The Montreal Alouettes (9-7) concluded Thanksgiving Day weekend on Monday hosting the Ottawa Redblacks (4-12) from Percival Molson Memorial Stadium for the fourth and final time of the season.
Montreal needed to win this game to stay ahead of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who beat Saskatchewan on Saturday for second place. Montreal won the first three matchups against Ottawa and they completely dominated this game from start to finish.
In the first quarter, Ottawa defensive end Bryan Carter sacked Cody Fajardo on the second play of the game. With the sack, it was his 12th of the season which moved him into sole possession of second place in the CFL sacks category this season.
Next, Montreal Cody Fajardo threw three passes for 15 yards, and running back Walter Fletcher rushed for three yards which set up a Jose Carlos Maltos 48-yard field goal. However, Maltos missed the field goal but did get a single point. It was 1-0 Montreal with 9:34 left of the first quarter.
Later in the first quarter, Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo threw two passes for 31 yards plus a ten-yard run by Walter Fletcher set them up on first down at the Redblacks’ 25-yard line. Fajardo tried to throw a touchdown pass to Cole Spieker but Brandin Dandridge was there to make the interception in the endzone. It was Dandridge’s fifth interception of the season, which moved him into a tie for second place in the CFL.
Ottawa put together a five-play drive for 51 yards but ended up punting the ball back to Montreal. On the final play of the first quarter, Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo completed a ten-yard pass to Tyler Snead before he was tackled on their 45-yard line.
In the second quarter, Montreal ended up punting the ball back to Ottawa. Later in the second quarter, Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo completed a 12-yard pass to Tyson Philpot before he was tackled on the Redblacks’ 38-yard line. Two plays later, Fajardo took the ball in a shotgun formation before throwing a deep pass to Tyson Philpot for a 38-yard touchdown. It was now 8-0 Montreal with 6:25 left of the second quarter.
For the rest of the second quarter, both offenses did put together some drives but would end up punting the ball. Montreal led 8-0 at halftime.
Montreal had 176 yards on offense. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 16 of 19 passes (84.2%) for 145 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Running back Walther Fletcher had five carries for 24 yards, and wide receiver Tyson Philpot made four catches for 87 yards and one touchdown. Montreal’s defense had two sacks in the first half.
Ottawa struggled with 75 yards on offense. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 4 of 10 passes (40%) for 49 yards. Running back Devonte Williams had seven carries for 32 yards, and wide receiver Shaq Evans made one catch for 25 yards. Ottawa’s defense made one sack in the first half. However, penalties were an issue committing six of them for 67 yards.
In the third quarter, Montreal started to distance themselves from Ottawa. On the second play for Ottawa, Montreal defensive end Shawn Lemon sacked Dustin Crum. It was his 100th career sack in the CFL. Ottawa punted the ball back to Montreal.
On the second play, Montreal running back Jeshrun Antwi rushed for a gain of 35 yards. Three plays later, Montreal quarterback Cody Fajardo threw a 29-yard pass to James Letcher Jr.
Six plays later, Montreal backup quarterback Caleb Evans scored a one-yard touchdown with a quarterback sneak. Montreal’s lead was now 15-0 with 6:04 left of the third quarter. On the final play of the third quarter, Montreal kicker Jose Carlos Maltos kicked a 45-yard field goal which made it 18-0.
In the fourth quarter, Montreal kicker Jose Carlos Maltos missed a 49-yard field goal but Bralon Addison took a knee in the endzone giving up a single point. Montreal led 19-0 with 11:17 left.
On Ottawa’s first possession of the fourth quarter, backup quarterback Nick Arbuckle tried to scramble after he could not find an open receiver before Reggie Stubblefield smacked the ball out of his hand and Tyrice Beverette scooped it up for a 35-yard touchdown. It was now 26-0 with 10:37 left of the game.
Later in the fourth quarter, Ottawa backup quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw two passes for 16 yards. The drive would lead to Ottawa ending Montreal’s shutout bid when Michael Domagala kicked a 21-yard field goal which made it 26-3 with 6:22 left.
Late in the fourth quarter, Montreal kicker Jose Carlos Maltos converted an 18-yard field goal for a 29-3 with 52 seconds left. Ottawa quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed three passes for 36 yards to end the game. The Montreal Alouettes cruised to a 29-3 win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
With the win, Montreal completes the regular season sweep. They also inch closer to securing second place in the East Division. Montreal’s defense was terrific. They made 29 tackles, five sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown.
Montreal had 389 yards on offense. Quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 28 of 32 passes (88%) for 272 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and three carries for 27 yards. Running back Walter Fletcher made 14 carries for 43 yards, and nine catches for 27 yards, and wide receiver Tyson Philpot made six catches for 90 yards and one touchdown.
Ottawa’s bid at a playoff spot officially ended with this loss. Ottawa needs to use these last two games as an audition for the 2024 season. The Redblacks need to clean house with management, players, and coaches. As for the players, there are some guys on that team they can build around like Devonte Williams, Jaelon Acklin, and Brandin Dandridge.
Even though they have guys like Jeremiah Masoli, DeVonte Dedmon, Jackson Bennett, and Nate Behr on the injured list. Most of these guys are becoming injury prone and it is time to let these guys go so the rebuild can fully begin.
Ottawa had 180 yards on offense. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 5 of 13 passes (38.5%) for 72 yards, and backup quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 9 of 13 passes (69.2%) for 90 yards. Running back Devonte Williams had 10 carries for 45 yards and one catch for five yards.
Wide receiver Siaosi Mariner made four catches for 46 yards. Ottawa’s defense made 50 tackles, one sack, and one interception.
Next Saturday, the Montreal Alouettes visit the Edmonton Elks at 4 pm on CFL+, and the Ottawa Redblacks visit the Toronto Argonauts at 7 pm on CFL+. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
