Big crowd sees Ottawa Redblacks stumble in loss to Montreal Alouettes

Published Sep 21, 2024  •  3 minute read

Montreal Alouettes defensive back Linden Stephens (30) tackles Ottawa Redblacks defensive back Dawson Pierre (30) during the first half of CFL football action in Ottawa, on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. Photo by Spencer Colby /THE CANADIAN PRESS

In front of the biggest crowd of the season at TD Place, the Ottawa Redblacks hit another significant speed bump Saturday afternoon.

And, as they head down the stretch toward the CFL playoffs, they’ve got to figure some things out real fast — like how do they light a fire under quarterback Dru Brown, who delivered another sub-par performance in a 24-12 loss to the Montreal Alouettes in front of 23,350 spectators?

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It was the Redblacks’ first loss of an impressive season at home, snapping their unbeaten streak at seven. But, on the heels of a 37-21 setback a week ago in Hamilton, the Redblacks had some concerning shortcomings Saturday — dropped passes and penalties among them.

But, mostly it was the turnovers. And that leads back to Brown, who threw a couple of interceptions on either bad reads or bad decisions; one of the picks was returned for a touchdown. Before departing late in the second quarter with what the team called an ankle injury, Brown completed 8-of-16 passes for 69 yards.

There’s no panic; the Redblacks have the second best record in the CFL, at 8-5-1, while the top-ranked Alouettes are at 11-2-1. But the Redblacks need to figure some things out.

Five minutes into the game, with Redblacks receiver Andre Miller stumbling to the ground, Brown threw the ball directly to Alouettes defensive back Dionte Ruffin, who ran 79 yards untouched for the touchdown. The convert by former Redblacks kicker Jose Maltos made it 7-0.

Brown made another big mistake on Ottawa’s next possession, throwing the ball into coverage in the middle of the field; it was intercepted by Geoffrey Cantin-Arku and Montreal took over on its 25-yard line.

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Montreal Alouettes running back Walter Fletcher (25) is tackled by Ottawa Redblacks defensive back Alijah McGhee (29) during the first half of CFL football action in Ottawa, on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. Photo by Spencer Colby /THE CANADIAN PRESS

An 18-yard Lewis Ward field goal made it 7-3 late in the first quarter.

On the first play of the second quarter, Montreal’s Joseph Zema boomed a towering 58-yard punt that went into the end zone for a single point.

A bit before the midway point of the second quarter, Ottawa defensive back Alijah McGhee was flagged for pass interference at the Ottawa 15-yard line. A Coach’s Challenge by Bob Dyce was unsuccessful, though you could make a good argument the CFL Command Centre whiffed on the decision. Three plays later Als QB Cody Fajardo fought his way into the end zone from the one-yard line. The convert missed and it was 14-3.

A 53-yard pass connection to Charleston Rambo got Montreal inside of Ottawa’s 10-yard line. Two plays later, Fajardo tossed a pass aimed at Tyler Snead near the back of the end zone. Montreal challenged the incompletion, but the CFL Command Centre stuck with the original ruling. A 17-yard field goal made it 17-3.

Jeremiah Masoli took over from Brown with less than four minutes left in the half, providing a spark. A 44-yard field goal by Ward made it 17-6.

Montreal Alouettes quarterback Cody Fajardo (7) is sacked by Ottawa Redblacks linebacker Tyron Vrede (46) during the first half of CFL football action in Ottawa, on Saturday, Sept. 21, 2024. Photo by Spencer Colby /THE CANADIAN PRESS

Sloppy tackling by the Redblacks allowed Montreal running back Walter Fletcher to run for 22 yards to the Ottawa three, with six seconds left in the half. On the final play, the Als took a 20-6 lead with a 13-yard field goal.

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Masoli got the Redblacks within nine points, lofting a 25-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hardy with 6:52 left in the third quarter. The two-point convert attempt failed.

A 59-yard punt return by James Letcher Jr. gave Montreal the ball on the Ottawa 18. A 30-yard field goal made it 24-12.

Set up by a nice 26-yard catch by Dominique Rhymes, the Redblacks gambled on third-and-five from the Montreal 25, but Khalan Laborn couldn’t hang onto a Masoli pass and Ottawa turned it over.

THE END AROUND: Up next for Ottawa is a game in Saskatchewan next Saturday. Following a bye week, the Redblacks close their regular season with games in Montreal and Toronto before closing at home vs. Hamilton … The Alouettes got what looked like a really generous spot to get a first down on a third-and-a-yard run by Fajardo late in the third quarter. Looked like he was short … Hardy made a terrific jumping catch, picking up 31 yards early in the fourth quarter … Brown should his his feet more. There were a couple of runs where he could have picked up chunks of yardage; take what you can get is sometimes the best option … The Alouettes did something pretty cool before the game; they lined up and did a semi-circuit of the stadium, greeting fans (some of whom had made the trip from Montreal … Gotta love any halftime show that involves jumping dogs catching frisbees.

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