(Hamilton) The Alouettes didn’t want this to be a quarterback story. All week, with another game without Cody Fajardo looming, they tried to shift the focus to the win they had to get in Hamilton.
This win against the poor Tiger-Cats, a seventh in eight games for the Birds this season, was not particularly difficult. But few spectators will talk about the 33-16 score. It will rather be about… the quarterbacks.
First, there was Davis Alexander, who rose to the challenge of winning in his first start in a Montreal uniform – a rarity in the club’s recent history – and even more so in his first start in the Canadian League at all. But there was also, and above all, the fact that the same Alexander and his assistant Caleb Evans were both injured in the fourth quarter.
With just under seven minutes to go, and with the Alouettes up 20-8, Alexander was the victim of intentional helmet-to-helmet contact by defensive tackle Casey Sayles after an attempted pass. Sayles was penalized for excessive roughness, while Alexander was left on the ground for a long time, shaken. He was momentarily removed from the action, which gave Caleb Evans the opportunity to throw a touchdown pass to David Dallaire on his first possession.
Good news, Alexander was able to return to the game on the next offensive series. However, after he carried the ball for a first down 12 yards from the goal line, he again gave way to Evans, for no apparent reason – was he inconvenienced by his earlier injury? wondered the TV announcers and, with them, the spectators.
In any case, Evans’ second appearance was less fortunate than his first. Having also decided to carry the ball to gain ground, he appeared to injure himself before being tackled, possibly because his shoe had gotten stuck in the artificial surface. In pain, he held his knee for a long time afterwards, and teammates had to carry him to the sidelines.
Alexander was back in action, while James Morgan, the fourth-ranked quarterback in the organization, began throwing balls. He was not called up in relief, however.
The quarterback file could therefore become seriously complicated for the Alouettes if Alexander and Evans were to be kept in the infirmary. Because Cody Fajardo, even if his name was removed from the injured list for six games last week, has trained little, if at all, in recent days. The Alouettes’ general of attack fell in combat on July 11, with a hamstring injury.
Damage
The outcome could be all the sadder for Davis Alexander because he looked so good in his baptism of fire.
He had set the bar high last week by delivering a masterful performance in relief of Caleb Evans, orchestrating a comeback by the Alouettes which earned him this famous first start.
Friday didn’t exactly start well for him. After fifteen minutes and a bit of play, he dropped a ball and then threw an interception that turned into a touchdown for the home team. He seemed nervous, sometimes hesitant, sometimes impulsive.
However, he regained his composure, his patience and, above all, his arm, reaching Charleston Rambo and Tyson Philpot with ease. He concluded this first professional start with 262 yards through the air and a touchdown pass. We should know more at the beginning of the week on his state of health.
It’s just as sad for Evans, who showed a lot of character by throwing a touchdown pass right out of the gate, after nothing was working for him last week, to the point of being outplayed by Alexander.
The Sparrows’ offensive success, however, should not overshadow the superb performance of the defense, which, before a touchdown with less than three minutes to go, had essentially muzzled the Cats’ attack. The Cats were never even in a position to attempt a field goal – in fact, they did once, but a stupid procedural penalty forced them to retreat and settle for a move.
The two teams will meet again next Saturday in Montreal.
In short
It was the Alouettes’ first visit to Hamilton since they won the Grey Cup final there last November against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. The Ontario gem and its Tim Hortons stadium are definitely popular with Montrealers, who haven’t lost a game there in more than two years.
David Dallaire’s touchdown was his first in the Canadian Football League. After he made it into the end zone, his teammates rushed to celebrate his accomplishment. Identified as a fullback, this former Laval Rouge et Or has never carried the ball this season, but the pass caught was his fifth of the campaign.