On Friday night at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, the Montreal Alouettes took on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for the third and final time of the season. Montreal was looking to put some distance between them and Hamilton for second place.
After a scoreless first quarter, the action picked up in the second quarter. Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans threw three passes for 48 yards, and running back Wes Hills had three carries for 22 yards to reach Montreal’s four-yard line. Then, Hills broke a couple of tackles and scored a touchdown to put Hamilton up 7-0 with 11:09 left.
On the fourth play for Montreal, quarterback Trevor Harris threw a 31-yard pass to Jake Wieneke. Then, Harris threw a 16-yard pass to Kaion Julien-Grant. Montreal reached Hamilton’s 33-yard line, where kicker David Cote made a 41-yard field goal, cutting Hamilton’s lead 7-3 with 5:21 left. Just before halftime, Hamilton got those three points back when kicker Seth Small made a 32-yard field goal to give the Tiger-Cats a 10-3 lead.
Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris was 9/14 for 91 yards, and the offense had 114 yards, while Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans was 14/16 for 163 yards, and Hamilton’s offense had 213 yards.
In the third quarter, Montreal cut Hamilton’s lead back to four when kicker David Cote made a 51-yard field goal trailing 10-6 with 11:56 left. On Hamilton’s next drive, quarterback Dane Evans threw two passes for 39 yards to reach Montreal’s 31-yard line before kicker Seth Small made a 38-yard field goal to go up 13-6 with 10:23 left.
The turning point of the game was on Montreal’s next drive. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw several short passes before throwing a 20-yard pass to Jake Wieneke. During the drive, Hamilton lost a crucial player in Rodney Randle Jr., who took a nasty hit making a tackle and was stretchered off the field. He was moving his arms and talking to the medical team. As of this writing, there is no update on his condition.
Once play resumed, Trevor Harris faked a handoff and threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis. However, David Cote missed the extra point, and Hamilton’s lead was down to one, 13-12, with 5:20 left.
After Hamilton went three-and-out, Montreal had the ball for the rest of the third quarter and faced first down to begin the fourth quarter. Montreal kicker David Cote put the Alouettes in the lead 15-13 with a 12-yard field goal with 14:26 left.
Late in the fourth quarter, Hamilton kicker Seth Small made a nine-yard field goal that put the Tiger-Cats back in the lead 16-15 with 4:24 left. On Montreal’s next drive, running back Walter Fletcher had a couple of carries for 24 yards before the three-minute warning.
Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris threw three passes, and a penalty against Hamilton’s defense put the Alouettes on Hamilton’s nine-yard line. Then, Trevor Harris threw a touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis for the second time. Montreal went for a two-point conversion and got it to go up 23-16 with 1:42 left.
On the second play for Hamilton, quarterback Dane Evans threw a completed pass to Kiondre Smith, but Smith fumbled the ball, and Montreal recovered. Montreal put the game away by getting a first down to take a 23-16 win.
The Alouettes have won the season series taking two of three from Hamilton. If Toronto losses to Ottawa on Saturday night, Montreal will be a game out of tying them for first place.
Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris was 26/35 for 244 yards and two touchdowns. Running back Walter Fletcher had eight carries for 45 yards, while wide receiver had seven catches for 52 yards and two touchdowns. Montreal’s defense allowed 377 yards, 41 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble return. The Alouettes visit the Edmonton Elks next Saturday at 4 pm on ESPN+.
Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans went 22/29 for 288 yards and four carries for nine yards. Running back Wes Hills had ten carries for 61 yards and one touchdown, while wide receiver Tim White had six catches for 105 yards. Hamilton’s defense allowed 329 yards, 46 tackles, one forced fumble, and four pass breakups. The Tiger-Cats are off next week.
