Two interceptions too much for Als to overcome in road loss to Argos
Things aren't improving for quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. Neither, for that matter, are they for the Alouettes.
Despite passing for 382 yards, Adams threw two interceptions in Montreal's 30-27 defeat to the Toronto Argonauts Friday night before only 7,758 spectators at BMO Field.
Mcleod Bethel-thompson, replacing the injured Nick Arbuckle, passed for two touchdowns, to Kurleigh Gittens and Chandler Worthy. D.J. Foster also scored on a short run while Boris Bede kicked three field goals.
The Argos (4-3) scored two touchdowns in 42 seconds late in the first half. Adams' two interceptions led to 10 Toronto points. Adams has now been intercepted six times in six games.
Eugene Lewis, on a seven-yard pass, and William Stanback, on a short run, scored for the Als (2-4), who lost their second consecutive game. A 27-yard TD pass to Jake Wieneke in the final minute of regulation time made the final score more respectable. David Côté added two field goals.
As usual, the Als were forced to play from behind after Toronto opened the scoring — although it wasn't on the Argos' opening possession.
Instead, the Argos waited until their second series, going 94 yards in 10 plays. The big play of the drive was a 31-yard pass to Damion Jeanpiere, a last-minute addition to the active roster for Eric Rogers. Toronto would probably have settled for a field goal except for a pass interference penalty against defensive back Greg Reid on second down.
On the next play, Bethel-thompson connected 15 yards with Gittens for the touchdown at 11:39. Gittens beat defensive back Monshadrick Hunter on the play.
The Als rebounded, Adams directing his team on an 11-play, 79yard drive. Adams completed all seven of his passes on the drive, producing 72 yards in the process. That included a 17-yard pass to Lewis on the opening play of the second quarter. Two plays later, Adams connected with Quan Bray for a 15-yard gain. Bray returned to the roster for the injured Dante Absher.
Two plays later, from the Argos' 7, Adams sent a short pass to Lewis, who swept left and scored at 2:57.
Toronto's Worthy fumbled the ensuing kickoff; the ball recovered by Rashaun Simonise at the Argos' 42. Montreal eventually advanced to the Toronto 11, but Adams was sacked on second down and the visitors settled for Côté's 17-yard field goal at 8:27.
Bethel-thompson engineered an eight-play, 76-yard drive late in the half, thanks to a 25-yard pass to Worthy followed by a 22-yard reception by Ricky Collins, who broke several tackles.
Foster then scored on a threeyard run at 14:09, giving the Argos a 14-10 lead. That's how the first half should have ended, except Adams' pass for Wieneke was intercepted by linebacker Chris Edwards.
Two plays later, Worthy beat Tyquwan Glass on a 45-yard scoring play at 14:51.
The Als opened the second half by going 65 yards in eight plays. That included a 25-yard draw by Adams along with a 25-yard pass to Lewis. That gave Montreal a first down at the Toronto 17. But then, following a time-count infraction against Adams, B.J. Cunningham fumbled at the Argos' 10, squandering a glorious scoring opportunity.
The Als, to their credit, refused to quit, Adams directing them on a 12-play, 61-yard drive, culminating in Stanback's three-yard touchdown run at 12:36. Stanback went over 100 yards on the drive for the third consecutive game, and fourth time this season.
But Bede restored the Argos' seven-point lead with a 29-yard field goal on the opening play of the fourth quarter. The former Alouette added a 32-yarder at 5:36 before Côté's 38-yarder got the visitors within a converted touchdown.