The Montreal Alouettes set up a critical two-game series against the Toronto Argonauts with a home victory on Thanksgiving Day.

Anthony Calvillo fired three touchdown passes to lead the Alouettes over Hamilton 27-19 in the afternoon matchup. Kerry Watkins was Calvillo’s main target, catching seven passes for 192 yards, including a touchdown.

Elijah Thurmon of the Alouettes beats Hamilton’s David Lofton for Montreal’s third touchdown on Monday.
(David Boily/Canadian Press)

It was an inconsistent performance from Montreal, which looked impressive over two quarters but fizzled offensively in the second.

The Alouettes’ defence then incurred a pair of personal fouls late in the game to give Hamilton a chance at tying the score deep in Montreal territory, but the Tiger-Cats lost the ball on downs.

“They haven’t given up all year — that’s one of the things that gives me hope for this team,” said Ticats coach Charlie Taaffe. “When we learn to stop making crucial mistakes that hurt us, we’ll be better.”

Montreal (7-7) remains tied with Toronto for second place in the CFL East division. The Alouettes and Argos will play the first of two consecutive games Friday night in Toronto.

Watkins and injured linebacker Tim Strickland questioned Montreal coach Jim Popp’s handling of the team this week, and there were reports of growing dissension.

“When you lose two or three in a row, things come up that look bigger than they are and are made into things bigger than they are,” said Popp, who spoke with Watkins this week to resolve their differences.

“Whatever’s been talked about in the past week, it’s not like Jim Popp doesn’t want Kerry Watkins on the team,” he said. “It’s never been that way. If that was the case, he wouldn’t have been there.”

Ticats in trouble

Quarterback Casey Printers ran for a touchdown, while Nick Setta added four field goals for Hamilton (2-12). The Ticats are 0-8 on the road this season and were essentially eliminated from the playoffs with the loss.

“They did a good job of scheming us up,” said Printers. “I missed a lot of key throws I want back, but it takes time to get that stuff right.”

Printers said Hamilton’s struggles won’t be resolved quickly.

“It’s going to be a process. We all want success right now and I want it too, but the reality is that it’s going to take time.”

Montreal struck on its second and third drives of the game to more than reply to Setta’s field goal, which opened the scoring for Hamilton.

Alouettes running back Jarrett Payton took a swing pass from Calvillo and went in from nine yards out. Payton set up his own score by gaining 35 yards on three carries during the drive.

After Hamilton went two-and-out on their next series, the Alouettes wasted little time in adding to the lead.

Watkins blew by Hamilton defender Dwight Anderson and was wide open for Calvillo’s pass, resulting in a 70-yard scoring play.

Davis Sanchez, in his first game for Montreal after missing most of the season with a knee injury, picked off an ill-advised Printers pass in Hamilton territory in the second.

Montreal capitalized on the turnover, with Calvillo connecting on an eight-yard scoring pass with Elijah Thurmon for a 21-3 lead.

Along with Sanchez, the Alouettes had Diamond Ferri (pancreatis) and Etienne Boulay (foot) back in the fold.

Hamilton was without star running back Jesse Lumsden, shut down for the season due to shoulder injuries.

Replacement Terry Caulley started to find room to roam in the second. Caulley rumbled for 44 yards to set up Hamilton’s first major, a one-yard plunge by Printers.

Caulley finished with 114 yards on 10 rushing attempts.

Als take halftime lead

Printers found Caulley and Jason Armstead for big gains late in the quarter to set up a Setta field goal to make it 22-13 for Montreal at the half.

Setta conceded a safety early in the third but added two more field goals to narrow the margin to five points. The second field goal was set up by a 42-yard Printers bomb to Armstead.

Montreal had reverted to its form early in the season, when the club had difficulty scoring in the second half of games.

The Alouettes were able to pad their lead with over four minutes left in the game with a short Damon Duval field goal. The drive’s key play featured Watkins breaking tackles for a 46-yard gain.

Calvillo finished 20 of 32 passing for 288 yards. The veteran quarterback has thrown for nearly 700 yards in two games since returning from a shoulder injury.

Printers, meanwhile, finished off an inconsistent day 15-for-39 for 228 touchdowns and two interceptions.

Montreal swept the season series with Hamilton this season, outscoring their opponents 83-48.

With files from the Canadian PressContinue Article

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Tags: Alouettes, Tiger-Cats

Posted on December 18th, 2006 by Klaus Roe
Filed under: Fun and Games, Question of Sport