Montreal beats Toronto for the second time this season
By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Toronto, ON – Since arriving Saturday morning via the Alouettes Fan Train, the boisterous group of Montrealers that flooded the streets of downtown Toronto instilled more than just a little bit of Quebec flavour into the otherwise calm Ontario capital city.
Outnumbered by a wide margin, the 700 Alouettes fans in attendance at the Rogers Centre made sure they did their part when the Als took to the field to do battle with their rivals from down the 401.
And the fans’ enthusiasm really paid off.
Riding the crowd
Chip Cox returned a fumble for a 61-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter that virtually sealed the deal for the Alouettes (11-2-0), and Damon Duval connected on all four of his field goal attempts, including a career-long 53-yarder as the Als beat the Argonauts (3-10-0) in a hard-hitting affair, 24-8.
With the win, the Als closed out their Ontario road trip a perfect 2-0, while outscoring their opponents 66-16 in total.
But while the lopsided score may seem to prove otherwise, the Boatmen were far from a cakewalk, limiting the Als to just one offensive touchdown and a Duval field goal in the first half.
The lone offensive score of the day for the Als came after quarterback Anthony Calvillo took off for his longest rush of the season, evading a flurry of blue jerseys to find open territory for a 30-yard gain. Two plays later, he found slotback Jamel Richardson for a 10-yard touchdown for the receiver’s fifth score of the year
The wily veteran, Calvillo, ended the afternoon completing 71 per cent of his passes, throwing for 216 yards and a touchdown before being replaced by backup Adrian McPherson late in the fourth quarter.
Though the win vastly improved their chances of clinching the East Division, the Als did in fact find themselves in a bit of a sticky situation midway through the matinee affair.
CFL touchdown leader Avon Cobourne left the game in the second quarter with a mild hamstring injury and didn’t return after registering 38 yards on seven carries. His health will be evaluated over the next few days.
While Cobourne’s day may have ended on a bad note, another Alouette veteran enjoyed another solid game and is closing in on yet another milestone.
“Mr. Reliable,” slotback Ben Cahoon, caught seven passes for 72 yards, registering at least one catch for the 122nd consecutive game and is now just seven yards shy of Don Narcisse’s 12,287 yards – good for sixth all-time in the CFL.
On the other side of the ball, strong defensive play forced Toronto head coach Bart Andrus to switch quarterback’s in the second half, relieving Cody Pickett of his duties and replacing him with former MOP Kerry Joseph.
Neither pivots had a noteworthy affair, as both failed to reach even 100 yards combining for just 110 in total.
Joseph faced a tough task in relief for Pickett, fumbling the ball that Cox eventually took to the end zone.
The Alouettes will welcome the defending champion Calgary Stampeders next Monday at 1 p.m. for a Thanksgiving Day matchup at Percival Molson Stadium (TSN, RDS, CJAD800AM, CKACSPORTS, 98,5FM).
Notes
With their win and the Tiger-Cats’ loss to the Stampeders on Saturday, the Alouettes have clinched first place in their division and will host the Eastern Final at Olympic Stadium on Nov. 22… The Argos have scored just one touchdown against the Als so far this season.
