Alouettes fail to capitalize on opportunities against Blue Bombers in loss

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For nearly 41 minutes, the Alouettes kept pace with the mighty Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

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But then the inevitable happened and, once again, Montreal failed to finish a game this season. The end result was a 35-20 Bombers victory Thursday night before a season-high 17,093 fans at Molson Stadium. The two-time defending Gray Cup champions remain undefeated (9-0), while Als’ record dropped to 2-6 heading into the second leg next Thursday in Winnipeg.

The Als are now 1-3 under GM and interim head coach Danny Maciocia, the same record that resulted in the firing of Khari Jones last month.

The Als were limited to two touchdowns, scored by rookie Tyson Philpot and one in the final minute of the game by Reggie White Jr., along with two field goals by David Côté. Zach Collaros passed for two touchdowns, to Dalton Schoen and Rasheed Bailey. Third-row center Dakota Prukop scored on a 1-yard run, while Janarion Grant returned a punt 57 yards before Brady Oliveira added a late touchdown on a 6-yard run.

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The Als were outscored 21-6 in the fourth quarter.

Montreal’s defense created the first turnover and it came on Collaros’ first pass, when his shot up the middle was intercepted by Wes Sutton, giving the Als a first down at Winnipeg 27.

Although the Als generated a first down, they had to settle for a 24-yard field goal from Côté to open the scoring at 3:51.

Montreal was losing the battle for field position in the first quarter, but was playing hard with the Bombers nonetheless. And the Als defense generated a second turnover of the period when linebacker Adarius Pickett forced Collaros to fumble. The ball was recovered by lineman Nick Usher at the Winnipeg 40.

The Als eventually advanced inside the Bombers’ 10-yard line, but on third-and-goal, Maciocia chose to bet from the six-yard line rather than settle for a chip shot field goal. Eugene Lewis caught the pass in the corner of the end zone, but the reception was ruled out of bounds.

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The turnover provided the visitors with some momentum and Winnipeg generated an incredible eight-play, 104-yard drive to take the lead.

After Oliveira gained 13 yards, Collaros connected with him for a 35-yard pass play, moving the ball to midfield. A pass interference penalty against cornerback Rodney Randle Jr. gave the Bombers a first down inside the 10-yard line. Two plays later, Collaros passed Schoen nine yards for the touchdown at 7:17. Randle was defeated on the play.

There was no additional score at the break, although Murray intercepted a pass from Collaros that went wide. Murray and Collaros hail from Steubenville, Ohio. In fact, Murray, five years younger, was the water boy on the high school team Collaros led to back-to-back championships, going undefeated for two seasons.

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Montreal was limited to five first downs at the half and generated just 77 net yards of offense.

The Als have struggled to score in the third quarter this season, but have finally reversed that trend. Côté kicked a 49-yard field goal, tying the longest this season, at 3:17 of the third quarter, bringing the Als within a point, 7-6.

But the Bombers then spawned an 11-play, 70-yard touchdown drive, one in which Tyrice Beverette was penalized for roughing and Mike Moore was assessed a cumulative foul, denying a Winnipeg field goal. With a breather, Collaros passed Bailey five yards for the major at 8:34 and a 14-6 lead.

But Philpot returned the ensuing kickoff 60 yards to the Winnipeg 37. Three plays later, he caught a pass from Harris for a 15-yard touchdown at 10:14. Backup quarterback Dominique Davis ran the ball for the two-point conversion, leaving the teams tied 14-14.

After Côté hit the right post on a 50-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter, the Bombers produced a nine-play, 85-yard drive capped by Prukop’s one-yard run on third-and-goal. The trip consumed a little over five minutes.

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