MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes' defence bounced back in a big way on Monday.
After conceding 37 points in a loss to the Toronto Argonauts before their bye week, the league-leading Alouettes held the Ottawa Redblacks without a touchdown in a 19-12 Thanksgiving win.
"The defence is the heart of our team,” defensive back Wesley Sutton said. “We tried to come out and do our job. We're a very physical defence. We are the No. 1 defence in this league, we believe that, and we just had to come out today and showcase it.”
Montreal (12-3-1) swept Ottawa (8-7-1) for the second consecutive season, earning an eighth straight win against its East Division rival on a dreary, 8 C day at Molson Stadium.
Sutton made two crucial plays in the second half. The 2022 CFL all-star knocked down an end-zone pass to Andre Miller in the third quarter before intercepting Ottawa quarterback Jeremiah Masoli in the fourth.
"He comes to work every single day ready to play. He's a calming influence back there, but he is relentless as a ball player,” Alouettes head coach Jason Maas said. “He's one of the first guys I talked to when I got this job, and I said if we have everyone that thinks like him and plays like him, we're going to be very good."
Montreal QB Davis Alexander finished 14-of-24 passing for 208 yards, one interception and one rushing touchdown in his first start since Aug. 17.
Grey Cup MVP Cody Fajardo was absent after his wife gave birth to their second son, Cian, back home in Nevada on Wednesday.
Ottawa held Montreal to six second-half points but dug itself into a hole with a lack of discipline in its fourth straight loss. The Redblacks committed 11 penalties for 117 yards — including 10 for 107 in the first half alone.
"We got to do better as players,” Masoli said. “We got to be more consistent, be selfless out there while we're going. I know you get caught up in the moment, but we got to play smarter.
“When we get in these playoffs, we can't afford any of that stuff.”
Masoli was 19-of-34 for 216 yards and one pick. Backup Dustin Crum also took reps with starter Dru Brown still nursing an ankle injury. Top receiver Justin Hardy was also out with an ankle ailment.
The playoff-bound Redblacks failed to regain second place in the East after Toronto beat Winnipeg on Friday. They’ll need a road win on Saturday against the Argonauts to keep their hopes of hosting the East semifinal alive.
“We got to correct things that we've had errors with, but look forward to the opportunity that we have,” Redblacks head coach Bob Dyce said. “It's a short week. We go into Toronto and take care of our business.”
Montreal’s Jose Maltos went 4-for-4 on field goals, including a 47-yarder in the fourth quarter. Ottawa’s Lewis Ward was 4-for-4, setting a new single-season high in field goals with 52.
Maltos put the Alouettes up 16-9 to start the fourth quarter. On the ensuing drive, Sutton intercepted a missed throw by Masoli at the Montreal 17.
Alexander then connected with receiver Austin Mack on a 50-yard pass, leading to another Maltos field goal.
The Redblacks made it 19-12 with three minutes remaining. Ottawa had the ball again in the final minutes, but Montreal forced a turnover on downs with 45 seconds left to ice the game.
In the third quarter, Ottawa reached the red zone twice but settled for field goals both times. Receiver Nick Mardner got the Redblacks to the two-yard line before taking a 10-yard penalty for throwing the ball at Montreal’s players after a tackle.
That's when Masoli threw into the end zone for Miller, only for Sutton to come up big.
"We would have liked to finish with touchdowns, but at the end of the day a lot of penalties are things that you can control,” Dyce said. "They can't be selfish things, and that's the thing that bothers me is — people talking to you at this time of year, what are words, right?
"You got to make sure and be bigger than that.”
The Alouettes opened the scoring eight minutes into the first quarter with a Maltos kick from 32 yards.
Five minutes later, Montreal’s Antonio Moultrie blocked Ward’s 34-yard attempt to keep the Redblacks off the board.
Helped by two Ottawa penalties, Alexander rushed nine yards into the end zone at 13:29 of the second quarter to cap a seven-play, 66-yard drive.
Alexander was hit hard twice later in the half before getting sacked and fumbling the ball, although Montreal recovered. He threw an interception straight into the hands of Damon Webb on the next drive.
UP NEXT
Alouettes: Visit the BC Lions on Saturday.
Redblacks: Visit the Argonauts on Saturday.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 14, 2024.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press