Argh. Where to start? We still had a ball game after the first half-time. The score was 15 to 3 in favour of the Ticats and Henoc Muamba capped off the second quarter with a goal-line stand that should have shifted the momentum. I don’t know about y’all, but we were pumped.
The @MTLAlouettes' defence flex their muscles and come up with multiple MASSIVE stops at the goal line 👀 pic.twitter.com/nUpO4J4DHU
— CFL on TSN (@CFLonTSN) June 29, 2019
Then the Ticats quickly struck back after the break with a 75-yard rush by Montreal-native Sean Thomas Erlington and it went downhill from there.
A few positives though in addition to Muamba’s relentlessness:
-Three picks by the secondary.
Tommie Campbell proved early in the first quarter that it was pointless to throw the ball in his direction. He became the receiver at our 4-yard line creating the first turnover of the game. Greg Reid Jr made the two other interceptions, showing off his tight coverage skills. Thrilling feats by the guys in the defensive backfield, but Head Coach Khari Jones told the media the team needs to be able to cash in on those big plays.
“I’m encouraged by the turnovers, our team is resilient, but we didn’t capitalize on them. That’s how you win games, by winning the turnover battle. It’s on our staff and on the players. Our offence needs to learn how to capitalize on some of the things our defence does out there. And it will.”
-BJ Cunningham remains a key asset
The chemistry between Vernon Adams and BJ Cunningham is undeniable. The veteran receiver is known to bring consistency to the offensive squad and that’s what he showed Friday night with 93 yards in eight grabs, averaging 11.6 yards per catch. It’ll be interesting to see how the dynamic duo progresses in the upcoming weeks.
-Possession time was actually in our favour
Our offence had the ball for the most part of the game. Final stats are 36:21 to 23:39 for our crew, believe it or not. It says a lot about how fast the defence was able to shut down the Ticats at times, but also about our offence successfully moving the chains.
“We were able to be consistent, to move the ball, but we didn’t make those big plays that changed the field around and that got us in the red zone,” said Jones.
One of those big plays, however, was brought to us by Vernon Adams Jr and rookie slotback Jake Wieneke on a 27-yard gain that marked our Alouettes only major of the game and Wieneke’s first touchdown in the CFL.
Jake Wieneke (@jake_wieneke) with his first #CFL TD on that beauty toss from Vernon Adams Jr. (@bigplay_va)
MTL 10 | HAM 26 #CFLGameday #ToujoursGame pic.twitter.com/nyiepwpd3B
— CFL (@CFL) June 29, 2019
-John Bowman is fine
Our hearts stopped when John Bowman was accidentally hit to the head by fellow d-lineman Ryan Brown. He returned to the game shortly after being helped off the field and we couldn’t be happier that our big man is OK.
Unfortunately, lots of missed tackles – particularly on the 75-yard run by S.T Erlington early in the third -, lack of pressure on the returner from the punt team and mistakes from the o-line that allowed six sacks hurt a lot. The final numbers on the board were 41 to 10. Good news is our Alouettes will get the opportunity to seek revenge against the black and yellow powerhouse on Thursday, July 4 as we finally celebrate our Home Opener at McGill Stadium. Be there to see it.
