TORONTO — A little trickery and nerves of steel from head coach Jason Maas earned the Montreal Alouettes a record-setting victory Friday night.
Backup quarterback Caleb Evans threw a TD pass and ran for another as Montreal (4-0) earned a 30-20 road win over the Toronto Argonauts. Evans' one-yard touchdown run at 9:15 of the fourth put the Alouettes ahead 30-12, but it was Mass's bold third-down gamble in the third quarter that effectively delivered the game's knockout blow.
Facing third-and-short, Evans appeared set to run for the first down. Instead, he lofted a pass to Cole Spieker, who completed the 44-yard scoring play at 9:20 to put the Alouettes ahead 23-9 before 11,165 fans at BMO Field.
"To have a coach that's fierce, who wants to lead and isn't afraid of the moment resonates with the guys," Evans said. "As a team we're not afraid of the moment, we're ready for the opportunity.
"I told Cole, 'Be ready for it,' and he smiled at me. When you get that confidence from your guys, you're like, 'Let's execute it.'"
On the same drive with Montreal facing second-and-20, running back Jeshrun Antwi hauled in a Cody Fajardo pass, then did an open-field kick. He recovered it to give the Als a fresh set of downs at their 47-yard line.
"That was a big drive, a big momentum swing in the game," Mass said. "Football is based on momentum … that play was an integral moment in the game.
"We play well with a lead and I'm very proud of the guys."
Montreal earned a team-record ninth straight regular-season victory and also extended its overall CFL win streak to 12 games that includes last year's playoff and Grey Cup wins. Three of the Alouettes victories this season have come on the road.
"We prepare to win each week and I think that's what defines our team," Maas said. "Our team works like no other I've been a part of.
"When you go out there, you expect your preparation to pay off … we know they're going to be tough, grind-out games, that's how the CFL is. You've got to be on every game and every play and our guys are willing to do that."
Fajardo finished 33-of-41 passing for 284 yards with a touchdown and interception.
Toronto (2-1) suffered its first home loss in 12 regular-season games. The Argos are the last team to beat Montreal with a 23-20 victory on Sept. 15, a span of 287 days.
But on Friday night all they could muster offensively was Makai Polk's 40-yard touchdown catch — and Daniel Adeboboye's two-point convert — with a minute to play. Toronto did itself no favours with 11 penalties for 120 yards.
Toronto starter Cameron Dukes was 22-of-32 passing for 199 yards and threw his first interception of the season. Backup Bryan Scott completed all five passes he attempted for 79 yards and the TD.
"Too many penalties," said Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie. "We just didn't play winning football tonight … we had too many mistakes on offence.
"I could've given our quarterback better opportunities to throw the ball. It's unfortunate, we never want to put on that performance in front of our crowd at home, but I think we have a lot to learn from."
Tyson Philpot scored Montreal's other touchdown. David Cote added three converts and three field goals.
Toronto's Lirim Hajrullahu kicked four field goals.
Hajrullahu cut Toronto's deficit to 23-12 with a 23-yard field goal at 12:31 of the third. Hajrullahu pulled Toronto to within 16-9 with a 40-yard field goal at 5:35.
Cote connected from 21 yards out at 3:35 to extend Montreal's lead to 16-6. The 56-yard, eight-play drive was aided by face mask and roughing-the-passer penalties against Toronto.
Cote's 10-yard field goal at 14:55 of the second gave Montreal its 13-6 halftime lead. The 52-yard, eight-play drive was set up by James Letcher Jr.'s 43-yard punt return to Toronto's 54-yard line with 2:11 remaining.
Cote put Montreal ahead 10-6 with a 38-yard boot at 9:49.
Hajrullahu's 21-yard field goal to end the first cut Montreal's lead to 7-6. But Toronto settled for three after guard Ryan Hunter's illegal procedure penalty with the Argos going for it on third-and-four inside the Alouettes' 10-yard line.
Fajardo put Montreal ahead 7-3 with a 38-yard TD strike to Philpot at 9:23.
Hajrullahu's 26-yard field goal opened the scoring at 6:21. It was set up by Toronto's defence stopping Evans on third-and-one at the Alouettes' 41-yard line.
ARGOS HONOUR TEAM GREATS
At halftime, former quarterback Ricky Ray was inducted as an all-time Argo. Former coach/executive Lew Hayman, Canadian linebacker/broadcaster Peter Martin and head coach/GM Bob O'Billovich were honoured as all-time Argo builders.
UP NEXT
The Argo travel to Regina on Thursday to play the Saskatchewan Roughriders (3-0).
The Alouettes host the Calgary Stampeders on July 6.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 28, 2024.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
