The Montreal Alouettes (5-2) visited McMahon Stadium on Thursday night against the Calgary Stampeders (5-2). The Stampeders were on a three-game winning streak and looking to make it four in a row. McLeod Bethel-Thompson got the start at quarterback for Montreal after Davis Alexander reaggravated his left hamstring last week.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Calgary wide receiver Damien Alford caught a seven-yard pass. However, he immediately went down holding his right hamstring. Alford was able to walk off the field.
Later in the first quarter, Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson took off after the pocket was collapsing. He attempted to complete a pass to Charleston Rambo. However, Calgary defensive back Adrian Greene got in front of Rambo to make the interception at the 44-yard line with 3:31 left. Greene was injured after the interception and did not return for the rest of the game.
Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed two passes for 21 yards to the seven-yard line. On the next play, Adams Jr. handed the ball off to Dedrick Mills. He followed his linemen to score the touchdown. Rene Paredes missed the extra point, and the Stampeders took a 6-0 lead heading into the second quarter to cap off a three-play drive for 44 yards.
Calgary’s offense had 101 yards (72 yards passing, 29 yards rushing), and Montreal’s offense had 77 yards (71 yards passing, six yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Montreal backup quarterback Caleb Evans threw a 42-yard pass to Tyler Snead at the nine-yard line. The offense moved the ball seven more yards before kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made a 10-yard field goal. The Alouettes trailed the Stampeders 6-3 with 12:21 left.
Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. began the next drive by throwing a five-yard pass to Tevin Jones. Wide receiver Jalen Philpot rushed for 21 yards and Dedrick Mills rushed for five yards, leading the offense to the 33-yard line.
On the next play, Adams Jr. scrambled out of the pocket before throwing the ball right into the hands of Dominique Rhymes for the touchdown. The Stampeders extended their lead to 13-3 with 9:38 left to cap off a five-play drive for 70 yards.
Montreal responded on their next drive. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed four passes for 62 yards as the offense reached the seven-yard line. Then, Thompson threw the ball to Cole Spieker in a screen formation. Spieker bumped into his teammate, Regis Cibasu, but spun around on his way to scoring the touchdown. The Alouettes trailed the Stampeders 13-10 with 5:25 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 77 yards.
On the kickoff, kicker Jose Carlos Maltos kicked the ball for 82 in the endzone. Calgary returner Kaylon Horton conceded the single point, and it was now 13-11.
Late in the second quarter, Montreal’s offense was on the 47-yard line. They made it to the 27-yard line before kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made a 36-yard field goal. The Alouettes led the Stampeders 14-13 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Montreal had 221 yards on offense (195 yards passing, 32 yards rushing, 6 yards lost), 13 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 35 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 17 of 21 passes (81%) for 153 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for three yards.
Running back Sean Thomas-Erlington had five carries for 17 yards. Wide receiver Austin Mack made five catches for 62 yards, and Cole Spieker made four catches for 29 yards and one touchdown.
Calgary had 177 yards on offense (116 yards passing, 61 yards rushing), 9 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 71 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 8 of 18 passes (44%) for 116 yards and one touchdown.
Running back Dedrick Mills had five carries for 39 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Dominique Rhymes made two catches for 56 yards and one touchdown, while Erik Brooks made one catch for 30 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss, one sack, and one interception.
Third Quarter:
Calgary started the third quarter on the 45-yard line. Dedrick Mills had three carries for 20 yards, and Vernon Adams Jr. threw two passes for 36 yards to the nine-yard line. On the next play, Adams Jr. handed the ball off to Dedrick Mills. He lowered his shoulder to knock back Lorenzo Burns off his feet on his way to scoring the touchdown.
They went for a two-point conversion. Adams Jr. threw the ball to Erik Brooks, who made the catch. The Stampeders led the Alouettes 21-14 with 10:56 left.
Later in the third quarter, Calgary’s offense moved the ball and reached the 43-yard line. Montreal’s defense put a stop to their drive when Lwal Uguak punched the ball out of Dedrick Mills’s arm, and it was recovered by Darnell Sankey on the 39-yard line with 3:14 left.
Calgary defensive lineman Charles Wiley sacked McLeod Bethel-Thompson for a 10-yard loss. Montreal’s offense ended up going two-and-out and gave the ball back to Calgary. Calgary quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. rushed for seven yards to the 20-yard line. He appeared to have shown signs of a concussion after the play and did not play the rest of the game. The Stampeders led the Alouettes 21-14 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Montreal’s offense moved the ball up to the 20-yard line. Kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made a 28-yard field goal, and the Alouettes trailed the Stampeders 21-17 with 8:38 left.
P.J. Walker was the new quarterback for Calgary. Calgary’s offense struggled the rest of the way. With 5:15 left in the game, Walker attempted a pass to Erik Brooks, and it was nearly intercepted by Marc-Antoine Dequoy. Calgary punted the ball back to Montreal with 4:31 left.
Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw three passes for 42 yards to the 22-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Jose Carlos Maltose made a 30-yard field goal. The Alouettes now trailed the Stampeders 21-20 with 2:37 left.
Calgary’s offense gained 11 yards before the drive stalled. Montreal got the ball back on the 51-yard line. They gained two yards, and kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made his fifth field goal of the night from 57 yards to take a 23-21 lead with 1:10 left. Calgary had one more chance, but they went three-and-out. The Montreal Alouettes went on to defeat the Calgary Stampeders 23-21.
Final Stats:
Montreal had 372 yards on offense (322 yards passing, 58 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 23 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the game was penalized seven times for 75 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 30 of 40 passes (75%) for 280 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for three yards.
Running back Sean Thomas-Erlington led the rushers with 12 carries for 41 yards. Wide receiver Tyler Snead led the receivers making seven catches for 103 yards, while Cole Spieker made six catches for 45 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 33 tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one turnover on downs.
Calgary had 323 yards on offense (213 yards passing, 110 yards rushing), 17 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized 11 times for 121 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 15 of 25 passes (60%) for 193 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for seven yards. Backup quarterback P.J. Walker completed 3 of 7 passes (42.8%) for 20 yards.
Running back Dedrick Mills led the rushers with 14 carries for 78 yards and two rushing touchdowns. Wide receiver Dominique Rhymes led the receivers making five catches for 89 yards and one touchdown, while Erik Brooks made five catches for 66 yards. The defense made 48 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, and one interception.
Next week, the Calgary Stampeders visit the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+. The Montreal Alouettes host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday at 7 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.
