By Richard Obrand,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Montreal – Henry Burris threw for 302 yards and a touchdown while running back Joffrey Reynolds ran in one of his own while gaining 82 yards as the Stampeders beat the Alouettes 23-19 Thursday night at Percival Molson Stadium.
Montreal got off to another fast start, scoring the game’s first 11 points off of a field goal and a single by Damon Duval, followed by a 67-yard touchdown catch by Jamel Richardson.
The lead, however, was quickly erased after Reynolds scored from eight yards out early into the second quarter.
The Als responded as Duval hit two other field goals – his sixth and seventh of the season – and Montreal regained its lead, taking a 17-0 lead into the locker room at the half..
After two weeks of high-flying offence, the 80th-straight sellout crowd at Percival Molson expected more fireworks in the ensuing half, as the Alouettes and Stampeders rank one and two, respectively in offence.
Ken-Yon Rambo got the second half going as the receiver scored on one of his seven catches on the night from five yards out to tie the game at 17.
After another Duval single, Sandro DeAngelis kicked a 32-yarder to put Calgary in front 20-18.
The Stampeders then distanced themselves from the Als for good, as DeAngelis sealed the deal with another field goal, this time from 40-yards out to make it 23-19.
In the loss, Alouette receiver Kerry Watkins made six catches for 128 yards and running back Avon Cobourne was again strong with 66 yards on five receptions and another 23 on just five carries.
What stood out most for the Als, was their inability to finish drives.
“We just didn’t execute well, we had our chances and we couldn’t do anything with them,” said Watkins. “They had their shots, and did something with them.”
Though the Alouettes came out strong for a third straight game, kick returner Brian Bratton felt something lacking from their week-three performance.
“I feel like we came out stronger the first couple of weeks, we just couldn’t do anything with our chances,” he said. “We’ve been working really hard every day in practice so I’m not worried.”
With the loss, the Als fall to 2-1-0 on the season and the Stamps move up to a similar 2-1-0 record.
Montreal will head out to Saskatchewan next Saturday for an evening affair with the Roughriders at Regina’s Mosaic Stadium (RDS, TSN, CKAC SPORTS, CJAD, CHOM, 98,5 FM).
