Good news for Manziel, Als is there’s nowhere to go from here but up

And it showed as Hamilton led 28-0 in the first quarter and 38-3 at the half. Overall, Montreal committed seven turnovers (two fumbles, once on downs) and 176 of its 283 total yards offensively came on the ground.

With another week in Montreal’s offence, Manziel should be much more prepared to face the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday night than he was the Ticats. Despite the one-sided outcome, the six-foot, 210-pound Manziel did show flashes of brilliance and certainly an ability to use his legs to extend plays and buy his receivers time downfield.

Trouble is, the game got out of hand quickly and Montreal simply didn’t have the offensive firepower to keep up. There are several reasons why the Alouettes (1-6) own the CFL’s worst record. They are last overall in scoring (14.3 points per game), net offensive yards (252.9), offensive touchdowns (nine), sacks allowed (25) and points scored off turnovers (three).

Montreal will face an ornery Ottawa squad. The Redblacks (4-3) held a commanding 38-14 second-half lead last week in Toronto before the Argonauts rallied for the stunning 42-41 victory at BMO Field.

Toronto was especially impressive in the fourth quarter, outscoring Ottawa 22-3. McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s 23-yard TD strike to Armanti Edwards with one second remaining provided the Argos with their winning margin and capped a remarkable comeback by the defending Grey Cup champions.

Bethel-Thompson finished 25-of-37 passing for 302 yards with four TDs and an interception in his first CFL start. He was particularly sharp in the second half, completing 18-of-25 passes for 233 yards and the four touchdown tosses.

Ottawa was dominant in the first half, recording four turnovers to surge into a seemingly safe 28-7 advantage. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed his first 11 passes en route to finishing the half 18-of-21 passing for 245 yards.

By comparison, Bethel-Thompson completed 7-of-12 passes for just 69 yards in the first half.

The Redblacks learned a valuable lesson regarding the importance of keeping an opponent down and being able to put the rival away. It’s hard to imagine this happening twice to a team that’s first in the East right now.

Prediction: Ottawa.

Edmonton Eskimos versus B.C. Lions (Thursday night)

At Vancouver, Mike Reilly’s one-yard TD run with 2:43 remaining lifted Edmonton (5-2) to a 26-19 win over Saskatchewan. The Eskimos have won three straight and head to B.C. sporting a 3-0 record within the West Division. The Lions (2-4) have lost two straight overall. Travis Lulay was 25-of-39 passing for 281 yards with a TD and interception in last week’s 27-18 loss to unbeaten Calgary (7-0).

Prediction: Edmonton.

Hamilton Tiger-Cats versus Winnipeg Blue Bombers (Friday night)

At Winnipeg, the Bombers (4-3) come off the bye leading the CFL in scoring (34.1 points per game), offensive TDs (24), rushing (161.6 yards) and fewest sacks allowed (seven). Their defence has a league-best 11 interceptions. Hamilton (3-4) halted a three-game losing streak with its one-sided victory over Montreal and did earn a 31-17 home win over the Bombers on June 29. Jeremiah Masoli threw for 300 yards with two TDs and two interceptions versus the Alouettes.

Prediction: Winnipeg.

Last week: 3-1

Overall: 21-10.

Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press

by Canadian Press

Good news for Manziel, Als is there’s nowhere to go from here but up

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