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Recap: Alouettes hit 10-win mark with win over Elks

The Alouettes used a 12-point second quarter to overcome a 17-6 half-time deficit to beat the Edmonton Elks, 21-17, on Sunday night. The Als became the first team in the CFL to reach the 10-win mark.

Let’s look at how they got the job done on Sunday.

A huge third quarter:

There’s no doubt that the momentum swung Montreal’s way in the third quarter. The Als received the ball to start the half, and they began the drive at their own 10-yard line. They managed to move the ball down the field thanks to quarterback Cody Fajardo and receiver Cole Spieker, who had three receptions during that sequence including the touchdown.

Spieker was the Als’ leading receiver on Sunday, as he finished with five receptions for 107 yards and two touchdowns. Both majors came in the third quarter.

“We just saw some things we were going to attack down field,” the Alouettes receiver said. “We needed to make some plays. It all starts with the protection up front. Those guys did great all game. Cody delivered a couple of big passes, and we got the momentum.”

This was Fajardo’s first game from injury, as a hamstring ailment kept him out of the starting lineup for four games. The 32-year-old finished the night 22-of-34 for 336 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.

Fajardo also took multiple big hits while standing in the pocket. To his credit, he hung onto the ball as long as he could and delivered accurate deep passes to Spieker and Charleston Rambo. But he was also punished physically.

“We knew that (Edmonton’s) defensive line was good,” Fajardo said after the win. “They’re much better than when we played them in Week 2. The biggest thing was that they played a lot of zone defence. Usually, when you get zone coverage, you have to hold on to the ball a little longer…I feel like if you want to be great in this league, you’re going to have to sit in the pocket and take some hits. Our offensive line played tremendous tonight.”

Keep in mind, the Als lost both of their starting guards heading into this game. Philippe Gagnon was a late scratch due to an illness, while Pier-Olivier Lestage was injured on the first offensive play of the game. Jesse Gibbon and Donny Ventrelli didn’t look out of place with the starters at all.

We can’t talk about the third quarter performance without mentioning the defence. The Elks offence got the ball three times in the third frame and they failed to generate a first down. Noel Thorpe’s unit also didn’t allow a point in the final 30 minutes of the game.

The defence also came through on the final drive of the game, as they were able to secure the win by keeping the Elks out of the end zone.

“We just wanted to defend the (goal) line,” middle linebacker Darnell Sankey said. “We were okay with giving them some small and short stuff…we didn’t want to get beat deep. We wanted to play sound and disciplined football (on that last drive).”

Austin Mack is back:

Receiver Austin Mack made his return to the Alouettes lineup after his stint with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons. The 26-year-old finished the night with three receptions for 32 yards.

It wasn’t easy for Mack to get up to speed in time for this game. He arrived in Montreal on Sunday and had to move into his Quebec residence. He also had to familiarize himself with the playbook again while getting three practices in with the starting offence.

“It was challenging for sure, but I consider myself a pro,” he said. “The best pros are able to do that. I definitely wanted to be a little more consistent today, but I’m looking forward to the bye week and continuing to grow.”

Rookies making their mark:

Several rookies turned in big performances on Sunday night. Three of those guys were linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, defensive lineman Antonio Moultrie and Rambo.

Cantin-Arku finished with five defensive tackles and two quarterback sacks (the only two sacks the Als had on Sunday night). The Alouettes’ first-round pick in 2024 has found a home at inside linebacker next to Sankey.

“I’m really happy with the way the game went,” mentioned Cantin-Arku. “I helped the team win. Anytime you can do that, you take it.”

Moultrie has quietly put together a strong year, but he made two important plays against the Elks as he batted two balls down at the line of scrimmage. The first one came in a second-and-four situation while the second came when the Elks found themselves in second-and-10. Edmonton was forced to punt on the following play both times.

As for Rambo, he gave the team a spark when they needed it most. He finished the night with just three receptions, but he managed to accumulate an impressive 95 yards. His longest reception was for 50 yards.

Through 11 games, he has 599 receiving yards, which puts him on pace for roughly 980 for the year. In his last four outings, he’s finished with 86, 124, 94 and 95 receiving yards. Those are impressive numbers for any receiver, especially a CFL rookie.

What’s next?

The Alouettes will have their second of three bye weeks next week. They’ll be back in action on Sep.6 at home against the B.C. Lions.