The Alouettes remain undefeated at home this year
By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – It was almost like looking straight into a crystal ball.
With his Alouettes up by a comfortable 13-point margin early in the third quarter, head coach Marc Trestman opted to play it safe and give his main asset Anthony Calvillo the rest of the day off – inserting second-string pivot, the quarterback of the future, Adrian McPherson, into the ball game.
His mission was simple… protect the lead and finish what Calvillo started.
By completing 10 of 11 passes for 110 yards and two touchdowns en route to a 41-38 win over the visiting Tiger-Cats (6-9-0), McPherson not only accomplished his mission by providing the Alouettes (13-2-0) with their 13th win of the season, but also drew smiles and sighs of relief from the crowd.
Playing in front of a 94th-consecutive sellout crowd at Percival Molson Stadium, McPherson’s strong outing on this crisp Montreal afternoon will no doubt give fans hope for the eventual post-Calvillo days of the franchise – not that AC’s going anywhere anytime soon.
For now, the fate of the Montreal Alouettes begins and ends with the man who started today’s game – and he wasn’t too shabby either.
A big day for AC & Co.
Calvillo completed 78 per cent of his passes for 232 yards and two touchdowns, spreading the ball out between eight different receivers in the process before leaving the game as a precautionary tactic due to a minor leg injury.
Ironically, Montreal’s opening drive served as a forewarning for what would eventually occur throughout the rest of the game, as the drive started with Calvillo marching his offence downfield and ended with McPherson finding fullback Michael Giffin for his first career touchdown.
The Alouettes’ 8-7 lead would be short-lived, however, as less than two minutes after Giffin found the end zone, Hamilton starter Kevin Glenn connected with Arland Bruce III for an eight-yard score to restore Hamilton’s one-point lead.
But Calvillo answered back in fine fashion, starting with a 63-yard catch by Jamel Richardson – his longest catch of the season – and ending with Kerry Watkins’ seventh touchdown catch of the season.
Watkins’ big day would not end there, as two quarters later the receiver, who was eventually named the Ernest Player of the Game, would eclipse the 1,000 yard plateau for a fifth consecutive season. His 1,050 total receiving yards is good enough for third in the league.
One play after Watkins reached his milestone and with the Als up 21-15 thanks to big plays from Chip Cox and Jerald Brown, and an Avon Cobourne touchdown, the Als extended their lead to 13 as fan-favourite Ben Cahoon collected his second touchdown of 2009.
It is well known, however, that no lead in the CFL is safe – and Hamilton proved just that by cutting Montreal’s lead down to as close as three points in the fourth quarter.
As impressive as McPherson and Calvillo may have been, Glenn’s day shouldn’t go unnoticed. Starting in lieu of Quinton Porter, Glenn turned in an outstanding performance, registering 506 yards and two touchdowns in the loss. With the win, the Als swept the season series with the Tiger-Cats, outscoring them 104-54 along the way.
TELUS and the Alouettes raise $8,200
As part of today’s game, TELUS and the Alouettes were able to raise $8,200 for the Fondation du Centre jeunesse de Montréal as TELUS had committed to contribute $200 for each point score by the Als today. Thanks to the support of TELUS and the Alouettes, and their loyal fans, a large number of children will be able to further enjoy the services of the Centre jeunesse.
Notes
Richardson scored his 25th touchdown as an Alouette… Watkins has broken the 1,000 yards-receiving mark for a fifth-straight season… McPherson completed two TD passes for the first time in his young career…. Brown’s 93-yard fumble return was the longest by an Alouette and the second-longest in the CFL this season.
The Als next travel to Winnipeg to take on the Blue Bombers on Saturday, Oct. 24 at 2:30 p.m., Eastern (RDS HD, TSN HD, CKAC SPORTS, CJAD 800 AM).
