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Alouettes’ key players step up in win over Stamps

The Alouettes (7-7) snapped their four-game losing skid with a 28-11 win over the Stampeders (4-10) in Calgary on Saturday afternoon. This was the team’s second victory over the Stamps this season, and they now have a 4-3 record away from Percival Molson Stadium this year.

There were a lot of positives that came out of Saturday’s clash. Let’s look at how the Als came away with the victory on the road.

The turning point:

The Alouettes had a slim 11-8 lead in the third quarter when the Stampeders drove the ball deep in Montreal territory. The Stamps decided to leave their offence on the field on third down and goal from inside the Montreal five-yard line. That’s when quarterback Jake Maier was intercepted by Als safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy in the end zone. Not only did Montreal get the ball back, but they also got it back on their own 30-yard line because Dequoy was tackled in the end zone. Had the pass been incomplete, the Als would have scrimmaged from their own four-yard line.

“I think the quarterback was a little too focused on his receiver,” Dequoy said after the game.

“I didn’t really have to move much. I’ve had much more difficult interceptions in my career. From what I remember of the play, I didn’t have to move very much. The most difficult thing was just making sure I caught the ball, especially when you see the ball coming, you can overthink.”

The Alouettes offence jumped back on the field and travelled 80 yards for a touchdown that was scored by Caleb Evans but set up by a long throw from Cody Fajardo to Tyson Philpot. Instead of going down 15-11, the Als went up 18-8.

That was the turning point of the game.

Dequoy also stripped Stamps receiver Reggie Begelton of the football in the fourth quarter. Linebacker Tyrice Beverette was able to recover for Montreal.

“You want to play complimentary football,” he said. “When Calgary made an interception, I jumped on the field and told Cody (Fajardo) that I had his back. We want the offence to know that even if things don’t work out for them at some point, we’ll do our best to limit the opposition.”

Stanback’s return to Calgary

This was William Stanback’s first game in Calgary since he suffered a serious lower-body injury that cost him most of the 2022 season.

The Als running back was terrific in his first visit back, as he finished the night with 100 total yards from scrimmage (81 rushing yards, 19 receiving yards and one touchdown).

“Coming back to this field after the injury last year, I had more butterflies in my stomach than any game before this season,” the Als tailback said. “Having the opportunity to get in the end zone and touch the (ball) a lot more this afternoon was great.”

The 29-year-old’s touchdown served as the insurance the Alouettes needed to close out the game. The fans voted him the Budweiser Player of the Game on Saturday.

The running game helped propel the Als to victory tonight. It allowed them to pass the ball more efficiently and it really took some steam out of the Calgary pass-rush. In the end, the Als managed to collect five quarterback sacks while the Stamps failed to bring Fajardo down behind the line of scrimmage.

Lemon closing in on 100

Shawn Lemon set the tone early and often in his return to McMahon Stadium. He intercepted a pass on Calgary’s opening drive of the game when it looked like they were going to score points and he managed to collect two quarterback sacks.

Those two sacks bring Lemon’s total to 99 for his career. In the moments following the game, a statistical error awarded Lemon an additional sack, but it appears as though he will be one short of 100 heading into next week’s game against the Ottawa Redblacks.

Quick Hitters:

For the second game in a row, Tyson Philpot led the team in receiving yards. He finished the night with 87 yards on four receptions, including a 51-yarder.

Rookie defensive end Lwal Uguak continues to impress, as he had another strong performance on Saturday. He recorded a quarterback sack, three tackles, two tackles for loss and he got enough pressure on Maier which forced him to throw away the ball.

Darnell Sankey finished the game with a game-high 10 defensive tackles in his second outing as an Alouette.

Backup quarterback Caleb Evans scored a pair of rushing touchdowns on quarterback sneaks. The 25-year-old now has seven touchdowns on the ground in 2023.

Next:

The Alouettes will travel to Ottawa to take on the Redblacks next Saturday afternoon at 4pm ET. Their next home game will be played at Percival Molson Stadium on Monday, Oct. 9 at 1pm ET against the Redblacks. You can purchase your tickets for that game at GoAlsGo.com.