On Monday at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium, the Montreal Alouettes hosted the Ottawa Redblacks on Canada’s Thanksgiving Day game. This was the third meeting between these two teams, with the season series tied 1-1.
Heading into the game, the Montreal Alouettes needed to beat the Redblacks to clinch a home playoff game for the Eastern Semi-Final and eliminate the Ottawa Redblacks from playoff contention.
Late in the first quarter, the Alouettes struck first on a 16-yard field goal by David Cote for a 3-0 lead with 2:53 left. Then, Ottawa quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw four straight passes for 65 yards, including a 40-yard pass to Darvin Adams. The Redblacks started the second quarter on the Alouettes’ one-yard line.
Ottawa backup quarterback Caleb Evans scored the touchdown with a quarterback sneak, putting Ottawa up 7-3 with 14:47 left in the second quarter. On Montreal’s next possession, they had a couple of drives before punting the ball.
However, they caught a break when Ottawa returner DeVonte Dedmon fumbled the ball, and Montreal recovered. The Alouettes were able to convert the turnover into points on a 25-yard field goal by David Cote, making it 7-6 Ottawa with 10:23 left.
Late in the second quarter, Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris threw three straight passes for 39 yards, while running backs William Stanback and Walter Fletcher combined for two carries for 13 yards, and a one-yard run by backup quarterback Dominique Davis set Montreal up on Ottawa’s 16-yard line. Then, Trevor Harris threw a touchdown pass to a wide-open Eugene Lewis. Montreal attempted a two-point conversion, but Harris’s throw hit the post, and it was 12-7 Alouettes with 2:02 left. Montreal would get three more points just before halftime on a 14-yard field goal from David Cote and led Ottawa 15-7 at halftime.
Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris was 18/23 for 202 yards and one touchdown as part of Montreal’s 240 yards on offense. Meanwhile, Ottawa quarterback Nick Arbuckle was 10/13 for 107 yards as Ottawa had 118 yards on offense.
In the third quarter, the Redblacks got closer to Montreal when kicker Lewis Ward made a 28-yard field goal, making it 15-10 with 12:27 left. However, Ottawa lost one of its key players on their next series when wide receiver Jaelon Acklin got whacked after catching the ball by Adarius Pickett, and Montreal recovered.
Luckily for Ottawa, a roughing call against Montreal allowed Ottawa to keep the ball and moved them to the Alouettes’ 27-yard line. Three plays later, kicker Lewis Ward made a 30-yard field, making it a two-point game, 15-13 with 5:47 left.
Then, Ottawa’s defense came up with a huge play when Avery Williams stripped the ball away from Trevor Harris, and Ottawa recovered. Ottawa took the ball down toward Montreal’s four-yard line at the end of the third quarter.
Two plays in the fourth quarter, backup quarterback Caleb Evans scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak. Then, Ottawa went for a two-point conversion and got it, making it 21-15 with 13:57 left.
Later in the fourth quarter, Montreal made it a three-point game when kicker David Cote made a 14-yard field goal, cutting Ottawa’s lead 21-18 with 6:20 left. However, late in the fourth quarter, Ottawa got those three points back on a 25-yard field goal from Lewis Ward, making it 24-18 with 1:29 left.
Montreal had one more opportunity to win the game but failed to covert third down. To quote the late Fred Dalton Thompson, “things might get a little dicey.” Things got a lot dicey when Ottawa quarterback Nick Arbuckle got hit as he was taking a knee, and both teams were shoving each other, and plenty of flags were flying.
Nevertheless, Ottawa held on to a 24-18 win, keeping them alive in the playoff hunt. Ottawa is now 4-11, a game behind Hamilton for third place, while Montreal drops to 7-8.
Ottawa quarterback Nick Arbuckle was 28/32 for 229 yards and one carry for two yards. Running back Jackson Bennett had nine carries for 42 yards, while wide receiver Justin Hardy had 11 catches for 79 yards. Ottawa’s defense allowed 389 yards, 55 tackles, three forced fumbles, one pass breakup, and one fumble recovery.
Montreal quarterback Trevor Harris was 30/38 for 338 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for four yards. Running back Walter Fletcher had seven carries for 23 yards, while wide receiver Eugene Lewis had nine catches for 108 yards and one touchdown. Montreal’s defense allowed 293 yards, 49 tackles, three forced fumbles, one pass breakup, and two fumble recoveries. These two teams will meet again next Friday at 7 pm on ESPN+.
