On Friday night at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, the Montreal Alouettes took on the BC Lions with a chance to get closer to the Toronto Argonauts in the East Division standings. Montreal also welcomed back two former quarterbacks, Antonio Pipkin and Vernon Adams Jr., who was traded to BC last week.
On the Lions’ first possession, quarterback Antonio Pipkin led the offense down to Montreal’s 29-yard line before Sean Whyte made a 36-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 10:12 left. On Montreal’s first possession, they made it to the Lions’ 54-yard line before punting the ball inside BC’s five-yard line.
The Alouettes’ defense led by Mustafa Johnson sacked Antonio Pipkin in the endzone for a safety 3-2 with 7:35 left. Late in the first quarter, Lions’ punter Stefan Flintoft shanked a punt off the side of his foot to their 25-yard line.
Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris threw a couple of passes for 23-yards before backup Dominique Davis scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak. They tried a two-point conversion and didn’t get it but led 8-3 with 1:17 left. The Lions had the ball to begin the second quarter facing third down.
The Lions punted the ball to begin the second quarter. Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris threw five passes for 64 yards, while Dominique Davis and Walter Fletcher combined for two carries for five yards at the Lions’ four-yard line. Montreal kicker David Cote made a 13-yard field goal, extending their lead 11-3 with 8:54 left.
On the Lions’ next series, quarterback Antonio Pipkin threw a side pass to Keon Hatcher, who ran with the ball before Antoine Marc-Dequoy punched the ball out of his hands, and Montreal recovered. The Alouettes’ offense marched down to BC’s 12-yard line, where quarterback Trevor Harris threw a touchdown pass to a leaping Eugene Lewis into coverage for an 18-3 lead with 4:41 left in the second quarter. Just before halftime, Montreal kicker David Cote made a 21-yard field goal for a 21-3 lead with 32-seconds left.
BC had one more chance to put points on the boards before halftime when Antonio Pipkin completed a 47-yard pass to Keon Hatcher but ran out of time, and Montreal led 21-3 at halftime. Montreal scored 21 unanswered points, and their offense had 197 yards, while the Lions had 116 yards. Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris was 12/17 for 140 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for eight yards, and BC quarterback Antonio Pipkins was 3/8 for 68 yards.
There were no points scored in the quarter. However, the Lions had a chance to score, but the Alouettes’ defense prevented them from scoring. The Lions had the ball to begin the fourth quarter facing third down.
BC quarterback threw a 14-yard pass to Bryan Burnham to the Alouettes’ two-yard line. Pipkin scored a touchdown two plays later with a quarterback sneak, cutting Montreal’s lead 21-10 with 13:23 left.
After Montreal went two-and-out, Lions quarterback Antonio Pipkin’s pass was intercepted by Nafees Lyon and taken to the house for a 33-yard touchdown, extending their lead 28-10 with 6:15 left. Late in the fourth quarter, Montreal kicker David Cote put the game away with a 30-yard field goal for a 31-10 lead with 1:58 left.
BC had the ball one more time, but Thomas Costigan stripped the ball away from Antonio Pipkin, and the Alouettes’ offense ran out the clock to secure a 31-10 win.
The Lions have not done well since losing Nathan Rourke, and after this game might have to search for a new quarterback. The Lions should take a look at some good quarterbacks like Carson Strong, who is a free agent. Meanwhile, Montreal is catching up to Toronto in the East standings and could be a game behind them if Toronto loses to Ottawa on Saturday.
Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris went 16/23 for 163 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for eight yards. Running back Walter Fletcher had 14 carries for 79 yards, while wide receiver Eugene Lewis had three catches for 42 yards and one touchdown.
Montreal’s defense allowed 251 yards, 39 tackles, five sacks, four forced fumbles, five pass breakups, one interception, and three fumble recoveries. Montreal is off next week.
BC quarterback Antonio Pipkin was 13/24 for 174 yards, one interception, seven carries for 31 yards, and one touchdown. Running back James Butler had six carries for 27 yards, while wide receiver Keon Hatcher had three catches for 72 yards. BC’s defense allowed 300 yards, 51 tackles, two sacks, one pass breakup, and two interceptions. The Lions visit Calgary next Saturday at 7 pm on ESPN+.
