Alouettes fall 39-10 in Toronto.
Not the kind of start we were hoping for…
The game didn’t start the way the Alouettes were hoping it would. Although forcing the Argonauts to punt on their first possession, Toronto then proceeded to score two touchdowns in quick order: The first coming off the arm of Chad Kelly, and then on an A.J. Ouellette run following a Chandler Worthy fumble on a Montreal kickoff return. Worthy redeemed himself immediately thereafter. On his next kickoff return, he ran the ball back all the way to the Toronto 28-yard line! Cody Fajardo then found Cole Spieker to put seven points on the board.
The rest of the first half saw the Als struggling, with offensive turnovers providing the Argos’ offence with quality opportunities. But the Alouettes’ defence stood tall and limited Toronto to field goals. The score after 30 minutes was 23–7 for the home team.
The first quarter also saw Montreal’s Austin Mack ejected from the game for a hit on an Argonaut.
“When you’re playing the best team in the East Division, you have to play flawless football,” offensive line coach Luc Brodeur-Jourdain said. “Unfortunately, we were playing catch-up football throughout the game and it’s very difficult to win that way.”
Worthy in the spotlight
With Mack out of the game, Worthy’s workload increased on offence. He was effective moving the chains forward, and to go with his long kickoff return which set the scene for Spieker’s touchdown, he caught four balls (on four targets) for 59 yards.
Worthy finished the game with 252 total yards (59 receiving yards and 193 kick return yards).
“I wasn’t at all surprised by Chandler’s performance,” Brodeur-Jourdain said. “He’s very professional and his work ethic is impeccable. Football is a game that’s full of ups and downs and he knew how to get back on track perfectly.”
Costly turnovers
Unfortunately, the Alouettes committed too many turnovers to quash any hope for victory Saturday afternoon. Cody Fajardo and the offence managed to move the ball relatively well, but several of the team’s possessions resulted in turnovers. Still, the Alouettes’ aerial attack generated close to 300 yards, with Worthy, Spieker and Walter Fletcher each having more than 50 yards receiving.
“The details make the difference,” said Alouettes receiver Spieker. “Dropped balls are the result of a lack of concentration. We absolutely must correct those mistakes to be ready come Friday.”
The defence tried to limit the damage.
It was a tough afternoon for the Als’ defence. Toronto has the most productive and dominant offence in the CFL this season and stopping them is no easy task, especially when they are playing on a short field. A shout-out goes to the Als’ Reggie Stubblefield, who made 12 defensive tackles. The 26-year-old has returned to the team after being cut at the end of training camp, and he has been solid game in and game out.
“We all have to be better: Defence, offence, special teams,” Stubblefield said. “I remain convinced that we are capable of beating them (Toronto). We just have to get back to work. I’m always trying to do my best, and that no one should be able to beat me.”
Up next.
The Alouettes have the opportunity to bounce back right away and claim revenge against the Argos. The two teams face each other once again, this time in Montreal, on Friday, September 15 at 7:00 p.m. The atmosphere is sure to be electric with our DJ Wordy Word spinning vinyl at the Biergarden from 5:45 p.m. and 355ml beer is only $5.00! Add to that a BMX show at halftime and wow, it’s going to be great! You can buy your tickets here.
