Alouettes QB Cody Fajardo has the look of success once again

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The moustache has returned to Cody Fajardo‘s face — partly because it’s Movember and he wants to bring awareness to cancer — but the Alouettes quarterback also admits to being superstitious.

Fajardo grew one last season, when the Als won three playoff games, capped by their improbable Grey Cup victory against Winnipeg, so he figured why not again?

“In the wise words of Michael Scott, I’m a little ‘stitious,” Fajardo said Friday at Olympic Stadium, referring to the character played by Steve Carell in The Office. “To tell you the truth, if it’s not broke don’t fix it. It’s one of those things I think that brings us together as a unit. It’s something we found a lot of fun last year. It has turned into a fun thing in the playoffs, but obviously it has a deeper meaning.

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“Anything in our locker room we can do to make it fun, we find ways to do that. I think that’s what separates our locker room from others is the cohesiveness and the way we jell off each other.”

Of course it will take more than Fajardo’s facial hair for the Als to defeat the Toronto Argonauts in Saturday afternoon’s East Division final at Molson Stadium (3 p.m., TSN1, TSN4, TSN5, CTV, RDS, TSN Radio-690, 98.5 FM) earning them a second consecutive trip to the Nov. 17 CFL championship game against either Winnipeg or Saskatchewan.

Two scenarios have frequently been repeated this week, starting with Montreal’s apparent lack of momentum heading into the pivotal match.

The Als clinched first place in the division by late September, and while they had a league-best 12-5-1 record, they lost their last two games and three of their final four. That potential powder keg could explode in the Als’ faces. Meanwhile, the Argos have won five of their last seven, including last Saturday’s 58-38 demolition of Ottawa in the division semifinal.

The Redblacks on Friday fired defensive co-ordinator Barron Miles, a former Montreal assistant coach and player.

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And while one season has no correlation to another, the scripts have been eerily switched. Last season it was Toronto (16-2) coming off a first-round playoff bye that imploded against the visiting Als. Argos quarterback Chad Kelly, who would be named the league’s outstanding player the following week, threw four interceptions — two returned for touchdowns — as Montreal cruised to a 38-17 victory.

Safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy set the tone on the Argos’ opening series, when they appeared poised to score, returning his interception 101 yards to the end zone. Kelly and his teammates never recovered.

“For sure it was a 14-point swing and you’re aware of that,” Dequoy said on Friday. “A few drives after, they were back in the end zone. It’s an accumulation of multiple plays. I don’t attribute that victory to one play. That’s not how football is.

“Chad Kelly really is a great quarterback,” Dequoy added. “I’m prepared for the best of him. It won’t do us any good if you expect him to crumble. I’m preparing for him being 100 per cent, being locked in for 60 minutes and playing his best football. If we’re preparing for that we’ll be in a better position than hopefully trying to get into his head so he makes mistakes.”

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Kelly served a nine-game CFL-imposed suspension for violating its gender-based violence policy. His return to the field hasn’t sat well with many league players and front-office personnel, especially females, including players’ wives and girlfriends.

The Argos had identical 5-4 records both with and without Kelly during the regular season. He was near-perfect against Ottawa last week, passing for 358 yards and four touchdowns. Toronto won two of three games against the Als this season, scoring 37 points both times. On Sept. 28 at BMO Field, three Argo tailbacks ran roughshod against Montreal’s defence, gaining 234 yards, while Toronto accumulated 517 yards’ net offence.

In each of the three games against the Als, Toronto exceeded 100 yards rushing.

“They have a great offence, offensive line, scheme and running back in Ka’Deem Carey,” Dequoy said. “That’s our mandate. We definitely have to stop the run. I’m confident we’ll be able to do this job.”

The Als will be missing defensive-tackle Mustafa Johnson (knee), who had six sacks this season. Receiver Austin Mack (hamstring) didn’t practise on Thursday. And while he’s listed as a game-time decision, he is on the roster and is expected to play.

In an effort to combat any potential sluggishness, head coach Jason Maas had his team practice three days last week, as they would have normally done had they played, along with three more practices this week.

“Momentum is something that can be switched at any moment,” Dequoy said. “You need one spark and the momentum’s switched. We just have to go try and find that one spark.”

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

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