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How Alouettes beat Tiger-Cats in Hamilton on Friday

The Alouettes turned in an almost perfect performance on the road in Hamilton on Friday night. They got touchdowns from their offence, defence and special teams, and it resulted in them beating the Ticats 38-12. 

The Als are now 2-0 under head coach Jason Maas. They continue to get contributions throughout their lineup. It’s impressive to watch.

Let’s break down their performance at Tim Horton’s Field. 

Offence clicks: 

The offence was aggressive and productive in this game. Quarterback Cody Fajardo finished the night 19/25 for 292 yards, two touchdowns and no interceptions. For the second game in a row, he also rushed for a major. 

“It felt great,” Fajardo said after the win. “It was a three-phase football game. We found a way to finish on defence, offence and special teams.

“What I was really proud about on offence is that we finished with touchdowns in the red zone. Our defence held (Hamilton) to field goals in the red zone. That’s usually the biggest difference in winning and losing football games.”

The Als QB also found a way to spread the ball around. Not only did he hit six different receivers, he also completed three passes of at least 30 yards to three different receivers. Canadian Kaion Julien-Grant led the Als in receiving with six receptions for 94 yards. Austin Mack, who led the team in receiving in Week 1, finished the game with five catches, 81 yards and two receiving touchdowns. 

“That’s coach Maas’ offence,” Fajardo explained. “It’s an offence with a lot of motion and a lot of movement. I tell guys that they might go a quarter without touching the ball, and then all of a sudden in the third or fourth quarter, you get three or four. I thought our guys did a great job of being engaged the whole time. When you spread the ball around as a quarterback, it makes it difficult for the defence to key-in on one player.”

Outside of scoring points, the big positive with the offence was that they were able to protect the football. They didn’t turn the ball over, while being aggressive and making big plays. 

Defence stands tall:

Eight quarters into the season, the Als defence has yet to allow a touchdown to their opponents. The Ticats came close a couple of times, but Noel Thorpe’s unit managed to hold them to field goals. 

Despite the fact that Hamilton managed to make four big plays on offence in the first half, they only managed to score nine points at the break. Credit the Als defence for bending and not breaking. 

“As a defence, you always say three (points), not six,” defensive back Wesley Sutton said. “That’s what we did. The offence was able to get the ball back in their hands, make some plays and score touchdowns. After that, it was over with.”

Going two games without allowing a touchdown in any league is special, but it’s even more impressive in the CFL given the rules and field dimensions. 

After registering three interceptions in the home opener, the Als followed that up by picking off two Matthew Shiltz passes. Ciante Evans made his third interception of the season while Wesley Sutton’s pick-six was his first of 2023. 

“If you think back to last year, coach Thorpe came in and we were playing really well,” Sutton added. “It was a hard transition for us as a defence to be receiving a new defensive coordinator mid season and just trying to adapt to his new defence and new techniques. Me, Thorpe and all the guys talked during the offseason about how excited we were to have a full training camp to hone in on the details and understand the defence.”

Defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson registered the Als’ only two sacks of the game, but they managed to get after Shiltz regularly. The Ticats quarterback was hit early and often, and it definitely made things more complicated for the Hamilton offence. 

The Als also batted down a couple of balls at the line of scrimmage thanks to Tyrice Beverette and rookie Lwal Uguak. 

Special Teams continue to dominate:

Returner Chandler Worthy had a punt return touchdown called back in Week 1 against Ottawa because of an offside penalty, but he wouldn’t be denied against Hamilton. 

With the Als trailing 6-0 in the first half, Worthy broke a punt return for a touchdown in the final moments of the first quarter to give the Als their first lead of the game. 

“As a unit, we studied a lot this week. We knew there would be opportunities for me out there,” Worthy said. “It was just a perfect time for us to run our blitz (return) to open up the field for me. It was great execution by the team because I didn’t even get touched. They made it easy for me.”

The reality is, that return gave the Als offence wings. It was the turning point of the game. They never trailed again after that point. 

Worthy has been dynamic from the get-go, but the entire special teams unit has been great in 2023. They have been disciplined in their kick coverage and they’ve found a way to make big plays. A lot of credit goes to special team coordinator Byron Archambault for creating a special culture on special teams. 

What’s next?

The Alouettes will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (2-1) at Percival Molson Stadium next Saturday night at 7pm. The Als will be wearing their new red alternate jerseys for that game. 

Tickets for children 16 and under are just $5 and hot dogs will be $2!