We continue our 2019 season review with the game against the Argonauts.
Friday October 18 2019,
Final score : 27-24
“If you never lose, you are never truly tested, and never forced to grow. You must simply study it, learn from it.” After a tough loss against the Bombers, our Alouettes took all the means necessary to bounce back as they welcomed the Toronto Argonauts at McGill Stadium on October 18.
From the moment they step on the field, it’s clear that our men have only one thing in mind: win. Although taking home a W would have absolutely no impact on our position in the playoffs, it would give our birds some momentum heading in the big game. From now, every victory would be a way to prove our naysayers wrong, boost our men’s confidence and demonstrate to the other teams that we were serious contenders and had a shot at winning the Grey Cup.
Our Alouettes show grit from the get-go, scoring the first 10 points. During our opening offensive drive, Vernon Adams Jr. makes a perfectly executed 44-yard pass to Posey, giving us flashbacks of our number 5’s spectacular catch at the goal line in Moncton earlier in the summer. The drive stalls and we settle for a field goal. 3-0 Alouettes.
Just over five minutes into the second quarter, we get our first touchdown of the night with a 10-yard pass from VA to Posey, our dynamic duo of the evening. Just like that, we’re leading by 10 points. The Argos retaliate almost immediately with a field goal, and so do we. Less than two minutes before the break, Toronto gets a momentum boost which is quickly put to rest with a key sack from defensive end Antonio Simmons. A blocked field goal attempt seconds before the clock hits zero allows us to maintain our advantage heading into the break.
We don’t know what happened in the Argos’ locker room at halftime but they came out guns blazing in the third. After having a pretty slow first half, they score not one, but two highlight-reel worthy touchdowns, claiming a 4-point lead. At the end of the quarter, it’s 17-13 Argos. Our guys don’t panic; the Cardiac kids are known for pulling out all kinds of tricks in the last decisive minutes. Halfway through the fourth quarter, we manage move the ball across the field with a 21-yard pass to Wieneke, after which ensues an impressive 45-yard catch and run touchdown by Jeremiah Johnson, taking over for Stanback. Our following offensive drive is capped off with a touchdown by Quan Bray. 27-17 Alouettes; we have our 10-point lead back with 3 minutes to go. Our Ontarian opponents haven’t given up yet. With less than sixty seconds remaining, Bethel-Thompson makes his way across the field and lands another 6 points, cutting our lead down to 3 points. There’s 25 seconds left on the clock and the Argos still have a chance to score. Our relentless defence is outstanding and doesn’t flinch, forcing Toronto to try to make a 51-yard field goal. Crapigna’s game-tying field goal attempt in the final seconds comes up short, giving Montreal the victory.
It’s our ninth win of the season, and our 300th in franchise history. What. A. Game!
To note that William Stanback reached the 1,000 yard rushing mark for the first time in his promising career.
