Alouettes finally get their offence in gear, pull off second-half comeback to down Ticats 38-31
The Montreal Alouettes finally discovered their offence in the second half Sunday, and it helped them to a 38-31 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats that might just prove a catalyst to improve their season. The Alouettes had been struggling offensively all year, and were last in the league in offensive yards (258.0 per game), gain per pass (5.6 yards), passing yards per game (191.6) and completion percentage (50.0 per cent) heading into last week's clash with Ottawa, where they were a little better but not significantly (and were playing the league's worst team). Their offensive struggles continued in the first half Sunday, where they posted just seven points (and those came from a defensive touchdown). However, Jonathon Crompton and the offence got going in the second half, leading Montreal to an impressive comeback from a 21-7 halftime deficit, and that may bode well for their season.
The Alouettes' offensive totals on the day still weren't great. Crompton finished with just 206 passing yards, one touchdown and one interception, and Brandon Whitaker had just 28 rushing yards on eight carries (a lousy average of 3.5 yards per rush). However, Crompton's 66.7 per cent completion rate was encouraging, especially as Montreal's been so bad in that metric this year. Adjusting to the CFL's different rules and features can be difficult, especially for quarterbacks, and Crompton's only in his second year in the league (and hadn't received much playing time before the last couple of weeks). In the second half, he looked like he was starting to figure things out, though, particularly on a five-play, 95-yard touchdown drive that featured big passes to Chad Johnson and Duron Carter. If Crompton can build on this, the Alouettes' offence might become much more fearsome down the stretch.
Of course, this win wasn't just about the Montreal offence. Their defence also came up with huge plays, including an early fumble return for a touchdown by Winston Venable and a 44-yard interception and return from Billy Parker in the second half that set the offence up for an easy touchdown. James Rodgers had a massive 82-yard punt return for a touchdown as well. The Tiger-Cats' offence also went into full struggle mode after the break, at one point posting six consecutive two-and-outs. Still, this was an encouraging win for the Alouettes, and the signs of offensive life were a big part of that.
The win only improves Montreal's record to 3-6, but thanks to the East Division's struggles this year, that's good enough to put them into a tie for first place. Their season's far from over, and with Hamilton and Toronto both showing weakness in recent weeks, the division may well be up for grabs. The Alouettes' early-season offensive struggles made it difficult to consider them as a real contender, and one game shouldn't entirely change that (especially when their offensive totals still weren't great overall), but the most problematic aspect of their team, quarterback play, improved markedly in the second half Sunday. If they can maintain and improve on that, happier days may be ahead in Montreal.