Posted: October 24,2014 09:45PM
Updated: October 24,2014 09:45PM
CFL.ca Staff
#FNF | #CFLPink | #CanadaStrong
OTTAWA -- The Ottawa REDBLACKS were defiant, but it wasn't enough to stop the Montreal Alouettes from earning their seventh win in eight games with a 23-17 win on Friday night in Ottawa.
Henry Burris moved into third all-time in touchdown passes with his opening-drive touchdown pass to Marcus Henry, while rookie quarterback Danny O'Brien connected with fellow rookie Scott Macdonell for a 58-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to cut things close. But the Alouettes played a solid game in all three facets, earning a victory on an emotionally-charged night in the Nation's Capital.
Before the game started, the country united to mourn the deaths of two Canadian soldiers killed on home soil this week. Fans sung the national anthem while a giant Canadian flag covered the field, as for moments before this game, football seemed inconsequential.
For the 60 minutes of football after that, though, players on both teams wore their hearts on their sleeves, in a game that showed plenty of fire and went right down to the wire.
Rookie quarterback Danny O'Brien threw for 111 yards and a touchdown on 3-of-5 passing, while Burris completed 12 of 21 passing attempts for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Jonathan Crompton was the best of all quarterbacks in improving to 7-1 as a starter, completing 17-of-29 for 216 yards and a touchdown. S.J. Green led the way for the Alouette receivers with 60 yards and a touchdown on three catches, while running back Tyrell Sutton chipped in with 77 rushing yards on 17 carries.
The biggest star for the Als, though, may have been Bear Woods, who had a game-high 10 tackles while adding a sack, interception, and forced fumble, all in a night's work.
Riding a wave of emotion following the opening ceremonies, the REDBLACKS offence stormed out of the gate after scoring just nine points in their last two games combined. Burris kick-started the drive with a 23-yard completion to Henry, before some hard running by Roy Finch and Jonathan Williams moved the offence inside the 30.
The game-opening touchdown capped off an eight-play, 74-yard drive that took nearly five minutes, and also moved Burris into third on the all-time passing touchdowns list ahead of Ron Lancaster with 334 career touchdowns.
After not allowing a defensive touchdown in last week’s win over the Argos, Montreal found itself in the unusual position of trailing early in a football game. That didn’t deter the Alouettes though, as their offence promptly got things going.
Crompton got things moving with a completion to Brandon London on second down to move the sticks, which proved pivotal on the drive. A 24-yard run by Tyrell Sutton put the Alouettes deep into scoring range, while a pass interference call on a challenge by Montreal gave the offence a fresh set of downs at the goal line.
Tanner Marsh finished the drive from there with the one-yard plunge, knotting things up at 7-7 midway through the opening quarter.
The REDBLACKS moved back into the attacking end of the field hoping to regain the lead, but a methodical drive ended abruptly when Burris was picked off by the Als’ Mitchell White.
Ottawa’s defence held up after that, while the teams jockeyed for field position after rookie REDBLACKS quarterback O’Brien and Crompton exchanged interceptions.
As the game slowed down towards the end of the first half, Sean Whyte’s pair of field goals gave the Alouettes a 13-7 lead over Ottawa at halftime.
After stalling throughout the second quarter, the Alouettes’ suddenly explosive offence went to work quickly in the third quarter. A 24-yard catch-and-run by Crompton moved the Als across midfield, before a pass interference penalty moved the ball to the one.
An objectionable conduct penalty on Crompton moved the ball back to the 10, but that wasn’t enough to slow the Alouettes pivot down, as he connected with S.J. Green for an 11-yard touchdown on second down to extend Montreal’s lead to 20-7.
An interception by Bear Woods off a deflection gave the Alouettes the ball right back, and they added three more points on Sean Whyte’s 47-yard field goal – his 21st successful try in a row.
A fake punt and completion by Brett Maher to
Lavoie setup a REDBLACKS field goal, rounding out the scoring in the
third and making it a 23-10 game heading to the fourth. That’s where the
REDBLACKS caught lightning in a bottle, as the rookie O’Brien connected
with Wallace Miles for a 44-yard completion, before hitting rookie
MacDonell for a 58-yard score.
The quick two-play drive cut the REDBLACKS’ deficit to six points, while the long catch-and-run marked MacDonell’s first career touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter.
The Alouettes killed a large chunk of time off the clock after that, driving across midfield after a close call on a London fumble that was overturned. Ottawa's defence forced the stop in the end, but the REDBLACKS couldn't muster any offence and had to punt.
Crompton again couldn't move the sticks, giving Ottawa one last chance to rally and win the game. But this was the time in the game where Montreal's defence justified all of the hype, as it forced the REDBLACKS to throw incomplete on third down, clinching the ball-game inside the last minute.
The win marked the Alouettes' fifth straight game holding the opposing offence below 20 points, while Montreal moves into first place in the East before the Argos and Ticats clash on Saturday afternoon.
Ottawa looks for another win at home next Friday night against the Ticats. The Als, meanwhile, return home for a pivotal Sunday afternoon battle against the Toronto Argonauts, in a game that could be for first in the East (tickets are available here).
#FNF | #CFLPink | #CanadaStrong
OTTAWA -- The Ottawa REDBLACKS were defiant, but it wasn't enough to stop the Montreal Alouettes from earning their seventh win in eight games with a 23-17 win on Friday night in Ottawa.
Henry Burris moved into third all-time in touchdown passes with his opening-drive touchdown pass to Marcus Henry, while rookie quarterback Danny O'Brien connected with fellow rookie Scott Macdonell for a 58-yard touchdown pass in the fourth quarter to cut things close. But the Alouettes played a solid game in all three facets, earning a victory on an emotionally-charged night in the Nation's Capital.
Before the game started, the country united to mourn the deaths of two Canadian soldiers killed on home soil this week. Fans sung the national anthem while a giant Canadian flag covered the field, as for moments before this game, football seemed inconsequential.
For the 60 minutes of football after that, though, players on both teams wore their hearts on their sleeves, in a game that showed plenty of fire and went right down to the wire.
Rookie quarterback Danny O'Brien threw for 111 yards and a touchdown on 3-of-5 passing, while Burris completed 12 of 21 passing attempts for 110 yards and a touchdown.
Jonathan Crompton was the best of all quarterbacks in improving to 7-1 as a starter, completing 17-of-29 for 216 yards and a touchdown. S.J. Green led the way for the Alouette receivers with 60 yards and a touchdown on three catches, while running back Tyrell Sutton chipped in with 77 rushing yards on 17 carries.
The biggest star for the Als, though, may have been Bear Woods, who had a game-high 10 tackles while adding a sack, interception, and forced fumble, all in a night's work.
Riding a wave of emotion following the opening ceremonies, the REDBLACKS offence stormed out of the gate after scoring just nine points in their last two games combined. Burris kick-started the drive with a 23-yard completion to Henry, before some hard running by Roy Finch and Jonathan Williams moved the offence inside the 30.
The game-opening touchdown capped off an eight-play, 74-yard drive that took nearly five minutes, and also moved Burris into third on the all-time passing touchdowns list ahead of Ron Lancaster with 334 career touchdowns.
After not allowing a defensive touchdown in last week’s win over the Argos, Montreal found itself in the unusual position of trailing early in a football game. That didn’t deter the Alouettes though, as their offence promptly got things going.
Crompton got things moving with a completion to Brandon London on second down to move the sticks, which proved pivotal on the drive. A 24-yard run by Tyrell Sutton put the Alouettes deep into scoring range, while a pass interference call on a challenge by Montreal gave the offence a fresh set of downs at the goal line.
Tanner Marsh finished the drive from there with the one-yard plunge, knotting things up at 7-7 midway through the opening quarter.
The REDBLACKS moved back into the attacking end of the field hoping to regain the lead, but a methodical drive ended abruptly when Burris was picked off by the Als’ Mitchell White.
Ottawa’s defence held up after that, while the teams jockeyed for field position after rookie REDBLACKS quarterback O’Brien and Crompton exchanged interceptions.
As the game slowed down towards the end of the first half, Sean Whyte’s pair of field goals gave the Alouettes a 13-7 lead over Ottawa at halftime.
After stalling throughout the second quarter, the Alouettes’ suddenly explosive offence went to work quickly in the third quarter. A 24-yard catch-and-run by Crompton moved the Als across midfield, before a pass interference penalty moved the ball to the one.
An objectionable conduct penalty on Crompton moved the ball back to the 10, but that wasn’t enough to slow the Alouettes pivot down, as he connected with S.J. Green for an 11-yard touchdown on second down to extend Montreal’s lead to 20-7.
An interception by Bear Woods off a deflection gave the Alouettes the ball right back, and they added three more points on Sean Whyte’s 47-yard field goal – his 21st successful try in a row.
| Moving on up |
|---|
 Henry Burris got his team and the entire stadium amped up on his opening-drive touchdown pass to Marcus Henry. At the same time, he passed Ron Lancaster on the all-time touchdowns list, with his 334th career touchdown throw. » View Stats |
The quick two-play drive cut the REDBLACKS’ deficit to six points, while the long catch-and-run marked MacDonell’s first career touchdown reception early in the fourth quarter.
The Alouettes killed a large chunk of time off the clock after that, driving across midfield after a close call on a London fumble that was overturned. Ottawa's defence forced the stop in the end, but the REDBLACKS couldn't muster any offence and had to punt.
Crompton again couldn't move the sticks, giving Ottawa one last chance to rally and win the game. But this was the time in the game where Montreal's defence justified all of the hype, as it forced the REDBLACKS to throw incomplete on third down, clinching the ball-game inside the last minute.
The win marked the Alouettes' fifth straight game holding the opposing offence below 20 points, while Montreal moves into first place in the East before the Argos and Ticats clash on Saturday afternoon.
Ottawa looks for another win at home next Friday night against the Ticats. The Als, meanwhile, return home for a pivotal Sunday afternoon battle against the Toronto Argonauts, in a game that could be for first in the East (tickets are available here).
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