The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-5) visited Percival Molson Memorial Stadium on Saturday afternoon against the Montreal Alouettes (5-7) in their final meeting of the regular season.
Montreal welcomed back wide receivers Tyson Philpot (quadricep), James Letcher Jr. (hand), and Austin Mack (ankle), and defensive back Marc-Antoine Dequoy (shoulder) after they missed several weeks with injuries. The Tiger-Cats welcomed back fullback Ante Milanovic-Litre after missing several weeks with a hamstring injury.
First Quarter:
Hamilton’s offense started the game with the ball on the 36-yard line. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw two passes for 57 yards, including a 48-yarder to Kenny Lawler. Backup quarterback Jake Dolegala rushed for two yards to the 15-yard line.
On the next play, Mitchell handed the ball off to Greg Bell. He followed his linemen before Montreal defensive back Westley Sutton knocked the ball loose, and Lorenzo Burns recovered it. He ran for 24 yards before getting pushed out of bounds on the 23-yard line.
Later, Mitchell completed two passes for 25 yards to lead the offense to the 49-yard line. On the next play, Mitchell’s pass intended for Kenny Lawler was intercepted by Lorenzo Burns. He ran it back for 44 yards to the 25-yard line.
Montreal running back Sean Thomas-Erlington had three carries for 12 yards, and Shea Patterson rushed for two yards to the 11-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Jose Maltos made a 19-yard field goal to give the Alouettes a 3-0 lead with 2:09 left.
Late in the first quarter, Bo Levi Mitchell threw two passes for 15 yards, and running back Greg Bell had two carries for 10 yards to the 45-yard line. The first quarter came to an end with the Tiger-Cats trailing the Alouettes 3-0.
Montreal’s offense had 45 yards (12 yards passing, 33 yards rushing), and Hamilton’s offense had 144 yards (97 yards passing, 47 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Hamilton’s offense reached the 36-yard line before kicker Marc Liegghio made a 43-yard field goal. The game was tied 3-3 with 13:58 left.
On the second play for Montreal, quarterback James Morgan took off for a nine-yard run before Hamilton defensive back Jonanthan Moxey tackled the ball loose, and it was recovered by DaShaun Amos on the 52-yard line.
Later, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell tossed the ball to Tim White. He made several jukes moves on his way to running for 42 yards to the 37-yard line. The offense reached the 13-yard line before kicker Marc Liegghio made a 20-yard field goal to put the Tiger-Cats up 6-3 with 6:21 left.
Montreal running back Travis Theis started the next drive with three carries for 30 yards to the 40-yard line, and that was all they would get. Kicker Jose Maltos made a 48-yard field goal, and the game was tied 6-6 with 3:17 left.
Late in the second quarter, Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the 14-yard line. On the next play, Mitchell could not find anyone open and took off to score a 14-yard touchdown. The Tiger-Cats took a 13-6 lead with 20 seconds left to cap off a nine-play drive for 70 yards.
Montreal kick returner James Letcher Jr. returned a 65-yard kickoff for 48 yards to the 47-yard line. Quarterback James Morgan completed a nine-yard pass to David Dallaire to the 40-yard line. Kicker Jose Maltos made a 48-yard field goal, and the Alouettes trailed the Tiger-Cats 13-9 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Hamilton’s offense had 293 yards (143 yards passing, 150 yards rushing), 14 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized one time for three yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 13 of 17 passes (76.4%) for 143 yards, one interception, one carry for 14 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back Greg Bell had 11 carries for 86 yards and three catches for 22 yards. Wide receiver Kenny Lawler made four catches for 79 yards, while Tyler Ternowski made two catches for 16 yards. The defense made one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Montreal’s offense had 98 yards (22 yards passing, 76 yards rushing), 5 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team had no penalties. Quarterback James Morgan completed 3 of 9 passes (33%) for 22 yards and one carry for nine yards.
Running back Travis Theis had four carries for 44 yards, and Sean Thomas-Erlington had five carries for 21 yards. Wide receiver Austin Mack made one catch for 12 yards, and Charleston Rambo made one catch for three yards. The defense made one tackle for loss, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Hamilton running back Greg Bell had two carries for 35 yards, including a 28-yard run to the 48-yard line. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed an eight-yard pass to Tim White to the 40-yard line before the dive stalled. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 48-yard field goal. The Tiger-Cats extended their lead to 16-9 with 10:48 left.
For the rest of the third quarter, Montreal’s offense went two-and-out three times, and the Tiger-Cats had 107 yards on offense. Late in the third quarter, Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the 49-yard line. The Tiger-Cats led the Alouettes 16-9 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
For the majority of the fourth quarter, there were more two-and-outs. Later, Montreal quarterback James Morgan’s pass intended for Tyson Philpot was intercepted by Jamal Peters. He returned it for 28 yards to the 27-yard line.
In addition, an objectionable conduct penalty on Montreal placed the ball on the two-yard line. Hamilton running back Greg Bell scored the two-yard touchdown. Hamilton took a commanding 23-9 lead with 4:21 left.
Late in the fourth quarter, Montreal’s offense moved the ball to the 40-yard line. On the next play, Hamilton defensive lineman Julian Howsare beat his guy before hitting James Morgan, causing a fumble. There was a scramble for the football before Miles Fox secured it on the 35-yard line with 2:04 left.
Hamilton running backs Johnny Augustine and Greg Bell combined with four carries logging 17 yards to the 18-yard line. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 26-yard field goal, and the Tiger-Cats defeated the Alouettes 26-9. The Tiger-Cats snap a three-game losing streak and sweep the Alouettes in the regular season.
Final Stats:
Hamilton’s offense had 419 yards (191 yards passing, 234 yards rushing), 21 first downs, 2 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 23 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 19 of 28 passes (68%) for 191 yards, one interception, one carry for 14 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back Greg Bell had 20 carries for 156 yards, one touchdown, and four catches for 29 yards. Wide receiver Kenny Lawler made four catches for 79 yards, while Tim White made four catches for 26 yards and one carry for 42 yards. The defense made 40 tackles, one sack, one interception, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Montreal’s offense had 220 yards (146 yards passing, 82 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 14 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 37 yards. Quarterback James Morgan completed 17 of 27 passes (63%) for 138 yards, one interception, and three carries for -15 yards.
Running back Travis Theis had nine carries for 70 yards. Wide receiver Austin Mack made three catches for 45 yards, while Tyson Philpot made four catches for 34 yards. The defense made 48 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Next week, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday at 7 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. The Montreal Alouettes visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+.
