Photos credit : Dominick Gravel
There was only one possible scenario in this game for our Alouettes: Victory was not simply hoped for, it was mandatory. Kavis Reed’s squad knew it was all or nothing on this rainy Monday afternoon at home.
The pressure was certainly high, and it was a tight battle right up until the fourth quarter. But having to play catch-up, even in the CFL, is risky. And today, unfortunately, the Als came up short.
The excitement didn’t end there. It was then the defence’s turn to shine when Branden Dozier caused a fumble by jarring the ball loose from Eskimo running back C.J. Gable, with teammate Brandon Stewart recovering and racing 55 yards to the end zone for the second Alouettes touchdown of the game.
The Alouettes led 12 – 0 four minutes into the game, and it seemed clear that the team was ready to fight the biggest battle of their season. With 5:47 left in the first quarter, Boris Bede kicked his first field goal of the afternoon, increasing the lead (which at the time we thought was a comfortable one) to 15.
On the plays that led to Bede’s three points – a 40-yard punt return by Stefan Logan, a spectacular catch by T.J. Graham on a 12-yard pass from Drew Willy, a 17-yard dash by Sutton – the never-say-die spirit that we wanted to see was on full display.
However, Edmonton kept possession for the rest of the first quarter, and after an offensive series that lasted more than five-and-a-half minutes, Gable, who was not done for the day, opened the scoring for the Eskies. It was 15 – 7 after an entertaining first quarter.
The key going forward? “We need to start thinking about the future now because the future started today, the moment this game ended,” Reed said. And what did he think about players like John Bowman, who was very emotional on the sidelines after the game? “We need more players like him. Guys who have passion and fire.”
Next Game
Credits:
Montrealalouettes.com // Dominick Gravel