By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettesl.com
Montreal – As the CFL season winds down into its final weeks, it seems as though the Alouettes’ struggles against the West Division are no more.
Sunday, in front of an 85th-consecutive sellout crowd at Percival Molson Stadium, the Als took another big step towards clinching their 15th East Division title with a 37-12 win over the defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders.
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Quarterback Anthony Calvillo was exceptional at the helm, completing 27 of his 39 passes for 287 yards and three touchdowns, while linebacker Diamond Ferri and defensive back Étienne Boulay each picked off Roughrider quarterback Michael Bishop once.
Bishop, formerly of the Toronto Argonauts, continued to struggle against Montreal by failing to throw a touchdown pass and completing just 54 per cent of his passes on the day. With the win, Calvillo and the Alouettes have guaranteed themselves a home playoff game to be played at the Olympic Stadium on either Nov. 8 or 15 – depending on whether it’s the East Division Semi-Final or Final. Calvillo, for one, refuses to look that far ahead. “(Clinching the playoff spot) is so far away from our thought process right now,” said Calvillo. “We’re just going to take it game-by-game and see where we end up. “That’s the mentality (head coach Marc Trestman) has been giving us all season,” he added. After each team failed to score on their first two drives, a missed Damon Duval field goal gave the Als a one-point lead in the first quarter, which was then erased by the first of four field goals by Roughrider kicker Luca Congi. After missing three games with an ankle injury, running back Avon Cobourne returned to the Alouette lineup and picked up right where he left off. |
Cobourne ran for 125 yards and a touchdown, quickly reminding everyone why he was the CFL’s leading rusher prior to injuring his ankle as he exploded out of the backfield for a 32-yard gain on his first play of the game.
“I’m back, and I feel great,” said Cobourne. “We’re a pretty good team – we’re definitely for real.”
After backup quarterback Adrian McPherson put the Als up by five with a one-yard plunge into the end zone, Calvillo went to work.
A desperation lob pass to fullback Kerry Carter while facing pressure put the Als ahead by 12, and another highlight-reel catch by Jamel Richardson extended that lead to 19.
“(Richardson) is just amazing. I actually under-threw him on the play but he still managed to get his hand on it for a score,” said Calvillo.
After Congi connected on his third attempt of the day, Calvillo found receiver Brian Bratton 10 yards downfield for a touchdown, before Cobourne punched in his fifth rushing major of the year and in the process registering his sixth-straight 100-yard rushing game.
The Alouette defence also rose to the occasion, refusing to allow a touchdown against for a second-straight game.
“When a defence does what our defence has been doing lately, you know that’s a good defence,” said Cobourne following Sunday’s win.
The Alouettes next face the Tiger-Cats at Hamilton’s Ivor Wynne Stadium next Saturday at 4 p.m. (RDS, TSN, CKAC SPORTS, CJAD, 98.5 FM)
