The Montreal Alouettes (4-2) hosted the Toronto Argonauts (1-5) on Thursday night from Percival Molson Memorial Stadium. Both teams were off last week. Davis Alexander returned as the starting quarterback for Montreal.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Toronto running back Deonta McMahon started the drive with two carries for 14 yards. The offense moved the ball to the 38-yard line, where kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 45-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 4:51 left.
Later in the first quarter, Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander completed six passes for 41 yards to the 25-yard line. After two straight incompletions, kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made a 37-yard field goal, and the game was tied 3-3 heading into the second quarter.
There was not much offense from either team. Toronto had 67 yards (43 yards passing, 24 yards rushing), and Montreal’s offense had 66 yards (66 yards passing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Toronto moved the ball to the 54-yard line. Punter John Haggerty punted the ball 68 yards. The ball bounced into the endzone, where Montreal returner James Letcher Jr. conceded the single point. Toronto led 4-3 with 11:56 left.
Later, Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander completed one pass for 26 yards to Austin Mack to the 44-yard line. Punter Joseph Zema punted the ball 45 yards. The ball bounced into the endzone, where Toronto returner Janarion Grant conceded the single point. The game was tied again 4-4 with 10:10 left.
Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed five passes for 48 yards and rushed for 10 yards, plus a Montreal penalty moved the ball to the five-yard line. On the next play, Arbuckle threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Damonte Coxie for an 11-4 lead with 5:16 left to cap off an 11-play drive for 70 yards.
Things got worse for Montreal. On the second play, Davis Alexander attempted a pass to Cole Spieker. However, Toronto defensive back Tarvarus McFadden read the play and got in front of Spieker to make a leaping interception. He returned the ball to the 15-yard line.
Nick Arbuckle completed a nine-yard pass to Kevin Mital, and Deonta McMahon rushed for four yards to the two-yard line. On the next play, Arbuckle tossed the ball to McMahon, who took a Monreal player with him into the endzone. Toronto led Montreal 18-4 with 2:46 left.
In the final minute of the second quarter, Montreal moved the ball to the 20-yard line. Kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made a 28-yard field goal. The Alouettes trailed the Argonauts 18-7 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Toronto had 151 yards on offense (118 yards passing, 43 yards rushing, 10 yards lost), 13 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized one time for five yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 16 of 21 passes (76.2%) for 118 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for 12 yards.
Running back Deonta McMahon had five carries for 30 yards, one rushing touchdown, and three catches for 29 yards. Wide receiver Kevin Mital made five catches for 23 yards, while Damonte Coxie made three catches for 21 yards and one touchdown. The defense made one interception.
Montreal had 142 yards on offense (107 yards passing, 35 yards rushing), 8 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 10 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 11 of 18 passes (61%) for 118 yards and one interception.
Running back Travis Theis had four carries for 23 yards. Wide receiver Charleston Rambo made three catches for 30 yards, and Cole Spieker made four catches for 27 yards. The defense made one sack.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw five straight passes for 48 yards to the 36-yard line. Two plays later, Arbuckle threw an 18-yard pass to Kevin Mital to the 14-yard line. Montreal challenged the play for offensive pass interference but lost.
On the next play, Arbuckle spotted a blown coverage by Montreal Kabion Ento and threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open David Ungerer III. It was now 25-7 with 9:03 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 84 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Montreal’s offense moved the ball to the 10-yard line. Then, quarterback Davis Alexander threw the ball over two defenders and into the hands of Cole Spieker for the touchdown. Montreal trailed Toronto 25-14 heading into the fourth quarter to cap off a nine-play drive for 60 yards.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Montreal defensive lineman Geoffrey Cantin-Arku sacked Nick Arbuckle for a seven-yard loss to force third down. Montreal’s offense started on the 54-yard line. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed two passes for 51 yards to the three-yard line. On the next play, running back Sean Thomas-Erlington followed his offensive linemen into the endzone for the touchdown. The Alouettes attempted a two-point conversion and did not get it. They trailed Toronto 25-20 with 8:28 left in the game.
Late in the fourth quarter, Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander threw a 50-yard pass to Cole Spieker. As Spieker was on his way to the endzone, Toronto linebacker Derek Slywka smacked the ball out of his arm, and Tarvarus McFadden recovered it in the endzone.
Toronto started the drive on the 30-yard line. On the second play, Montreal’s defense blitzed Arbuckle with Shawn Oakman knocking the ball out of Arbuckle’s hand and recovering it on the 21-yard line. Montreal’s offense capitalized.
Two plays later, quarterback Davis Alexander got the defense to freeze on a play fake and rushed for a 10-yard touchdown. They tried another two-point conversion, but Alexander’s pass went in-and-out of the hands of Cole Spieker. The Alouettes took a 26-25 lead with 1:46 left.
Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw four straight passes for 32 yards. On the next play, Montreal’s defense pressured Arbuckle and he threw the ball high in the air intended for Kevin Mital. Instead, Montreal linebacker Kabion Ento made the interception and returned it for 10 yards to the 39-yard line with 1:03 left. Toronto challenged for defensive pass interference and lost.
Montreal’s offense ran down the clock with 21 seconds left. On third down, Montreal punter Joseph Zema punted the ball to Janarion Grant, who was quickly gobbled up by the Montreal special teams as time expired. The Alouettes completed the comeback with a 26-25 win over the Argonauts.
Final Stats:
Montreal had 387 yards on offense (303 yards passing, 84 yards rushing), 21 first downs, 3 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 20 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 26 of 39 passes (66%) for 303 yards, one touchdown, one interception, three carries for 23 yards, and one touchdown.
Running back Travis Theis led the rushers with six carries for 40 yards, and Sean Thomas-Erlington had seven carries for 21 yards and one rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Cole Spieker had a good night leading the receivers making nine catches for 129 yards and one touchdown. Charleston Rambo finished second with five catches for 48 yards. The defense made 40 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Toronto had 265 yards (242 yards passing, 49 yards rushing, 26 yards lost), 21 first downs, 3 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 30 yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 28 of 40 passes (70%) for 242 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and two carries for 12 yards.
Running back Deonta McMahon led the rushers with seven carries for 32 yards, one rushing touchdown, and four catches for 35 yards. Wide receiver Kevin Mital led the receivers making 10 catches for 77 yards, while David Ungerer III made three catches for 39 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 39 tackles, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Next week, the Montreal Alouettes visit the Calgary Stampeders on Thursday at 9 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. The Toronto Argonauts host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN/CTV, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.
