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“I do not suppose one man in that locker room believes, till the clock hits zero and we’re not within the lead, that we will not win a ball recreation.”
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The Alouettes used a robust fourth quarter to defeat Calgary on Saturday, however the basis to their newest victory may need been laid simply earlier than halftime, when Jose Maltos kicked one in all his three area objectives.
“After we scored these three factors earlier than halftime, we knew we have been within the recreation,” receiver Tyson Philpot mentioned after the competition.
That sentiment was echoed by quarterback Cody Fajardo.
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“After we obtained into this locker room at halftime, we knew we had an enormous momentum change,” he mentioned. “We obtained the three factors and knew we have been getting the ball to begin the second half. There was lots of perception on this locker room. This crew’s at its greatest when the chips are stacked in opposition to us and all people needs to level fingers at us. We don’t level fingers at one another and have been by no means damaging.”
Maltos, one of many Als’ international gamers, got here off the follow roster and was a late substitute for David Côté, who suffered a lower-body harm throughout pregame warm-up. Lengthy-snapper L-P Bourassa additionally was scratched following the warm-up and changed by Alexandre Gagné.
Trailing 23-9 within the second quarter, Montreal engineered a powerful drive earlier than halftime. Fajardo accomplished six consecutive passes, shifting the ball from his personal 32 to the Calgary 5 earlier than time turned a difficulty. With 4 seconds remaining, slightly than making an attempt to run a play into the tip zone, Maltos kicked a 12-yard area purpose to tug the Als inside 11 factors.
That deficit was stretched to 14 factors when the Stampeders’ Rene Paredes kicked a 31-yard area purpose at 8:37 of the third quarter. However these have been the final factors Calgary scored.
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Maltos kicked a 22-yard area purpose to shut out the quarter, earlier than the Als marched 77 yards on 5 performs early within the fourth, capped by Fajardo’s 15-yard landing go deep ultimately zone to Cole Spieker, who held onto the ball regardless of a heavy hit from security Bentlee Sanders.
Then, following a 30-yard Maltos area purpose with 5 minutes remaining in regulation time, pulling Montreal to inside two factors, the Als required solely 5 performs to go 90 yards. Simply when it appeared Maltos could be referred to as upon to be the hero and kick the go-ahead area purpose, Walter Fletcher scored on a 31-yard run with 63 seconds remaining.
The Als then surprisingly went for a two-point convert, and virtually have been burned when Fajardo’s go was intercepted by Tre Roberson. Had Roberson returned the ball to the tip zone — and he threatened — Calgary would have scored two factors and required solely a area purpose to win.
“It’s one thing we determined to do,” head coach Jason Maas mentioned. “Clearly it may have bitten us within the butt, however it didn’t. There was no rhyme or cause. We didn’t execute it, so it doesn’t matter. We felt like that may be a greater state of affairs to do it.”
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A six-point lead would have required a Stamps landing and convert. The Als’ Mustafa Johnson already had blocked one convert attempt within the recreation. The ball was recovered by Kabion Ento, who returned it 78 yards for 2 factors within the second quarter.
This was the most important deficit the Als have overcome this season in pushing their document to 5-0. Maas undoubtedly realized one thing new about his crew’s resiliency in the course of the spectacular comeback.
“That was a tricky, hard-fought, bodily recreation,” he mentioned. “Till you must try this for 60 minutes — you possibly can consider all of it you need. You’ve obtained to point out it when it issues. Our guys confirmed it. Any time you’re compelled to do it, or put in these conditions and are available by means of, it simply provides to the arrogance.
“I don’t suppose one man in that locker room believes, till the clock hits zero and we’re not within the lead, that we are able to’t win a ball recreation. Our guys have final perception in one another. They know find out how to win and do it. It’s only a matter of time.”
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
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