Roughriders 13 — Alouettes 37 | A crushing victory with a Quebec flavor

Playing their first local game on the evening of June 23, the Alouettes got the contribution of several Quebec players in their 37-13 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders. A victory they badly needed after the two heartbreaking defeats they suffered to start their season.

Miguel Bujold
The Press

Khari Jones’ team played a near-perfect game on Thursday night. She led 37-6 before a late touchdown with no impact from the visitors.

The special teams set the tone; Trevor Harris and the offense did the right thing and made no major mistakes; and the defense was dominant with eight sacks and three interceptions. In short, the 16,027 spectators had a great evening despite the gloomy weather.

It should now be clear: the Alouettes still want to play for Jones.

“It’s always a great feeling to win a victory. We got an excellent effort from all our players against a very good opponent. I hope our players saw the kind of team we could form,” commented Jones, who could hardly have wished for a better start for his team.

On the very first play, return specialist Chandler Worthy beat the Roughriders cover team for an 88-yard touchdown. Worthy, who replaces regular returner Mario Alford with an abdominal injury, was brilliant, totaling 205 yards on seven returns. Note that a penalty nullified a second touchdown from Worthy, a 73-yard play…

Another special teams player stood out: David Côté. A week after missing a 21-yard field goal that cost his team the victory, the Quebecer was perfect, hitting the mark on his five field goal attempts. Ironically, his first of the night went 21 yards…

Like the special teams, the Montreal defense shone and gave quarterback Cody Fajardo a tough night, who completed 17 of 28 passes for 191 yards and 2 interceptions. It was his reserve Mason Fine who launched the third.

In his third CFL start, Marc-Antoine Dequoy had his first career interception and touchdown, a 21-yard play that made it 30-6. With a few minutes to play in the third quarter, there was no longer any doubt that it was the night of the Alouettes.

“We played at the level we are capable of. Our fans were amazing and it’s a win that feels good. It boosts morale. We were due for this victory, ”commented Dequoy, smiling toothily.

“It was on the bench that I fully realized that I had just scored a touchdown, after receiving 18 taps on the helmet! »

Another young defensive player from Quebec stood out. In his first career start, Brian Harelimana, a former Carabins, had two sacks. The Lavallois replaced Chris Ackie, injured in an ankle. Ackie came to congratulate Harelimana on the field at the end of the game.

“We knew we had the team to play this way. There is a lot of pride in our locker room. I knew I could make big plays in this league, but I still have things to learn,” said Harelimana.

All of Barron Miles’ defense played well, but especially Almondo Sewell and Michael Wakefield, who had two sacks apiece, and Najee Murray, who had his first interception of the season on his first start.

Curiously, the Alouettes scored 37 points, but only one touchdown on offense, that of Kaion Julien-Grant. The Canadian receiver caught a long pass from Trevor Harris for a 70-yard major.

Harris used every player at his disposal, with eight of them catching at least one pass. He completed 16 of 22 passes for 262 yards. Above all, he was not responsible for any reversal.

“He gives us a lot of confidence. He has 10 years of experience in this league and he is a quality quarterback. He makes good decisions and he protected the ball well tonight,” Jones summed up.

“We will have to face this team again, this time in Regina [le 2 juillet], where it’s never easy to play. The best teams are capable of winning multiple games in a row,” Harris recalled.