Als defence smothers battling Bombers
Montreal holds off frantic last-minute comeback attempt to wrap up division
Stade Molson, Montreal
|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
| Winnipeg | 11 | 0 | 0 | 8 | 19 |
| Montreal | 2 | 10 | 7 | 3 | 22 |
Top Performers
Passing: Anthony Calvillo (Mtl) 25 of 37, 271 yards, 2 TD, 1 INT
Rushing: Avon Cobourne (Mtl) 17 carries for 99 yards
Receiving: Terrence Edwards (Wpg) 6 catches for 113 yards, 1 TD
Tackles: Shea Emry (Mtl) 7 tackles, 1 forced fumble
It's all about the defence, baby.
Big-time offence is what drives the economy in the Canadian Football League but at this time of year how you stop the drives is what settles games.
And again the Montreal Alouettes showed why they have the best defence in the league on Sunday afternoon, shutting down a gutsy Winnipeg Blue Bombers side 22-19 at Stade Molson.
The result at once clinched first place and home field in the Eastern final for the 11-4 Als, and put any chance of a post-season berth on life support for the 4-11 Bombers.
Don't let your sons grow up to be kickers
Being a kicker means never having to wait long before the crowd turns on you.
Colt David, out of Louisiana State University, filled in for long-time Montreal veteran Damon Duval (hamstring) last week and was exceptional, going six-for-six in a big win over Calgary.
This Sunday he was back in again, missed his first two in front of the home crowd and was booed. Overall he was two-for-five but provided a fourth-quarter field goal that held up as the winning points.
Winnipeg cannot finish third in the East now, and would need to win all of its remaining games and hope for huge help out West to have any hope of a crossover berth.
Anthony Calvillo threw for an efficient 271 yards, including two touchdowns and one interception, though he had to work hard to do it as the Winnipeg defence also played well.
Calvillo hit Ben Cahoon with a short touchdown pass early in the third quarter to increase a one-point Montreal lead and give the future Hall of Fame receiver his first major of the season.
Colt David hit on two of five field goal attempts.
Steven Jyles had 272 yards in the air, but most of that came on the first and last drives of the contest. He opened the game with a nice possession that ended with a touchdown pass to Greg Carr, but the Montreal defence shut things down from there. After giving up 11 points in that first quarter, they allowed nothing else until the final moments.
Winnipeg looked completely dead until Jyles hit Terrence Edwards for a 72-yard pass-and-run touchdown with just over a minute to go that closed the gap to 22-19 thanks to the added two-point conversion.
Best new CFL Bromance
Hotter than hot right now are Winnipeg quarterback Steven Jyles and his new fave receiver Greg Carr.
Since the Florida State grad came to the CFL a month ago, he has created instant karma with Jyles, piling up 16 catches for 373 yards in three outings prior to Sunday.
Showing they still have eyes for each other, Jyles put a nice pass into Carr's hands early in the first quarter on Sunday for a 28-yard touchdown.
Overall, Carr had six catches for 84 yards.
A well-planned trick kickoff by the Bombers was sent medium deep with Brandon Stewart chasing. But the ball bounced sideways and out of bounds, just past the Winnipegger's hands and Montreal took over.
Calvillo surprisingly went two and out, sending the ball back to the Bombers with 1:03 still on the clock.
Starting from their own 21, the Bombers had the ball, first and 15 on their own 15. Jyles hit Terrence Jeffers-Harris close to field goal range but Montreal linebacker Chip Cox stripped the ball out, held on and the game was done.
Quick start by Bombers
The opening 30 minutes were statistically dominated by the Montreal offence but the Winnipeg defence put up its own tough stand.
Four times the Alouettes brought the ball inside the Winnipeg 30, but only once could they complete the deal. Calvillo hit Jamel Richardson in the end zone for the touchdown that gave the home side a 12-11 lead into the dressing room.
An interception by Clint Kent in the end zone was a key moment.
Winnipeg also was able to pick up yards on offence, but ran into trouble when it counted most.
Eric Wilson sacked Jyles twice and Gavin Walls got him once — the latter knocking the wind out the Bombers' quarterback late in the second quarter. He was back after the half.
But there was some success, notably when Jyles hit Greg Carr for a 28-yard touchdown on Winnipeg's first possession of the game — the first time this season they've scored on their opening drive of a contest.