Apart from his 56e birthday, Danny Maciocia had little to celebrate on Friday night. His team faced the Rouge et Noir, in Ottawa, in the first preseason game of the season. Despite the Alouettes’ 22-21 victory in extremis, the general manager would certainly have liked a more convincing performance from his team.
It took just over 51 minutes before the Rouge et Noir scored the first touchdown of the game. Prior to Daniel Oladejo’s catch in the end zone, every point had been scored through field goal kicks.
As for the Alouettes, they scored their first – and only – touchdown of the game with less than two minutes remaining in the game, courtesy of Quartney Davis.
Fortunately for the Alouettes, José Maltos was in great shape. The Mexican kicker scored his five field goals, including the last, to give victory to his team, at the same time as the end of the hourglass.
Like Rudy in the hit film of the same name, Maltos finished the encounter on his teammates’ shoulders with his fists in the air.
Yet this victory has very little value. In fact, it won’t affect the rest of the season. The Alouettes can, however, celebrate the fact of having knocked down a team that sent its A roster onto the field, while the Sparrows decided to dress team B, or even C.
Struggle for second
One thing is certain, barring a disaster, Cody Fajardo will be the starting quarterback on June 10 in the first game of the season. He was out of uniform on Friday so that the team’s three second-quarter candidates could be assessed.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Alouettes quarterback Caleb Evans (5)
Head coach Jason Maas started the match with Caleb Evans, a former Rouge et Noir. The 24-year-old quarterback had an unconvincing start. He had difficulty throwing passes quickly and his reading was poor on many plays.
Maas had mentioned before the meeting a possible rotation between the quarters during the match. However, it may have happened sooner than expected. After just two unsuccessful streaks, Evans was replaced by Davis Alexander. The latter had spent his first season in the CFL with the Als last year.
From his first sequences, Alexander showed more aggressiveness, will and commitment than his teammate, but rival for the evening. He was the most comfortable quarterback during the game.
Late in the game, it was he who sent the ball in the direction of Davis for the touchdown, thanks to a precise pass from 26 yards and an intelligent reading.
Late in the third quarter, Mike Glass III entered the game. The lowest quarter in the hierarchy, it was he who orchestrated the victorious comeback.
Listening to recipients
With the departure of Eugene Lewis during the free agent period, the Alouettes will have the heavy mandate to make up for the loss of one of the league’s most prolific receivers.
PHOTO SEAN KILPATRICK, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Wide receiver James Letcher Jr. (89) tries to break through the Redblacks defense.
With the signing of Greg Ellingson, the team has secured the services of a reliable receiver, but a bit of depth will certainly help the Montreal team’s cause.
Ellingson wasn’t in uniform, so it was an opportunity for the other receivers to woo the leaders. At first glance, all eyes were on Austin Mack. The former NFL player looked good, standing out for yardage after catch. It will certainly take more to completely reassure the Alouettes’ staff, but there is room for optimism in his case. Especially since his outfit since the start of the team’s camp in Trois-Rivières has been impeccable.
The other interesting case is that of Davis. With 87, Lewis’ old number, he may be playing with a little more pressure. One thing is certain, he can handle himself. His catch, very similar to what Lewis could do in the same uniform, as well as his layout on the sequence allowed him to shine.
The Alouettes’ offense will focus more on the ground game this season. That’s why it’s been hard for receivers to fully assert themselves.
By the way, there will still be a lot of work on Maas’ drawing board regarding the ground attack, as it was miserable in this first game, especially in the short win and first down attempts. The lack of cohesion between the players and the offensive line is undoubtedly to blame, but there is certainly a lot of progress to be made if Maas and his coaches are to deploy their strategy properly.
However, they will have the chance to resume next week, at Percival-Molson Stadium, when the majority of the team’s starting players should be on the field.