By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – The last time quarterback Anthony Calvillo and his Alouettes walked off the field at McMahon Stadium, they were carrying Governor General Earl Grey’s Cup as CFL champions.
Friday night, however, the scene following the final whistle was entirely different as the Als walked into the tunnel at McMahon on the wrong side of a 46-21 decision.
In a matchup featuring the league’s two previous Grey Cup winners, it was the 2008 champs that took control of the game from the get-go scoring 14 unanswered points on their two opening drives.
What happened?
With the loss, the Als failed to build on a three-game winning streak and pass the Stampeders for first place overall in the league. They will, however, get a second chance next week to reclaim their spot atop the standings alongside the Stampeders at McGill on Thanksgiving Monday.
Unlike Henry Burris and the Stamps, the Als were unable to produce points right out of the gate and saw the 14-point lead created by Calgary to be too steep a slope to conquer. Injuries to kicker Damon Duval and center Paul Lambert saw the offence go south for the majority of the game with the exception of a few drives that reminded us all why they are indeed the defending champs.
Shea Emry and Ben Cahoon took over the kicking duties for Duval, while Luc Brodeur-Jourdain replaced Lambert.
Trailing by two touchdowns, Calvillo went to work on a what turned out to be a 12-play drive that was capped by an Andrew Hawkins touchdown. It was the second in as many weeks for the diminutive Alouette receiver.
Stat line
The Als were quiet offensively for the bulk of the first half but managed to find the endzone a second time thanks to SJ Green’s 10th touchdown of the year.
After the Stamps scored early to start the second half, the Als replied with a Calvillo to Jamel Richardson touchdown pass. Richardson proved to be one of the only bright spots in the Alouette offence tonight. In addition to his touchdown, the slotback hauled in five receptions for 124 yards.
On the defensive side of the ball, the Als received strong efforts from John Bowman who picked up his league-leading 10th and 11th sacks of the season.
Cahoon’s quest to become the CFL’s all-time receptions leader continued at his usual consistent clip. The veteran had three catches to bring him just four away from passing Terry Vaughn for the lead.
The Alouettes next play the Calgary Stampeders at McGill on Oct. 11 at 1pm EST RDSHD, TSNHD, NRJ, CJAD
