The Montreal Alouettes (2-0) visited Tim Hortons Field on Friday night to take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-3) in their 2023 home opener.
The Alouettes were coming off a bye week, while the Ticats were dealing with a lot of injuries including quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell and the offensive line. Matthew Shiltz got the start for the Ticats.
Hamilton got off to a quick start in the first quarter. Matthew Shiltz threw a 61-yard pass to Tim White on the first play of the game. Two plays later, Shiltz took off for a 13-yard run and made it to the Alouettes’ four-yard line. However, they could not score and settled for Marc Liegghio’s 33-yard field goal that made it 3-0 Hamilton with 11:50 left.
This was a reoccurrence throughout the game. Hamilton would put together great drives but once they got inside the red zone they could not score a touchdown and settled for field goals.
Later in the first quarter, Hamilton got another solid drive going. Quarterback Matthew Shiltz threw a 54-yard pass to Tim White on the Alouettes’ 31-yard line. For the second time in the game, Hamilton could not find the endzone and Marc Liegghio made a 38-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead with 6:44 left. It seemed like the play calling was off as the players looked confused by what they were doing and scrambled to find the endzone.
Late in the first quarter, Montreal got on the board. Hamilton punted the ball on third down and Chandler Worthy, with great blocking in front of him, ran for a 77-yard touchdown. During the run, they did get away with a holding penalty. It was now 7-6 Montreal as the first quarter ended.
In the second quarter, Montreal started to pull away. On the second play, quarterback Cody Fajardo threw a 25-yard pass to Keshunn Abrams. Later in the drive, Fajardo threw a short pass to Austin Mack and he broke a tackle before taking off for a 48-yard touchdown. It was now 14-6 with 7:17 left. Then, with 2:19 left, Montreal got the ball back on the Ticats’ 34-yard line when Ciante Evans intercepted Matthew Shiltz’s pass to Terry Godwin. Next, Cody Fajardo scrambled for a four-yard touchdown and it was 21-6 with 1:48 left.
Frustration began to settle in with the Ticats with the crowd booing. Hamilton would get one more shot but Marc Liegghio made a 31-yard field goal and the Ticats trailed the Alouettes 21-9 at halftime. The Hamilton players were disappointed that they could not give the home crowd something to cheer for.
Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 10 of 12 passes (83%) for 178 yards, one touchdown, three carries for eight yards, and one touchdown. Running back William Stanback had three carries for 11 yards, and one catch for 15 yards, and wide receiver Austin Mack had three catches for 64 yards and one touchdown as part of the Alouettes’ 199 yards on offense.
Hamilton quarterback Matthew Shiltz completed 11 of 22 passes (50%) for 217 yards, one interception, and led the rushers with three carries for 15 yards. Running back James Butler had three carries for 11 yards, and wide receiver Tim White had five catches for 135 yards as part of the Ticats’ 240 yards on offense. With these numbers, Hamilton should’ve had two touchdowns.
In the third quarter, Hamilton quarterback Matthew Shiltz threw a 16-yard pass to Duke Williams. He would find Williams again two plays later for 17 yards. Hamilton reached Montreal’s 37-yard line and stalled again. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 44-yard field goal and it was now 21-12 with seven minutes left.
The Hamilton crowd continued to boo the offense and the player’s frustrations were showing. On the bench, the Hamilton players were walking away during reviewing the previous plays and nothing went Hamilton’s way.
On the next drive for Montreal, Cody Fajardo threw a 43-yard pass to Kaion Julien-Grant and got hit late by Malik Carney, drawing a roughing the passer penalty, and the ball was placed on the Ticats’ five-yard line. Then, Fajardo threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Austin Mack and it was now 28-12 with 3:30 left. Montreal led 28-12 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Montreal’s defense came up with another big play when Wesley Sutton read the play well and intercepted Matthew Shultz’s pass for a 37-yard touchdown. It was now 35-12 Montreal with 7:02 left. The play was messed up to begin with, Duke Williams made an inside cut and Sutton spotted it to make the interception for a touchdown.
Late in the game, Montreal kicker David Cote made a 14-yard field goal that made it 38-12 with 2:10 left. The Alouettes defeated the Tiger-Cats by the final score of 38-12.
The game ended on a sour note when Montreal wide receiver Austin Mack went to shake Hamilton defensive back Chris Edwards’s hand and instead of shaking his hand, Edwards shoved him on the ground that drew a penalty.
It was a classless move by Edwards, just one of Hamilton’s problems. Forget Bo Levi Mitchell, the rest of the team except for some players have major issues from play calling, disciplinary problems, and lack of character that need to be addressed now.
If this continues, this is going to be a long season for Hamilton. Hamilton has next week off and needs to address these issues.
For Montreal, this was another good win. Cody Fajardo seems to be comfortable behind the offensive line. However, they have not played good teams like Toronto, B.C., or Winnipeg. Montreal will get their first test next week against Winnipeg and if Montreal can beat those teams, then we’ll know if they are for real or not.
I like the combination of Fajardo, Stanback, Grant, and Austin Mack. In addition, if the defense can play as they did against Hamilton, they are going to cause problems for the offenses in this league. They did a great job reading the plays and taking advantage of them.
Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo finished the night completing 19 of 25 passes (76%) for 292 yards, two touchdowns, four carries for 11 yards, and one touchdown. Running back William Stanback had nine carries for 69 yards and three catches for 37 yards.
Wide receivers Kaion Julien-Grant and Austin Mack combined with 11 catches for 175 yards and two touchdowns. Kicker David Cote made one field goal for 14 yards, and Montreal’s defense allowed 361 yards, with 36 tackles, two sacks by Mustafa Johnson, two interceptions, and one touchdown.
Hamilton quarterback Matthew Shiltz completed 25 of 47 passes (53.2%) for 345 yards, two interceptions, and led the rushers with four carries for 24 yards. Running back James Butler had five carries for 14 yards, and three catches for 10 yards, while wide receivers Tim White and Duke Williams combined with 12 catches for 245 yards.
Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio converted four field goals with a long of 44 yards, and Hamilton’s defense allowed 349 yards, with 36 tackles, and four sacks.
Next week, the Ticats have a bye, while the Montreal Alouettes host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers next Saturday at 7 pm on CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
