The Montreal Alouettes (2-0) visited TD Place Stadium on Friday against the Ottawa Redblacks (1-1) for the first time this season. Matthew Shiltz was the starting quarterback for Ottawa filling in for Dru Brown, who was out with a hip injury.
First Quarter:
Montreal got the ball to start the game. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed two passes for 43 yards, then running back Sean Thomas-Erlington carried the ball two times for four yards leading to kicker Jose Carlos Maltos making a 30-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 10:55 left.
After Ottawa’s offense went two-and-out, special teams bailed them out. Ottawa punter Richie Leone punted the ball 43 yards to Montreal returner James Letcher Jr. He tried to make a couple of juke moves to avoid getting tackled but Bennett Williams smacked the ball out of his arm and Adarius Pickett recovered it on Montreal’s 26-yard line.
Ottawa’s offense worked their way up to the one-yard line. Backup quarterback Dustin Crum tried to quarterback sneak his way into the endzone two times but Montreal’s defense stopped him twice, including third down forcing a turnover.
For the rest of the first quarter, both defenses did an acceptable job of not allowing either offense to develop plays. The Alouettes led the Redblacks 3-0 heading into the second quarter. Montreal had 59 total yards in the first quarter, while Ottawa had 26 yards.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Ottawa quarterback Matthew Shiltz’s pass was intercepted by Lwal Uguak, who returned it 32 yards before getting taken down on Ottawa’s 24-yard line. The turnover would lead to kicker Jose Carlos Maltos making a 16-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead with 11:44 left.
Ottawa’s offense finally got some momentum on their side. Quarterback Matthew Shiltz completed four passes for 47 yards, and running back William Stanback had one carry for three yards leading to kicker Lewis Ward making a 25-yard field goal and it was now 6-3 with 7:55 left.
One note about Montreal’s front four was they were getting their arms up blocking Shiltz’s view for the majority of the game and Shiltz had problems seeing the field.
On the first play for Montreal, quarterback Davis Alexander threw a deep pass to Tyler Snead for 69 yards plus a horse collar penalty on Robert Priester moved the ball up to the one-yard line. Third-string quarterback Caleb Evans came in to score the touchdown for a 13-3 lead with 7:03 left.
Later in the second quarter, Ottawa quarterback Matthew Shiltz’s pass was deflected up in the air and intercepted by Geoffrey Cantin-Arku on Ottawa’s 54-yard line. The offense could not take advantage of the turnover and punted the ball back to Ottawa.
For the rest of the second quarter, Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander threw a short pass to Tyler Snead for 35 yards but he was grabbed by the collar again by Robert Priester leading to another penalty. Montreal kicker Jose Carlos Maltos kicked two field goals one from 27 yards and the other one for 49 yards giving Montreal a 19-3 lead heading into halftime.
First Half Stats:
Montreal had 223 yards on offense (205 yards passing, 18 yards rushing), 11 first downs, and the team was penalized three times for 24 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 15 of 20 passes (75%) for 205 yards.
Running back Sean Thomas-Erlington had four carries for 12 yards, and Tyler Snead made four catches for 117 yards. The defense made one sack, two interceptions, one forced turnover, and two tackles for loss.
Ottawa had 98 yards on offense (82 yards passing, 23 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), five first downs, 0 for 1 in the red zone, and the team was penalized five times for 40 yards. Quarterback Matthew Shiltz completed 11 of 15 passes (73%) for 82 yards, two interceptions, and two carries for four yards.
Running back William Stanback had five carries for 18 yards, and wide receiver Eugene Lewis made five catches for 56 yards. Special teams made one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Ottawa’s defense came up with a huge play when Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander’s pass was tipped off the fingertips of Tyson Philpot leading to C.J. Coldon making the interception and returning it for 34 yards to Montreal’s 36-yard line.
Ottawa’s offense capitalized. After Montreal defensive back Lorenzo Burns was called for a pass interference penalty that placed the ball on the one-yard line, Ottawa backup quarterback Dustin Crum scored the touchdown. It was now 19-10 Montreal with 11:24 left to cap off a three-play drive for 36 yards in a minute and ten seconds.
On the kickoff, Ottawa kicker Richie Leone kicked the ball 94 yards into the endzone for a single point. It was now 19-11 Montreal. Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander threw two passes 33 yards, running back Sean Thomas-Erlington had one carry for three yards, and Davis Alexander ran for three yards.
Ottawa’s defense committed two major penalties moving the ball to their 16-yard line. Montreal finished the drive with Davis Alexander throwing a short pass to James Letcher Jr., who ran 16 yards to score the touchdown. It was now 26-11 with 8:05 left to cap off a six-play drive for 70 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Ottawa went on an 11-play drive for 73 yards which ended with quarterback Matthew Shiltz throwing a nine-yard touchdown pass to Bralon Addison. Montreal led Ottawa 26-18 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
Montreal took command of the fourth quarter. Kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made a 50-yard field goal making it 29-18 with 11:40 left. Later, Ottawa quarterback Matthew Shiltz’s pass was batted up in the air by Shawn Oakman before Will Sutton made the interception, returning it for a 45-yard pick-six touchdown. It was now 36-18 with 9:38 left.
Montreal’s offense was on the field more than Ottawa’s. They took their time running down the clock and replaced some of the starters. Kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made a 19-yard field goal for a 39-18 lead. It was a new career high for Maltos with making six field goals. Montreal went on to defeat Ottawa by the final score of 39-18.
Final Stats:
Montreal had 438 yards on offense (344 yards passing, 99 yards rushing, 5 yards lost), 21 first downs, 2 for 5 in the red zone, and the team was penalized five times for 61 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 23 of 32 passes (72%) for 344 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for three yards.
Running back Sean Thomas-Erlington had six carries for 20 yards, and Travis Theis had 12 carries for 75 yards. Wide receiver Tyler Snead made four catches for 117 yards, and James Letcher Jr. made four catches for 37 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 40 tackles, two sacks, four tackles for loss, and three interceptions.
Ottawa had 235 yards on offense (210 yards passing, 40 yards rushing, 15 yards lost), 14 first downs, 2 for 4 in the red zone, and the team was penalized 11 times for 98 yards. Quarterback Matthew Shiltz completed 22 of 32 passes (69%) for 205 yards, one touchdown, three interceptions, and three carries for six yards.
Running back William Stanback led the rushers with seven carries for 29 yards, and wide receiver Eugene Lewis led the receivers making five catches for 56 yards. Lewis’s streak of catching touchdowns in consecutive games ends at nine. The defense made 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Next week, the Montreal Alouettes visit the Edmonton Elks on Thursday at 9 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+, while the Ottawa Redblacks visit the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday at 4 pm on TSN/CTV, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub.
