By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – It’s the type of knee that you don’t like to see a future hall-of-fame quarterback take.
While nursing a 24-0 lead over the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers, quarterback Anthony Calvillo laid motionless on the McGill turf after being sacked on a seemingly routine hit by Bombers defensive end Odell Willis.
The 25,012 on hand cheered after Calvillo rose to his feet and began walking towards the sidelines only to join in a collective hush when the two-time league outstanding player fell back to his knees only to be carted off the field moments later.
Calvillo sustained a dislocated rib after falling onto the football. No surgery is required for the 17-year veteran as there was no structural damage suffered to the area.
Second-string pivot Chris Leak entered the game in relief for Calvillo.
Chomping his way to victory
It’s never an easy task to replace a superstar, let alone at the most important position in the sport, however, Leak performed admirably in his new role as the man under centre.
The former NCAA National Champion with the Florida University Gators displayed exceptional poise en-route to a 39-17 win over the Bombers. The second-year Alouette put together two rather conservative drives before seemingly entering his comfort zone when he walked onto the field for a third time.
After completing a 16-yard pass to receiver SJ Green, Leak energized the 99th consecutive sell-out crowd at McGill Stadium with a 14-yard rush to the weak side of the field, prompting him to raise his arms and perform the ‘Gator Chomp’ in celebration.
Leak finished the night with 99 passing yards and no touchdowns, completing 10-of-15 passes in the process.
While Leak was busy taking care of the void left by Calvillo, running back Brandon Whitaker was also busy taking over for a wounded star. Making his first start of the 2010 season, Whitaker scored two touchdowns and rushed for 74 yards on 11 attempts and had five receptions for 44 yards in Avon Cobourne’s absence.
Cobourne missed tonight’s matchup after being placed on the one-game injured list on Wednesday due to an injured ankle.
While unfortunate, the injuries could not have arrived at a better time for the Als. Marc Trestman’s group is heading into their bye week, a perfect opportunity for the injured to recover.
Stat line
Offensively, the Alouettes received strong efforts all-around. Green picked up his fifth and sixth touchdowns of the season – his second multi-touchdown game of the year – , while slotback Jamel Richardson had seven receptions for 86 yards. Ben Cahoon inched closer to Terry Vaughn’s receptions record with four catches of his own for 42 yards.
Defensively for the Als linebacker Chip Cox led the way with nine tackles and a sack. The linebacker also opened the scoring early in the first quarter after he recovered a Steven Jyles fumble forced by Ramon Guzman.
John Bowman, Shea Emry and Anwar Stewart also picked up sacks for the Als.
The Alouettes next play the BC Lions at the McGill Stadium on Sep. 3 at 7:30 pm EST on RDSHD, TSNHD, NRJ, CJAD
