Als explode on offence, obliterate Redblacks
Nothing like a game against the terrible Ottawa Redblacks to cure whatever was ailing the Alouettes.
Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw four touchdown passes — two each to Eugene Lewis and Jake Wieneke — as Montreal trounced the Redblacks 51-29 on Friday night before 15,000 spectators at TD Place.
David Côté added three field goals for the Als, now 2-2, ending a two-game losing streak.
Dominique Davis passed to Daniel Petermann for both Redblacks touchdowns, Davis adding a third himself on a short one-yard run. Lewis Ward added a pair of field goals for Ottawa, now 1-3.
Linebacker Patrick Levels returned an interception 74 yards for a score. Even defensive tackle Almondo Sewell got into the festivities with a one-yard scoring run.
The Als scored on five of their six first half possessions.
After an early field goal, the Als increased their lead to 10-0 on Adams' first of two touchdown throws to Lewis at 13:16. The Als capitalized one play after a Matt Nichols pass was deflected by Levels and intercepted by Greg Reid.
Ward cut into that lead with a 31yard field goal on the final play of the opening quarter.
The Als then exploded for 17 points in the second quarter, starting with Côté's 37-yard field goal less than three minutes into the period.
At this point, Ottawa head coach Paul Lapolice decided to bench Nichols in favour of Davis, who provided the Redblacks with some momentum and gave the team a different offensive dimension.
Nonetheless, before that occurred, the Als generated their own seven-play, 86-yard drive, culminating in the first of Wieneke's two touchdowns, this one covering nine yards, the score coming at 7:24.
Davis and the Redblacks responded immediately, engineering a nine-play, 78-yard drive that ended with a short five-yard touchdown toss to Petermann at 12:39. It was only the second offensive touchdown this season by Ottawa.
The Als, to their credit, responded immediately — something good teams have been known to do. Montreal required only three plays to go 80 yards. There was a 27-yard pass to Lewis, a 14-yard run by William Stanback, followed by a 39-yard perfectly thrown pass to Lewis in the end zone at 13:22.
Ward kicked a 39-yard field goal on the final play of the half, narrowing the deficit to 27-13.
Held off the scoreboard in the third quarter of three successive games this season, the Als finally struck for a touchdown late in the period. An eight-play, 73-yard drive was capped by Adams's 13yard pass to Wieneke at 13:30.
And then, early in the fourth quarter, Levels' interception gave Montreal an insurmountable 4113 lead.
After backup quarterback Matthew Shiltz was tackled in the end zone for a safety five minutes into the final quarter, Davis scored on a one-yard run near the eight-minute mark, making the deficit slightly more palatable.