Alouettes more than conscious of late-game swoons

The Montreal Alouettes, looking to turn the page on the first nine games of their season, start the second half of the year with a crucial divisional matchup.

The Alouettes host the Ottawa Redblacks at Percival Molson Stadium on Thursday. A victory for either team would see them climb one spot in the standings.

The Alouettes (3-6) are third in the Canadian Football League East Division, just one point behind the Redblacks (3-6-1), who have won two games in a row. Ottawa is one point behind the inactive Toronto Argonauts, who play Monday.

“It’s the second half of the season now, so whatever happened (before) doesn’t matter,” Als running back Tyrell Sutton said at practice on Tuesday. “We just have to go out there and execute and put up these wins and secure a playoff spot.

“The last few years we’ve struggled out the gate a little bit but then we find a way to make that big push at the end. We’re in that situation right now.”

The Alouettes have lost two games in a row and four of their last five — many by very small margins. Five of Montreal’s six losses this season have been by one touchdown or less.

That’s because Jacques Chapdelaine’s men have made a bad habit of losing in the game’s final minutes this season.

Last week in Winnipeg, quarterback Darian Durant threw an interception in overtime that led to a game-winning field goal for the Blue Bombers.

Winnipeg also got the better of Montreal in Week 6, overcoming a 12-point deficit in the final two minutes of the fourth quarter to eke out a 41-40 victory.

In Week 5 against Ottawa, the last time these two teams met, the Alouettes were stopped on thirdand-one at the eight-yard line with just over one minute left in the game. After the turnover on downs, the Redblacks held on for a 24-19 victory.

Durant, confident the Alouettes are a better team than their record suggests, blamed his side’s inconsistency for the mediocre results in the first half of the season.

“At times we show that we can beat anyone, we can play against anyone, we can score against anyone,” said Durant, who leads the league with 10 interceptions. “On the other hand, we shoot ourselves in the foot, I turn the ball over, we have mental breakdowns, you name it.

“If we can get some consistency going, I see us being one of the best teams in the league. If we can cut out the mistakes, I really feel like we can win every game we play.”