By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – What more could you have asked for on a Friday night in Montreal?
Playing under beautiful conditions in a beautiful stadium, two first place teams seemingly left everything they had on the field, battling to yet another classic matchup. The Montreal vs. Saskatchewan rivalry is certainly gaining more and more steam with every new matchup, one that fans across the country surely wouldn’t mind watching come late November in Edmonton.
The Alouettes’ defence stepped up when it mattered most, coming up with timely plays to preserve their slim lead in the fourth quarter en-route to a 30-26 win over the visiting Roughriders.
The skinny
Anthony Calvillo and the Alouette offence was rolling early on, as on the game’s opening play he found receiver SJ Green downfield for a 67-yard catch all the way to the Saskatchewan 22-yard line. One play later, Calvillo found receiver Kerry Watkins for his fifth touchdown of the season, good enough for second in the league in the category.
Damon Duval then kicked one of his two field goals to give the Als a 10-0 lead.
Watkins finished his outing with 4 receptions for 72 yards and a touchdown, while Green had one less reception for 85 yards – the highest amongst any Alouette receiver. After Darian Durant hit Weston Dressler for a 20-yard yard touchdown to bring the Riders within three, Calvillo then found Jamel Richardson wide open in the back of the north-side endzone to give the Als a 10 point lead in the first quarter.
Calvillo seemed unstoppable throughout the first half by passing for 229 yards and a pair of touchdowns. However, as exciting as the offence may have been in the first 30 minutes, the second half belonged to the defence.
Bending but not breaking
Taking a 24-10 lead into the second half, defensive coordinator Tim Burke’s defence was stellar in allowing Durant to find the endzone just once in the final two frames as nine of Saskatchewan’s 16 points came by way of Luca Congi field goals.
The Alouettes received strong efforts on the defensive side of the ball from linebacker Chip Cox, rush end Anwar Stewart and defensive lineman Jermaine McElveen.
Cox put forth the game’s strongest defensive effort, picking up two interceptions along with eight tackles on the night. Cox’s second interception was one of two timely plays for the Alouettes, scooping a deflected Durant pass out of the air to give the Als great field position in the fourth quarter.
The Als received another opportune play from the defence as McElveen and fellow lineman JP Bekasiak combined for the most important sack of the season so far, bringing down Durant in his own endzone for a safety to give the Als much needed four point cushion.
Stewart finished the game with a sack and a forced fumble.
The win marked the Als 12th straight at home.
The Alouettes next play the Toronto Argonauts at the Rogers Centre on Aug. 14 at 7:30 pm EST on RDSHD, TSNHD, NRJ, CJAD
