MontrealAlouettes.com
MONTREAL – After 30 minutes of football on a sunny afternoon at Percival Molson Stadium, the Montreal Alouettes trail the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by a score of 14-17 in today’s much anticipated match-up for first place in the East Division.
Montreal looked to be winning the battle for field position early as Alouettes kicker Sean Whyte pinned Paul LaPolice’s men deep at their own two-yard line following the game’s opening drive. However, Blue Bombers quarterback Buck Pierce managed to connect with Cory Watson on a 92-yard catch and run play shortly thereafter, which saw the former Concordia Stinger break a Billy Parker tackle. The gain eventually led to a 9-yard Greg Carr touchdown catch, Carr’s first of the season.
Several possessions later, the Bombers followed-up with a 47-yard touchdown run by Fred Reid, giving Winnipeg a 14-0 lead late in the first quarter.
Alouettes fans were treated to a familiar sight early as veteran quarterback Anthony Calvillo completed an 11-yard pass to 32-year-old wide receiver Kerry Watkins, allowing the latter to become only the second Alouettes player to reach the 500 career receptions plateau. Watkins now has 500 career receptions and trails only his former teammate Ben Cahoon (1,017) on the team’s all-time list.
The Alouettes star receiver, who missed the early part of the season due to sinus problems, reeled in one pass for 11 yards after two quarters, while Calvillo, who leads the league in passing yards, completed 11 of his 21 attempts for 140 yards and one touchdown.
Down 14-0, Sean Whyte produced the Alouettes’ first points of the game connecting on 39- and 31-yard field goals, his 27th and 28th of the season, allowing his team to get back into the game. Brandon London then recovered a fumbled Winnipeg kick-off return, and with excellent field position, the Alouettes narrowed the lead to just a single point with Brian Bratton hauling in his fourth score this season on a 13-yard touchdown strike from Calvillo.
The Alouettes added a single as the half neared its end, briefly tying the game at 14 apiece before Winnipeg regained the lead on a 46-yard Justin Palardy field goal.
More details to follow…
