If the Alouettes reach the Gray Cup game next month, Danny Maciocia’s decision to acquire Trevor Harris from the Edmonton Elks will likely be seen as a masterstroke. On his second start with the Birds on Saturday afternoon at Percival-Molson Stadium, Harris put in an impeccable performance, even though he didn’t rack up many yards.
We will never know if they would have managed to do the same against Zach Collaros and the Blue Bombers A team, but the fact remains that the Alouettes ended the Manitobans’ nine-game winning streak, a game played mostly. in the rain in front of 12,605 spectators. By winning, 28-14, the Alouettes kept their hopes of finishing second in the East Division, which would allow them to play their semi-final against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at home on November 28.
Consult the match summary
To do so, however, the Als will have to defeat the Ottawa Rouge et Noir next Friday and hope for a loss for the Tiger-Cats to the Saskatchewan Roughriders the next day. The Toronto Argonauts are sure to finish first in the division and face the winner of the Alouettes-Tiger-Cats game in the Eastern Final on December 5 in Toronto.
On Saturday, Harris notably demonstrated a great bond with Eugene Lewis, who scored two of the Alouettes’ three touchdowns. It was his eighth and ninth of the season, which saw him equal his teammate Jake Wieneke for first place on the circuit. Harris threw his third touchdown pass to rookie Reggie White Jr.
PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Eugene lewis
“These two players are in the process of developing a pretty special chemistry. Their two touchdowns were very impressive, ”said head coach Khari Jones of Harris and Lewis.
“Trevor was really good today (Saturday). He made great passes and only Geno (Lewis) could catch the ball on these two touchdowns. ”
As a passer, the Alouettes haven’t had a Harris-caliber quarterback since Anthony Calvillo. The Als’ new starter completed 18 of 25 passes (72%) for 144 yards, 3 touchdowns and no interceptions.
“We won the match. There are still things to correct and improve, and I have to continue to familiarize myself with the team, ”commented Harris, who gave credit to Lewis for the two touchdowns.
PHOTO GRAHAM HUGHES, THE CANADIAN PRESS
Trevor Harris (17) throws a pass to Christophe Normand
“Is there a better receiver than him in the league right now? Our team depends a lot on him. ”
After scoring the first of his two majors, Lewis handed the ball to one of his good friends in the stands. “We’ve known each other since the seventh year and we’ve been through many things together. I’m happy that I was able to give him the ball and that he was able to experience it, ”said Lewis.
Interceptions Festival
The replacement for Collaros, who had been given a day off, had a hard day’s work. Poor Sean McGuire only hit the target 11 times in 27 passing attempts and threw four interceptions, games made by Najee Murray, Ahmad Thomas, Chris Ackie and Greg Reid.
Even though Collaros and several of the Blue Bombers’ top players weren’t in uniform, Jones was happy with the performance of every unit on his team.
“It doesn’t matter which of their players were absent, I think we played a very good game. With the exception of the first game of the game (a fumble by “turner” Adarius Pickett) our special teams have been excellent. Our defense did what it had to and our attack was opportunistic near the end zone. ”
If we want to look for lice, note that the Alouettes offensive line has allowed three sacks. On his first CFL start, right tackle Nick Callender was caught on two of those three sacks.
“A lot of our linemen weren’t playing at their usual position so I think our lineman’s play was solid under the circumstances. We gave a little more sacks and pressure than we would have liked, but our line did a good job, ”said Jones.
When you consider that the Alouettes dominated the possession time 39:14 to 20:46, it’s hard to argue with the head coach.
Eastern semi-final
The Alouettes are 3-3 at home and 4-3 on opposing fields this season. If the Tiger-Cats win next Saturday, the Als will face them in Hamilton in the Eastern semifinals in two weeks. Even if they would be confident in the skin of the visitors, the Montrealers would prefer to play at Percival-Molson Stadium.
“I love our fans and would love to play the game in our nest. That said, you don’t mind playing anywhere, anytime, rain or shine, ”said Lewis.
“I would prefer to play in Montreal and that is why we will approach our next game with the firm intention of winning it,” said Jones, who will therefore not offer any of his players time off against the Rouge et Noir. , Friday night.
Considering that the Alouettes haven’t had a week off since the September premiere – unlike the other eight CFL clubs – this is an option that could have been considered before the playoffs.