On Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium, the Saskatchewan Roughriders got redemption with a 40-21 win over the Montreal Alouettes. The win moves the Roughriders to 3-1, while the Alouettes drop to 1-3.
In the first quarter, the Alouettes took a 3-0 lead on an 18-yard field goal by David Cote. Then, Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo led the team down to the Alouettes’ eight-yard line, where he threw a touchdown pass on a slant to Mitchell Picton for a 7-3 lead with 1:25 left.
Cody Fajardo went 18/29 for 224 yards, two touchdowns, no interceptions, one carry for one yard, and one touchdown. On the kickoff, Alouettes’ returner, Chandler Worthy, turned on the jets and took off for an 84-yard touchdown.
Worthy became the second player in CFL history to return a kickoff for a touchdown in consecutive games. The last to do this was Billy Vessels for Edmonton in 1953. David Cote made the extra point, and the Alouettes led 10-7 heading into the second quarter.
In the second quarter, Roughriders kicked Brett Lauther missed a 48-yard field goal that went out of the bounds in the endzone for a single point, 10-8, with 12:44 left. Then, with 5:11 left, Alouettes kicker David Cote made his second field goal for 38 yards, giving Montreal a 13-8 lead. Just before halftime, Brett Lauther made a 57-yard field goal, trailing Montreal 13-11, heading into the halftime.
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the third quarter. Cody Fajardo took the offense down to the 12-yard before running back Jamal Morrow finished it off with a touchdown. The Roughriders went for a two-point conversion but didn’t get it, and it was now 17-13 with 13:41 left. Jamal Morrow led the Roughriders rushers with 16 carries for 103 yards, one touchdown, and two catches for 14 yards.
Montreal’s offense quickly went two-and-out, and Saskatchewan’s offense was back on the field. During the drive, Alouettes defensive lineman Michael Wakefield punched a Riders lineman and was ejected from the game. Saskatchewan marched down to the one-yard line before Cody Fajardo scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak. The Roughriders got the two-point conversion, making it 25-13 with 7:34 left in the third quarter.
On Montreal’s next possession, running back Jeshrun Antwi fumbled the ball that went back to Saskatchewan. However, Antwi was injured and did not return. He finished as Montreal’s leading rusher with seven carries for 35 yards. Montreal’s offense struggled in this game.
On the second play for Saskatchewan, Cody Fajardo threw a short pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker, who did the rest for a 44-yard touchdown, extending Saskatchewan’s lead 32-13 with 5:15 left. Schaffer-Baker led the Roughriders’ receivers with seven catches for 90 yards and one touchdown.
Montreal’s offense went two-and-out, and the Roughriders had the ball for the rest of the third and early fourth quarters. The Riders ended up punting the ball back to Montreal. During the drive, the Roughriders were undisciplined, with a couple of penalties called against them. Montreal scored their first touchdown of the game on a three-yard run by Walter Fletcher, and Montreal trailed 32-20 with 9:32 left in the game.
After the Alouettes’ defense forced a two-and-out quarterback, Trevor Harris’s pass was intercepted by Derrick Moncrief. Trevor Harris struggled in this game. He went 18/26 for 198-yards, no touchdowns, two interceptions, and three carries for 28 yards.
The Roughriders went two-and-out. However, they got another point when punter Kaare Vedvik’s 47-yarder went out of bounds in the endzone for a 33-20 lead with 6:27 left. When Montreal got the ball back, Trevor Harris’s pass was intercepted by Nick Marshall, and he took it to the house for a 90-yard touchdown. The Riders added insult to injury by going for a two-point conversion, and they got it for a 41-20 lead with four minutes left.
The Roughriders’ defense allowed 315 yards, 44 tackles, six sacks, three forced fumbles, one pass breakup, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries.
Vernon Adams Jr. replaced Trevor Harris with 3:50 left in the game. They didn’t get very far, and the Roughriders stopped them on third down, forcing a turnover. After the Roughriders’ offense turned the ball over on third down, Montreal ran a couple of plays to run out the clock. The Roughriders won the game 41-20.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 387 yards on the night. They did a good job containing Montreal’s defense, which had 46 tackles, two sacks, and three pass breakups. The takeaway in this game is the West division teams are really good, and the East division teams are really bad.
Saskatchewan’s win helps them keep pace with Winnipeg, Calgary, and BC. If this trend continues, one of these Western teams will crossover to the Eastern divisional playoffs. The Roughriders play the Ottawa Redblacks next Friday at 9:30 pm on ESPNEWS.
Meanwhile, Montreal needs a makeover. Losing two of their best running backs does not help, and they will have to choose either Trevor Harris or Vernon Adams Jr. to lead the team or find a new quarterback. Despite the loss, the Alouettes are still in the race in the East Division. Montreal is off next week.
