Breadcrumb Path Hyperlinks
SportsMontreal AlouettesFootballCFL
Montreal prolonged its successful streak to 10 video games, together with final season’s playoffs.
Article content material
We’ve seen this Alouettes film earlier than. And whereas the solid of characters would possibly change from week to week, the ending till now stays the identical.
Montreal defence holds the fort, its offence does simply sufficient, and the defending Gray Cup champions proceed successful.
The Als improved to 2-0 Friday evening with a hard-fought 23-20 victory over the cussed Edmonton Elks at Commonwealth Stadium. Whereas this win wasn’t as spectacular because the season opener at Winnipeg and the argument might be made Montreal didn’t win as a lot because the error-prone Elks misplaced, that issues little on the finish of the day.
Commercial 2
Article content material
Not solely have the Als began defence of their title with two highway victories — one thing that speaks volumes — they’ve now received seven consecutive regular-season video games, courting again to final season. That matches the workforce’s longest streak since 2006. Montreal hasn’t misplaced a recreation since Sept. 15, and the workforce’s successful streak, playoffs included, has now reached 10 video games.
Center-linebacker Darnell Sankey, who joined the Als final Sept. 11, has solely misplaced one recreation — the primary one he performed — in a Montreal uniform.
“It’s superb,” Sankey advised TSN post-game from Edmonton. “We simply need to come out right here and present the world what we’re about, present the CFL what we’re about. We all the time really feel like we’re the underdogs, even after successful the Gray Cup. However it don’t matter. We imagine and that’s all that issues. It’s nice to start out off 2-0.”
Sankey was a monster on defence, contributing a team-leading eight tackles whereas including one in all Montreal’s three quarterback sacks. However he wasn’t alone. Linebackers Tyrice Beverette and newcomer Bryce Cosby — the latter was changing Reggie Stubblefield, out for the season with a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his proper knee — every had seven tackles. Cosby added a sack.
Street to the Cup
Article content material
Commercial 3
Article content material
Defensive-tackle Mustafa Johnson, who had the third sack, continually utilized stress on Edmonton quarterbacks McLeod Bethel-Thompson and backup Dakota Prukop, as did rush-end Shawn Lemon.
“As a defence, we didn’t really feel like we performed to our potential, however we received the sport,” Sankey stated. “Any time you begin 2-0, particularly two away video games, it does so much for the morale.”
Bethel-Thompson, who has returned to the CFL after one season within the USFL, handed for 300 yards but additionally threw two vital second-half interceptions. Each passes have been underthrown, and the latter proved vital.
He engineered a formidable drive from deep in Edmonton territory to the Montreal 30, aided by a roughing-the-passer penalty towards Cosby. However then, whereas beneath stress from Cosby, Bethel-Thompson’s move for Dillon Mitchell was underthrown and intercepted by cornerback Kabion Ento, who returned it to the Montreal 50 with barely greater than 4 minutes remaining within the fourth quarter.
“It was a tricky, hard-fought recreation,” Als head coach Jason Maas advised reporters in Edmonton. “It performed proper right down to the tip. On this league it’s very tough to win, arduous to win on the highway. I beloved the way in which our guys fought to the very finish. It wasn’t simple. There have been ups and downs all through the sport, however our guys stayed steadfast all through. They performed collectively and for each other. We pulled out a giant victory, and we’re very enthusiastic about it.”
Commercial 4
Article content material
The Als opened the sport with an eight-play, 83-yard drive, capped by a five-yard landing move from Cody Fajardo to Cole Spieker on their first possession. The drive consumed barely greater than 5 minutes, Fajardo finishing all 5 passes for 77 yards.
Whereas Fajardo handed for 201 yards within the first half, the Als’ offence slowed down following the intermission. Nonetheless, Walter Fletcher supplied the required impetus. The tailback scored twice; the primary approaching a 46-yard pass-and-run play simply earlier than halftime. He then supplied the dagger at 12:42 of the ultimate quarter on a 39-yard run.
Fletcher displayed unimaginable velocity on each performs, exhibiting why administration believed veteran William Stanback, now with B.C., was expendable. Fletcher had 82 speeding yards on 12 carries and likewise caught three passes for 61 yards. It proved to be a formidable evening’s work.
“I simply need to do my job, do my half,” Fletcher advised The Gazette in a phone interview from Edmonton. “It’s my third yr right here. I’ve confirmed flashes. I felt just like the coaches have seen it. On the finish of the day you need to give a man an opportunity if he’s been there and been affected person. Right now I confirmed just a little glimpse and I hope to hold it on for the remainder of the yr.
Commercial 5
Article content material
“I need to be a man this workforce can depend on … a man that may make a play at any time within the recreation.”
David Côté kicked a 53-yard discipline aim — the longest of his profession — to start out the second quarter for Montreal, but additionally missed from 45 yards and flubbed one convert, hitting the upright. Prukop scored each of the Elks’ touchdowns on one-yard runs, the ultimate one coming with 33 seconds remaining in regulation time.
Edmonton then tried an onside kick and practically succeeded earlier than rookie Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, the Als’ first-round (ninth general) draft alternative this yr, recovered the unfastened ball.
Montreal makes its regular-season house debut Thursday evening towards Ottawa. The group introduced on Friday that greater than 20,000 tickets have been bought. The workforce’s championship banner can be unveiled earlier than the opening kickoff.
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
twitter.com/HerbZurkowsky1
Advisable from Editorial
Contained in the CFL: Als’ Avery Ellis needs to be a firefighter after soccer
Alouettes kicker David Coté will revert to chipless footballs towards Edmonton
QB Cody Fajardo needs to validate Alouettes’ standing because the CFL’s finest
Commercial 6
Article content material
Article content material
Share this text in your social community
