The Montreal Alouettes (7-7) visited BMO Field on Friday night against the Toronto Argonauts (5-9) in their final meeting of the regular season. The Alouettes won the previous two games.
Jarret Doege was the starting quarterback for Toronto, as Nick Arbuckle missed the game with a calf injury. They also got back defensive back Derek Slywka, who missed several weeks with an ankle injury. For Montreal, they placed running back Travis Theis (ankle) on the six-game injured list this week.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Toronto’s offense moved the ball to the 18-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 25-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 6:18 left.
Later, Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson attempted to throw the ball, but it was batted up in the air by Toronto defensive lineman Anthony Lanier II and intercepted by Toronto linebacker Wynton McManis. He returned it for eight yards to the 22-yard line.
Toronto quarterback Jarret Doege was sacked by Shawn Oakman for a two-yard loss. Toronto went two-and-out, and kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 31-yard field goal. The Argonauts led the Alouettes 6-0 with 4:02 left.
On the final play of the first quarter, Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed a 34-yard pass to Tyson Philpot to the 39-yard line. The Alouettes trailed the Argonauts 6-0.
Both offenses struggled in the first quarter. Toronto’s offense had 59 yards (53 yards passing, 8 yards rushing, 2 yards lost), while Montreal’s offense had 46 yards (44 yards passing, 3 yards rushing, 1 yard lost).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s pass intended for Tyson Philpot was intercepted by Tarvarus McFadden on the 10-yard line. Toronto’s offense struggled. Running back Spencer Brown rushed for five yards before quarterback Jarret Doege was sacked by Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund for an eight-yard loss that ended the drive.
Later, Montreal’s offense moved the ball to the 18-yard line. On the next play, McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw the ball to Charleston Rambo, who ran by three Toronto players to score the touchdown. The Alouettes took a 7-6 lead with 2:57 left to cap off an 11-play drive for 64 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s pass intended for James Letcher Jr. was intercepted by Derek Slywka. He returned it for 36 yards to the 30-yard line with four seconds left. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 37-yard field goal. The Argonauts led the Alouettes 9-7 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Toronto’s offense had 94 yards (96 yards passing, 8 yards rushing, 10 yards lost), 6 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized one time for 10 yards. Quarterback Jarret Doege completed 12 of 16 passes (75%) for 96 yards and one carry for five yards.
Running back Spencer Brown had four carries for three yards. Wide receiver Kevin Mital made six catches for 39 yards, while Jake Herslow made four catches for 39 yards. The defense had a good first half with two tackles for loss, two sacks, and three interceptions.
Montreal’s offense had 123 yards (110 yards passing, 23 yards rushing, 10 yards lost), 8 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized one time for five yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 10 of 17 passes (58.8%) for 110 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions.
Running back Stevie Scott III had six carries for 21 yards and two catches for 19 yards. Wide receiver Tyson Philpot made five catches for 57 yards, and Charleston Rambo made one catch for 18 yards and one touchdown. The defense made two tackles for loss and two sacks.
Third Quarter:
Both offenses struggled in the third quarter. Late in the third quarter, Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw three passes for 48 yards, including a 29-yarder to Austin Mack, who made a nice diving catch. The offense continued to move the ball until the drive stalled on the four-yard line. Kicker Jose Maltos made a 12-yard field goal for a 10-9 lead with 1:48 left.
Toronto quarterback Jarret Doege completed a three-yard pass to Spencer Brown on the 43-yard line. On third down, Toronto punter John Haggerty punted the ball 47 yards to James Letcher Jr. He returned it for 17 yards to the 37-yard line as the third quarter ended. The Alouettes led the Argonauts 10-9.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s pass intended for Charleston Rambo was incomplete. Montreal challenged the play for defensive pass interference and won. Toronto’s defense also got hit with an illegal contact penalty that placed the ball on the eight-yard line.
Two plays later, Thompson threw a five-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Snead. They went for a two-point conversion, and Thompson found Austin Mack for two points. The Alouettes led the Argonauts 18-9 with 9:12 left to cap off a six-play drive for 89 yards.
Later, Toronto quarterback Jarret Doege threw five passes for 67 yards to lead the offense to the six-yard line. On the next play, Doege scrambled out of the pocket before throwing a touchdown pass to Jake Herslow. The Argonauts trailed the Alouettes 18-16 with 4:57 left to cap off a nine-play drive for 75 yards.
Late in the fourth quarter, Montreal’s offense moved the ball to the 26-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Jose Maltos made a 34-yard field goal for a 21-16 lead with 2:37 left. Toronto’s offense quickly moved the ball to the 27-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 28-yard field goal. The Argonauts trailed the Alouettes 21-19 with 1:34 left.
Toronto’s offense had the ball on the 45-yard line. They moved the ball to the 51-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Jarret Doege’s pass intended for Makai Polk was intercepted by Wesley Sutton, and the game was over. The Alouettes survived to beat the Argonauts 21-19 to complete the season sweep.
Final Stats:
Montreal’s offense had 289 yards (228 yards passing, 76 yards rushing, 15 yards lost), 17 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 41 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 18 of 30 passes (60%) for 228 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions, and one carry for one yard.
Running back Stevie Scott III had 13 carries for 54 yards and two catches for 19 yards. Wide receiver Tyler Snead made four catches for 68 yards and one touchdown, while Tyson Philpot made six catches for 66 yards, and Charleston Rambo made one catch for 18 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 40 tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, and one interception.
Toronto’s offense had 216 yards (207 yards passing, 25 yards rushing, 16 yards lost), 14 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 83 yards. Quarterback Jarret Doege completed 25 of 37 passes (67.5%) for 207 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and four carries for 18 yards.
Running back Spencer Brown had seven carries for seven yards. Wide receiver Jake Herslow made six catches for 51 yards and one touchdown, while Kevin Mital made seven catches for 49 yards. The defense made 37 tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, and three interceptions.
Next Friday, the Montreal Alouettes host the Calgary Stampeders at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+, followed by the Toronto Argonauts visiting the B.C. Lions at 10 pm on TSN and CFL+.
