'A lot to prove this week,' Alouettes QB Harris says of Elks rematch

While the Alouettes expect to see a desperate Edmonton team Saturday afternoon, they also need to play with their own sense of urgency, quarterback Trevor Harris noted.

“We’re trying to become the team we want to be,” Harris said Thursday following practice. “We want to be there the second-last Sunday in November (playing for a Grey Cup). If you want to be one of those two teams, you’ve got to play with that desperation every week. And practise with it.”

Montreal meets the Elks Saturday at 4 p.m. at Commonwealth Stadium — where the home team is winless this season in six games. While Edmonton (4-10) has yet to be eliminated from playoff contention, it is teetering on the precipice. An Edmonton loss to Montreal, combined with a Saskatchewan win at Winnipeg, would end the Elks’ flickering hopes.

The Als (6-7) have won four of their last five and are attempting to reach the .500 mark for the first time this season — something that appeared unlikely when the team was 2-6. Montreal is second in the East Division and is chasing first-place Toronto (8-5) with the teams ending the schedule facing each other twice.

“We control our own destiny and can still maximize the regular season,” Harris said. “We can climb back to .500 and put ourselves in a position, but if we do that, it’s time to dig our heels in even more and start grinding even more. You don’t get there to go under .500 again.”

The game marks Harris’s first trip to Edmonton since last October’s trade to the Als after starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. suffered a season-ending broken arm. Harris was in Edmonton for only three seasons, but also agreed to have his contract restructured in 2020, a season in which the CFL didn’t play due to COVID-19. That contract ran through the end of this year.

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“To say I have nostalgia (returning) would be a lie,” Harris said. “You always remember what happened, but that regime is gone. At the beginning of the year, I never would have thought in a million years I’d finish the year in Montreal. That’s pro football.

“But to say this game means nothing to me … I know what they did and what happened. I’m out to prove a lot. We’re starting to settle in and I feel like we have a lot to prove this week.”

This marks the first meeting between the teams since July 14, when the Elks overcame a 31-12 third-quarter deficit and won 32-31, marking the first game under interim head coach Danny Maciocia, who’s also the GM. Montreal’s record at that time was 1-4.

“We were up by 19 and weren’t able to hold on or finish,” Maciocia said. “Their quarterback (Taylor Cornelius) made some plays when he got flushed out of the pocket. These are the things I think we’ve learned from our past, from the games we’ve played. We’re a much better team finishing games now than at that point.

“We’ve done a good job of curtailing the number of penalties that were an issue here at the beginning. And even when I took over. There’s accountability and responsibility. There seems to be buy-in now.”

This marks the Als’ first game on the road since Aug. 11, when they defeated Winnipeg in overtime, becoming the first team to hand the Blue Bombers a defeat this season. Montreal was able to climb up the standings by going 3-1 during their recent four-game homestand. The Als have a 2-4 road mark.

“I love road trips and always have,” Harris said. “You get on a plane, get in a hotel. Something feels different. There’s a lot of time off the day before the game. We’re all together. I love road trips for those simple things — and the per diem’s nice, too.”

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

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