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How Alouettes defeated Ticats in East Semi-Final

The Montreal Alouettes extended their season by defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 27-12, in the East Division Semi-Final. This was the Alouettes’ sixth consecutive win and their fourth over the Ticats in 2023.

Several players stepped up on Saturday afternoon at Percival Molson Stadium, but let’s break down what specifically went well for the Als.

THE IN-SEASON ACQUISITIONS STEPPED UP:

The Alouettes added defensive end Shawn Lemon in July and Darnell Sankey in September, and both players played a huge role in this victory.

Lemon finished the night with two sacks and five defensive tackles. The veteran sacked both Matthew Shiltz and Bo Levi Mitchell. Sankey was arguably the best player on the field, as he finished with eight defensive tackles, two quarterback sacks and an interception.

“It’s all a testament to the team,” Sankey said after the game. “I’m just thankful for another opportunity to come out here and do what I want to do. I really want to give credit to the defensive line though. They have such a hard job, and I don’t think a lot of people really realize that. I knew I had to have a big game tonight. I knew I had to come out here and do my thing and lead the defence. That’s what I wanted to prove, and I think that’s what I did.”

On the next play after Sankey’s interception, Fajardo found Austin Mack for a 30-yard touchdown.

SHUTTING DOWN TIM WHITE:

Ticats receiver Tim White is one of the best players in the CFL at his position, but the Als defence found a way to take him out of the game. White finished the night without a reception, and he had three rushing yards on one carry.

“I think we did it collectively,” defensive back Ciante Evans said when he was asked about holding White to zero receptions. “We kind of had it on our mind all week that it didn’t really matter who was in front of us, we wanted to dominate, and that we were going to lean on each other to take away their strength. We wanted to make them play left-handed and make them go to somebody else.”

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THE DRIVE OF THE GAME:

The Alouettes had an 8-point lead when they entered the red zone in the third quarter. Unfortunately for them, Cody Fajardo’s pass to Austin Mack was intercepted by Richard Leonard at the Tiger-Cats six-yard line. The Ticats went on an extended drive, and they eventually cut their deficit to five points.

On the Als’ next possession, Fajardo bounced back with several key throws including a touchdown pass to Canadian receiver Jake Harty to push Montreal’s lead to 24-12 in the fourth quarter.

“When I came back to the sideline after the interception, I told myself that I have been here before,” Fajardo said. “We still had the lead, we have a great defence, and I was thinking that as long as our defence holds them to three points, I had no doubt in my mind that we were going to go down the field and score.”

It’s important to note that Fajardo’s legs had an impact on this game. The Als quarterback ran the ball four times for 62 yards.

SETTING THE TONE ON SPECIAL TEAMS:

It takes a collective effort to be efficient on special teams, and that’s what the Alouettes got on Saturday. They got some good returns from James Letcher Jr. and Tyson Philpot, they got strong coverage and energy while covering kicks, and kicker David Cote was perfect on his field goal attempts (four-for-four on field goals, two-for-two on extra points).

Alexandre Gagne, who delivered a passionate pre-game speech in the locker room, led the way with three special teams tackles.

EAST FINAL NEXT SATURDAY:

The Alouettes will travel to Toronto to take on the Argonauts at BMO Field next Saturday at 3 pm. The winner of that game will head to the Grey Cup the following week in Hamilton.