On Friday night at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, the Ottawa Redblacks took on the Montreal Alouettes to kick off Canada’s Labour Day weekend. It was the second meeting between these two teams this year. In their last meeting on July 21st, the Alouettes beat the Redblacks 44-33. Since their last meeting in Week 7, Montreal is 2-1, while Ottawa is 2-2.
In the first quarter, both teams traded field goals. First, Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward made a 19-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 6:17 left, and Montreal kicker David Cote made a 33-yard field goal, tying the game 3-3 with 2:14 left. Ottawa had the ball for the rest of the first quarter, but the drive stalled, and they punted the ball back to Montreal as the first quarter ended.
In the second quarter, Montreal running backs Walter Fletcher and Jeshrun Antwi combined for three carries for 55 yards to reach the Redblacks’ ten-yard line. Two plays later, Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris faked a handoff and threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis for a 10-3 lead with 12:26 left.
Ottawa’s offense moved the ball before stalling on their 45-yard line and punted the ball back to Montreal on their 16-yard line. Then, the Redblacks’ defense stepped up on the next play went Kene Onyeka knocked the ball out of Harris’s hands, and Davon Coleman scooped the ball up and scored a touchdown, tying the game 10-10 with 7:38 left.
It got worse for Montreal. On their next drive, Abdul Kanneh intercepted Trevor Harris’s pass on their own 31-yard line. However, Montreal’s defense stopped Ottawa, and punter Richie Leone punted the ball 86 yards into the endzone for a single point, 11-10, with 4:07 left.
Late in the second quarter, Ottawa went on a five-play drive, including a Nick Arbuckle 64-yard pass to Jaelon Acklin to get to Montreal’s three-yard line. Nick Arbuckle scrambled out of the pocket and threw a three-yard touchdown to a leaping Darvin Adams, extending their lead 18-10 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward made two field goals (15 yards, 32 yards), and Montreal kicker David Cote made two field goals (44 yards, 26 yards) as the Redblacks led 24-16 heading into the fourth quarter. Ottawa had the ball to start the fourth quarter, facing 2nd and five. The Redblacks got another point when punter Richie Leone’s punt went 52 yards in the endzone for a 25-16 lead with 14:42 left.
When Montreal had the ball, running back, Jeshrun Antwi fumbled the ball, and Ottawa recovered. The Redblacks got three more points on a Lewis Ward 15-yard field goal, which made it 28-16 with 10:24 left. Montreal would make it 28-17 when punter Joseph Zema’s punt went 64 yards into the endzone for a single point.
On Ottawa’s next drive, they made short gains, eating up the clock, and Caleb Evans scored a two-yard touchdown with a quarterback sneak for a 35-17 lead with 2:05 left. Then, Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris threw a couple of passes for 33 yards before throwing an 11-yard touchdown to Jake Wieneke, cutting Ottawa’s lead 35-24 with 1:21 left.
Finally, Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward put the game away with his fifth field goal for 38 yards for a 38-24 win. Ottawa moves to 3-8 with the win, while Montreal drops to 4-7.
Ottawa quarterback Nick Arbuckle went 20/31 for 313 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for 25 yards. Meanwhile, running back Devonte Williams had 15 carries for 72 yards, while wide receiver Jaelon Acklin had seven catches for 110 yards.
Ottawa’s defense allowed 401 yards, 44 tackles, four sacks, two forced fumbles, one pass breakup, two interceptions, and two fumble recoveries. The Redblacks host the Toronto Argonauts next Saturday at 2 pm on ESPN+.
Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris was 22/29 for 256 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and one carry for 26 yards. Running back Walter Fletcher had nine carries for 62 yards, while wide receiver Eugene Lewis had six catches for 63 yards and one touchdown. Montreal’s defense allowed 437 yards, 48 tackles, and five pass breakups. The Alouettes host the BC Lions next Friday at 7:30 pm on ESPN+.
