Alouettes late return offer falls short in road loss to Tiger-Cats

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HAMILTON — It was too little too late for the Alouettes.

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A fourth-quarter comeback from Montreal fell short Thursday night as the Als lost 24-17 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before 20,932 at Tim Hortons Field.

The Ticats, known for their meltdowns in the second half of this season, were outscored 11-0 in the final period. The Als headed to Hamilton 21 before Dominique Davis was intercepted on the final play of the game.

Trevor Harris passed four yards to Hergy Mayala for the Als’ only touchdown, while David Côté added three field goals. Hamilton’s touchdowns were scored by Don Jackson on a scramble, Steven Dunbar, on a 40-yard run, and third-row quarterback Jamie Newman on a scramble. Seth Small added a field goal.

Both teams have 2-5 records.

The Als, as is their custom, started off slow in attack despite having the wind advantage in the first quarter. They also quickly discovered that they were not going to get any favors from the referee team.

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On the Ticats’ opening possession, Dave Evans completed a pass to Tim White. Former Ticat Tyrice Beverette forced a fumble that was recovered by defensive back Wes Sutton. Following a video review, the pass was ruled incomplete, although it appeared to be an obvious fumble.

A 39-yard punt return by Chandler Worthy, usually Montreal’s best player, put the Als in scoring position. But the visitors couldn’t get the ball into the end zone, settling for Côté’s 16-yard field goal at 14:30.

A nine-yard pass to Eugene Lewis on the drive that would have put the ball at Hamilton’s three-yard line was successfully challenged; the work was ruled incomplete.

The Ticats then went on a five-play, 70-yard drive with Matt Shiltz, the former Alouette, at quarterback. He rushed for a 30-yard gain; the Ticats gain more yards after an unnecessary roughness penalty against Beverette. Shiltz then passed 17 yards to Jackson, putting the ball inside the Montreal 10-yard line.

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Three plays later, on third-and-goal, Newman scored on a one-yard run with no tackle at 1:39.

Côté cut the deficit to one point after a 44-yard field goal into the wind at 5:52.

Small’s 30-yard field goal at 14:17 gave Hamilton a 10-6 lead before Côté’s 51-yard field goal attempt into the wind just before intermission fell short.

Although the Als had the wind advantage again in the third quarter, the visitors were outscored 14-0 in the period.

Following a two-and-out from Montreal, the Ticats engineered a six-play, 90-yard drive that included a 21-yard pass to Evans’ Kiondre Smith, along with a 16-yard run by Sean Thomas-Erlington.

On the next play, Evans connected with Dunbar for a 40-yard touchdown pass and run at 5:10, the wide receiver completed a nice inside/outside move to elude Montreal defenders.

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After another two-and-out in Montreal, in which the visitors unsuccessfully challenged what appeared to be a blatant pass interference penalty against Jumal Rolle, the Ticats produced their second touchdown of the quarter on Jackson’s 2-yard run at 10:06, giving Hamilton a 24-6 lead.

The Als, however, fought their way back into the game, against the wind, in the fourth quarter. It started with a fake punt by Joseph Zema that produced a 21-yard gain to Hamilton’s 36-yard line. That eventually resulted in a 17-yard field goal by Côté at 1:41.

Then, after Mike Jones forced a Dunbar fumble that was recovered by Marc-Antoine Dequoy, the Als generated an eight-play, 87-yard drive, culminating in a 4-yard touchdown pass from Harris to Mayala at 8:41. Jeshrun Antwi ran for the two-point conversion, pulling Montreal within a touchdown at 24-17.

Tyson Philpot’s 57-yard punt return put the Als in scoring position, but on a third-and-10 play from Hamilton’s 27-yard line with 2:23 remaining, Harris stopped short and gained six yards. .

Montreal entertains Winnipeg next Thursday night.

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