By Noah Sidel
MontrealAlouettes.com
Regina – Despite a fourth-quarter comeback bid led by quarterback Anthony Calvillo, the Alouettes lost their third consecutive game, this one a 33-22 defeat at the hands of the Saskatchewan Roughriders at in Regina.
The Alouettes took an early 4-0 lead in the first quarter before the home side stormed back with 19 points in the second period to ignite the XX,XXX fans in attendance at Mosaic Stadium.
Montreal did its best to make a game of it, scoring 10 points compared to Saskatchewan’s 14 in the third quarter before outscoring the Riders 8-0 in the final quarter.
Calvillo engineered a masterful drive near the end of the fourth quarter to make a game of it, first hitting Danny Desriveaux for 17 yards, followed by an eight-yarder to Elijah Thurmon.
The following play showed just how well the veteran quarterback has recovered from a rotator cuff injury to his throwing arm, as he hit Thurmon in perfect stride on a 44-yard bomb to move the ball to the Saskatchewan 15.
He then found Kerry Watkins in the end zone with a precise 15-yard strike, before completing a two-point conversion pass to Ben Cahoon on the following snap.
It would prove to be too little, too late, however, and the Roughriders held on to break a three-game losing streak of their own.
For Saskatchewan, receiver Andy Fantuz had a breakout performance with seven catches for 142 yards and a 33-yard touchdown from the arm of quarterback Kerry Joseph.
Joseph himself was on top of his game, completing 26 of 40 passes for 355 yards and three touchdowns against just one interception. Known for his mobility, he added seven carries for 73 yards.
The Riders also had touchdown catches by Corey Holmes, and D.J. Flick, and Holmes added a rusher major as well.
For Montreal, the highlight of the game was a 12-yard pass from Calvillo to Cahoon late in the fourth quarter on which Cahoon became the first Alouette to break the 10,000 yards receiving mark.
Cahoon totalled 67 yards on four catches, while Thurmon led the way with 136 yards on eight receptions.
Watkins had the Als’ lone touchdown reception, while running back Jarrett Payton punched one in on the ground.
The Alouettes next host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Thanksgiving Day this Oct. 8 at 1 p.m. at Percival Molson Stadium (RDS, CBC, CKAC SPORTS, CJAD).
