It's Victor Anderson's time with the Montreal Alouettes.
The rookie running back is expected to be the starter Sunday when Montreal hosts the Toronto Argonauts in a crucial East Division showdown. Anderson's promotion to the starting lineup comes after incumbent Brandon Whitaker learned Tuesday he's out for the rest of the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee.
Whitaker, 27, will require surgery after being injured in Montreal's 28-17 home win over Saskatchewan on Sunday.
Whitaker is fourth in CFL rushing with 631 yards and four touchdowns while adding 516 receiving yards with five TDs. He led the league in rushing last year with 1,381 yards and four touchdowns and also had 638 receiving yards and six TDs.
The five-foot-nine, 188-pound Anderson admits he has big shoes to fill.
"Brandon is the best running back in the league in my opinion," Anderson told reporters. "You have to stay on your best game in practice because he's always going hard so that continues to push all the younger backs.
"We just have to continue to push and play strong for Brandon . . . we've got to do this for him."
Anderson, who played collegiately at Louisville, has seen spot duty in his first CFL campaign, rushing 130 yards on 30 carries (4.3-yard average) and two TDs while also registering seven catches for 64 yards and a touchdown.
Whitaker spent his first two CFL seasons backing up veteran Avon Cobourne before becoming Montreal's starter after Cobourne left to sign as a free agent with Hamilton in 2011.
