Edmonton Eskimos 30 Montreal Alouettes 20 (October 21, 2006)
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0 commentsThe Montreal Alouettes were the ones with everything on the line Saturday, but it was the Edmonton Eskimos who played like it.
The Alouettes came out flat in front of their biggest crowd of the season Saturday in a 30-20 loss to the last-place Edmonton Eskimos, leaving 45,607 fans disappointed at Olympic Stadium.
The Alouettes (9-8) can still finish first in the East Division, despite losing eight of their last 10 games, if they beat the Toronto Argonauts (10-7) in Toronto in the season finale next Saturday.
Montreal is assured of securing at least a home playoff game if Winnipeg loses at home to Calgary later Saturday evening.
"These guys have everything to play for," Alouettes coach and general manager Jim Popp said of his players. "I feel very fortunate to sit here and say we're playing next week for a division championship, which is astonishing considering how our season has gone."
Running back Ron McClendon and quarterbacks Ricky Ray and Steven Jyles each had short touchdown runs for the Eskimos (6-11), who finish their first season out of the playoffs since 1971 at home on Friday night against Saskatchewan.
"Yes, we want to evaluate, but our number one objective is still to win the football game," Eskimos coach Danny Maciocia said of his use of McClendon, Jyles and other new players. "What a gritty performance by the whole club. I'm excited, I have a lot to look forward to. This hasn't been an easy year, but I couldn't find a better group that I want to be surrounded with."
Eskimos running back Troy Davis, who entered the game fourth in the CFL in rushing yards, sat out to give McClendon his shot at a career day. He torched the Alouettes for 198 yards on 25 carries, including 97 yards on 13 first-half carries the help the Eskimos take control of the game by halftime.
McClendon took some ribbing from his offensive line in the locker room for falling two yards short of a 200-yard game, and he was willing to take it because he credited that group with creating gaping holes for him to run through.
"What I did today was a reflection of those guys," McClendon said.
"Sometimes I just had to make one cut and I wasn't getting touched. It was awesome. I'm so excited not only for me, but for our team. I'll go out on a limb and say this, but if those guys come back together, it might be the best offensive line in the Canadian Football League."
Alouettes running back Robert Edwards entered the game just two yards ahead of Davis on the CFL rushing list, but he could not extend his lead as he sat out with sore ribs and was replaced by kick returner Avon Cobourne, who did not have nearly the same success as McClendon with 16 yards on only five carries.
Montreal's Damon Duval kicked field goals from 31 and 25 yards out in the first half, giving him 48 on 55 attempts this year to break Terry Baker's franchise record of 47.
Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo was erratic for much of the game and finished with two touchdown passes and an interception, though he threw for 342 yards on 28-for-50 passing.
"We knew that if we won this game we would have at least secured a home game, but we let that slip through our hands and now it's going to come down to the end in Toronto," Calvillo said. "So we have to get our act together, myself included."
The Eskimos took advantage of some undisciplined play by Montreal to take a 22-6 lead into halftime.
Montreal took three costly penalties, including a 15-yard facemask and a pass interference on second down to put the ball at the Montreal two yard-line, on Edmonton's opening drive to set up Ray's two-yard touchdown plunge at 6:02 of the first quarter.
"Those types of penalties you can't have," said Popp, whose team took 12 penalties for 115 yards. "We hurt ourselves today."
The Als responded with Duval's 31-yard field goal just before the end of the first quarter, but Ray led Edmonton down the field on the very next series to set up McClendon's two-yard touchdown dive at 4:59 of the second.
After Montreal went two-and-out, Jyles came in for Ray and finished a touchdown drive of his own with a one-yard sneak into the end zone at 9:45 of the second to put Edmonton ahead 21-3.
Duval's 25-yard field goal at 12:19 and a missed 34-yard field goal by Fleming for a single at 13:55 of the second made it 22-6.
The Alouettes opened the second half with Duval conceding a safety and Fleming followed that with a 14-yard field goal to extend Edmonton's lead to 27-6.
Calvillo got Montreal into the end zone when he found Kerry Watkins for a 12-yard touchdown catch at 11:36 of the third quarter, but the Alouettes offence sputtered in the fourth quarter.
Fleming added a 43-yard field goal late in the fourth and Calvillo found Ben Cahoon for a six-yard touchdown pass with just over a minute left to make it 30-20.
Notes: Edmonton quarterback Ricky Ray turns 27 on Sunday. The Alouettes are 1-2 since general manager Jim Popp took over as head coach after Don Matthews stepped down due to undisclosed health reasons. Calvillo has 19 touchdown passes this season, meaning he will assuredly finish with his lowest total since he threw for 16 majors in 15 games in 2001. That season marked the only time Calvillo threw fewer than 27 touchdowns since his first full season as a starter in 2000.
Scoring Summary
FIRST QUARTER
- EDM -- R. RAY Run (1 yds) - Touchdown (6:02)
- EDM -- S. FLEMING Convert - Convert(1) (6:12)
- MTL -- D. DUVAL Field Goal (31 yds) - Field Goal (14:41)
SECOND QUARTER
- EDM -- R. MCCLENDON Run (2 yds) - Touchdown (4:59)
- EDM -- S. FLEMING Convert - Convert(1) (10:11)
- EDM -- S. JYLES Run (1 yds) - Touchdown (9:45)
- EDM -- S. FLEMING Convert - Convert(1) (9:50)
- MTL -- D. DUVAL Field Goal (25 yds) - Field Goal (12:19)
- EDM -- S. FLEMING Missed Field Goal (46 yds) - Single (13:55)
THIRD QUARTER
- EDM -- S. FLEMING Field Goal (14 yds) - Field Goal (5:29)
- MTL -- A. CALVILLO Completed Pass to K. WATKINS (12 yds) - Touchdown (11:36)
- MTL -- D. DUVAL Convert - Convert(1) (11:49)
FOURTH QUARTER
- EDM -- S. FLEMING Field Goal (43 yds) - Field Goal (12:35)
- MTL -- A. CALVILLO Completed Pass to B. CAHOON (6 yds) - Touchdown (13:52)
- MTL -- D. DUVAL Convert - Convert(1) (13:52)
courtesy cfl.ca
Date
October 21, 2006
