The Montreal Alouettes (8-7) returned to TD Place Stadium on Saturday afternoon against the Ottawa Redblacks (4-11) for the third time this year. Montreal won two close games but in this latest chapter, the Alouettes dominated from start to finish.
In the first quarter, Montreal running back William Stanback had two carries for 20 yards. On the sixth play for Montreal, Stanback rushed to his left side to score a 24-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead with 9:23 left of the first quarter.
Later in the first quarter, Montreal defensive back Reggie Stubblefield intercepted Dustin Crum’s pass and returned it for 23 yards. Montreal’s offense marched down to their 55-yard line before punting the ball back to Ottawa.
With 12 seconds left of the first quarter, Stubblefield sacked Dustin Crum to force third down. On the final play, Ottawa punter Richie Leone punted the ball 45 yards to Montreal punt returner James Letcher Jr., who returned it for 30 yards before getting tackled on the Redblacks’ 46-yard line. Montreal led 7-0 at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Montreal kicker David Cote missed a 46-yard field goal. Brandin Dandridge returned the missed field goal for 69 yards before fumbling the ball and Montreal recovered it on their 53-yard line. However, Montreal could not take advantage of the turnover and punted the ball back to Ottawa.
Later in the second quarter, Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo threw a deep pass to Cole Spieker for a gain of 44 yards. Three plays later, kicker David Cote missed another 46-yard field goal but did pick up a single point for an 8-0 lead with 4:06 left of the second quarter.
Late in the second quarter, Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Tyson Philpot for a 15-0 lead at halftime.
Montreal had 240 yards on offense. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 13 of 15 passes (86%) for 154 yards, one touchdown, and three carries for 23 yards. Running back William Stanback had nine carries for 71 yards, and one touchdown, and wide receiver Cole Spieker made two catches for 54 yards. Montreal’s defense made three sacks and one interception.
Ottawa had 102 yards on offense. Quarterback Dustin Crum did not look good. He completed 8 of 12 passes (66%) for 69 yards, one interception, and one carry for 20 yards. Running back Devonte Williams had three carries for 20 yards, and three catches for 17 yards, and wide receiver Jaelon Acklin made two catches for 26 yards. Ottawa’s defense made two sacks.
In the third quarter, Ottawa’s offense got a good drive going. Quarterback Dustin Crum threw three passes for 41 yards, including a 26-yard pass to Bralon Addison.
They marched down to the Alouettes’ eight-yard line before Marc-Antoine Dequoy ripped the hearts out of Ottawa fans when he intercepted Crum’s pass for a pick-six 108-yard touchdown. It was now 22-0 Montreal with 2:19 left of the third quarter.
On the final play of the third quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum tried to throw a deep pass to Shaq Evans but it was incomplete. However, a defensive pass interference penalty and illegal contract penalty on Montreal gave them an automatic first down on the Alouettes’ 30-yard line to begin the fourth quarter down 22-0.
After getting shut out in three quarters, Ottawa finally got on the board on the second play of the fourth quarter when backup quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome scored a one-yard touchdown. Montreal’s lead was now at 22-7 with 14:29 left.
Next, Montreal kick returner James Letcher Jr. returned the kickoff for 50 yards before he was tackled on the Redblacks’ 47-yard line. The kick return would lead to a David Cote 48-yard field goal which made it 25-7 with 12:29 left of the fourth quarter.
Later in the fourth quarter, Montreal’s defense made another big play when T.D. Moultry hit Dustin Crum causing the ball to come loose and Shawn Lemon picked it up to score a 31-yard touchdown for a 32-7 lead with 7:20 left in the game.
Late in the fourth quarter, Ottawa running back Devonte Williams scored a four-yard touchdown. Then, Ottawa converted a two-point conversion which made it 32-15 with 4:24 left of the fourth quarter. With 2:09 left, Montreal tried to add three more points on the board but David Cote missed a 38-yard field goal.
Ottawa had one more shot to get the game close but failed to convert third down and the Alouettes went into victory formation. The Alouettes defeated the Redblacks by the final score of 32-15 to clinch a playoff spot in the East Division for the fourth straight season.
Montreal had 275 yards on offense. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 15 of 20 passes (75%) for 178 yards, one touchdown, and three carries for 23 yards. Running back William Stanback had 13 carries for 85 yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Cole Spieker made three catches for 60 yards. Montreal’s defense did a good job of not allowing Ottawa to make big plays. They had 44 tackles, five sacks, five turnovers, and two touchdowns. However, penalties were an issue that needs addressing before their next game. They were penalized 13 times for 133 yards.
For Ottawa, a full rebuild is in order from the front office, coaching staff, and players. This loss has all but likely eliminated them from playoff contention. Usually with a first-year head coach, you want to see progress despite a losing season. I get that they lost Jeremiah Masoli and other players for the season but this team has no life in them and there has not been a lot of progress to talk about. I think it’s time for another rebuild and maybe they can lure one of the coaches from either the Argonauts or Blue Bombers to lead the team next season.
Ottawa had 373 yards on offense. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 25 of 34 passes (73.5%) for 247 yards, two interceptions, and three carries for 35 yards.
Running back Devonte Williams had seven carries for 25 yards, one touchdown, and eight catches for 66 yards. Wide receiver Bralon Addison made seven catches for 94 yards. Ottawa’s defense made 38 tackles and four sacks.
The two teams will meet for the fourth and final time of the season next Monday at 1 pm on CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
