-game losing streak. The 27-year-old Victoria native threw for 573 yards, recording four passing touchdowns to go along with one rushing major in just two games this season.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
National Post
2 hours ago
- National Post
Roughriders Mailbag: West favourites? Negotiation list? 'Drive-ending' bombs?
Welcome to another edition of the Roughriders Mailbag where we answer questions readers have about the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Article content After a 4-0 start to the 2025 season, the Green and White have wrapped up their first bye week of the season and are set to host the Calgary Stampeders on Friday. Article content Article content Before we look ahead to that game, let's answer some reader-submitted questions surrounding the Roughriders entering Week 6: Article content At this point, yes, the Roughriders are the West Division favourites. Especially after what went down on Thursday night. Article content In fact, the Roughriders might have increased their odds of being the favourites without even playing this week. Article content At 4-0, the Roughriders have gotten off to a good start and look to be contenders this season after falling in the West final last year against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. Article content As for Winnipeg, after a 3-0 start, the Blue and Gold lost 37-16 to the Calgary Stampeders on Thursday night in a game that certainly didn't make the five-time defending West Division champions look like they have in recent years. Article content While it's a long season, at this point, Saskatchewan is the favourite followed by Winnipeg. Or would Calgary now be second considering they are also 3-1 and just beat Winnipeg. When B.C. has a healthy Nathan Rourke, they will be better. And then there's Edmonton. Article content While Saskatchewan may be considered the favourite, since the Bombers are five-time defending West division champs, all roads lead through Winnipeg when it comes to claiming the West Division. I get that it's a new team every year but Saskatchewan needs to find a way to beat Winnipeg in the playoffs, which is something they haven't been able to do in years. Article content The playoffs will decide who advances to the Grey Cup but there are a few measuring-stick games coming up for the Riders. After Calgary in Week 6, the Riders head to B.C. in Week 7. Saskatchewan will then host Edmonton before visiting the Montreal Alouettes on Aug. 2, which could be a big test for the Riders. Article content Article content Following games against Hamilton and Calgary, we then finally get the Riders-Bombers matchup on Labour Day followed by the rematch the following week, which is a series that could determine who finishes first in the division. Article content By then, we'll have a better indication of who the favourite is, but at this point, the Roughriders are definitely the favourites. And they even gained some steam during the bye week.
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Jays beat Angels 4-3 in 10 innings as Clement bunt causes chaos for visitors
Los Angeles Angels' Jo Adell (7) slides safely into second base with a double ahead of the tag from Toronto Blue Jays second baseman Andres Gimenez in fifth inning MLB baseball action in Toronto on Friday, July 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jon Blacker TORONTO — A throwing error that travelled down the first-base line from Los Angeles Angels reliever Sam Bachman on an Ernie Clement bunt gave the Toronto Blue Jays a 4-3 walk-off win on Friday. With runners on first and second and none out, Clement bunted to the third-base side of the mound in the 10th inning scoring Myles Straw. Bachman threw high and the Blue Jays had their season-high sixth win in a row before 30,119 at Rogers Centre. Bachman (1-2) took the loss, while Chad Green (3-0) pitched the top of the 10th and registered the win. The Blue Jays sent seven players to the plate in a three-run sixth. Will Wagner scored on Andres Gimenez's single to left and the latter scored on Bo Bichette's single to left. George Springer scored on Zach Neto's error. Toronto starter Eric Lauer lost his magic in the seventh when Mike Trout and Taylor Ward singled to end his evening. Reliever Nick Sandlin was greeted with a 431-foot homer from Jo Adell to left centre for his 19th. In Lauer's six-plus innings, he was on the hook for two runs on three hits and a walk with six strikeouts. Lauer and his Los Angeles counterpart Kyle Hendricks were engaged in a pitchers' duel through five innings. Springer, who remained hot with a 2-for-4 game, broke through for Toronto's first hit, a one-out line-drive single to left field in the fourth inning. Adell led off the fifth inning for the Angels with a double into the left-field corner. Hendricks departed after 5 1/3 innings, giving up three runs on four hits, no walks and two strikeouts. TAKEAWAYS Angels: The Angels have pushed themselves into contention for a wild-card position. They began the day only 1 1/2 games behind the Seattle Mariners for the third and final American League spot. Blue Jays: Vladimir Guerrero Jr. had the night off to rest and recover after fouling a pitch off his right foot in the sixth inning on Thursday. KEY MOMENT An error from Angels shortstop Neto on an Addison Barger bouncer up the middle went from a possible double play to another run and a 3-0 Toronto lead. KEY STAT Springer has batted 22-for-43 (. 512) with four homers, 19 RBIs, 15 runs scored, six walks and three stolen bases in his last 12 games. UP NEXT Toronto's Max Scherzer (0-0) faces Jack Kochanowicz (3-8) in Saturday's middle game of the three-game series against the Angels. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 4, 2025. Tim Wharnsby, The Canadian Press
CTV News
3 hours ago
- CTV News
Surging Blue Jays relying on each other to get the job done
Toronto Blue Jays' Ernie Clement, left, celebrates with teammates after hitting a bunt single resulting in a throwing error from Los Angeles Angels relief pitcher Sam Bachman, permitting Blue Jays Myles Straw to score in tenth inning MLB baseball action in Toronto on Friday, July 4, 2025. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jon Blacker
