Photo courtesy: Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes headed to Calgary without franchise quarterback Davis Alexander. What seemed an unfair matchup ended in an upset 23-21 win thanks to some magic from their kicker, Jose Maltos.
Below are my thoughts on the game.
Jose, Jose, Jose
It is hard to ignore the game’s hero for the Als, as Jose Maltos connected on a franchise record 57-yard field goal to win it. The previous record was 54 yards and had been held since 1968. The Mexican kicker even had room to spare, which made it even more impressive.
Maltos has been growing in the organization since 2023. He waited for his turn on the practice roster, and since David Cote’s injury last season, he has been a steady presence for the team. He even added some power this past offseason.
Thursday, on a night when the Als’ offence only managed to score one touchdown, he was perfect on five field goal attempts for his team.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson delivers
When your starting quarterback is set to miss an extended amount of time, the only thing you can ask the backup to do is give your team a chance to win. That’s precisely what McLeod Bethel-Thompson did on Thursday night in Calgary.
It wasn’t a sexy performance, but for the Als right now, it’s the number of wins that matters. In the end, MBT finished 30-of-40 for 280 yards, one touchdown pass and one interception.
It didn’t start well for him. On his second drive, while he was escaping from the pocket, he threw a pass he should have never attempted that was intercepted by Adrian Greene. It gave life to the Stamps, who ended up scoring their first touchdown of the ball game.
However, Bethel-Thompson finished the half with long drives. He was accurate, and he evenly distributed the ball to his receivers. While Calgary’s offence went silent, MBT led the Als to a 14-13 lead after thirty minutes.
The third quarter was the complete opposite of the second. The Als only had the ball for five minutes, and MBT couldn’t manage to stay on the field. The home team retook the lead and seemed headed for the win.
But that’s where the San Francisco, Cal. native took the matter into his own hands. He was in full control from the pocket and, with a good mix of runs and passes, he drove down the field three times in the last quarter to give Maltos a chance to win the game.
“I’ve been hanging in there like a loose tooth in a bar fight,” he told RDS’ Didier Ormejuste after the game. “I love this team so much. What coach Maas has built here, just a beautiful place to be, and I’m just grateful to do my role, and to come up with a ‘dub’ was huge”.
Early chances missed
If you want to beat the CFL’s hottest team, you have to seize all opportunities that come your way. The Als certainly didn’t do that at the start of the game.
Montreal received the ball first and only managed to get a single first down. Bethel-Thompson missed Austin Mack and Cole Spieker on the drive. The defence still had a great field positioning and a shot at an interception, but Kabion Ento couldn’t put his hands on the ball. It gave a second chance for the Stamps to get out of trouble.
MBT followed with the critical interception described above that led to Calgary’s first touchdown.
The Als still won, but they need to start stronger in the upcoming weeks.
Other chances seized
My colleague, Ryan Ballantine, will elaborate more on this, I’m sure, but the Als took advantage of the Stamps’ injuries to key players to win the game.
It started early with Damien Alford. The standout rookie receiver from Montreal appeared to injure his right hamstring and didn’t return. Then, Adrian Greene got hit by MBT after intercepting the ball midway through the first quarter. He also didn’t return.
Vernon Adams Jr.’s suspected head injury after getting hit by Darnell Sankey and Tyrice Beverette late in the third quarter completely shifted the momentum of the game. PJ Walker never looked comfortable in relief and couldn’t build a single long drive. Although the Als were trailing at this point, they still seemed in control of their fate.
Those injuries to arguably the Stampeders’ three best players were a lucky break, for sure, but it’s part of the game. Montreal needed to take advantage of it, and they did.
Crazy enough, the Stamps still had a shot at winning with a field goal, but on second-and-two around midfield, head coach Dave Dickenson decided to pass instead of using running back Dedrick Mills, who completely dominated the Als’ front during the game. Montreal said thank you very much and closed the door.
The receiving corps responds
Wide receiver Tyson Philpot was also out for this game, and the rest of the receivers stepped up to help MBT. Five of them got more than 40 yards through the air.
It started with Austin Mack and Charleston Rambo, who caught crucial balls on second-and-long in the first half to extend drives. Whenever the Als’ quarterback was in trouble, they made themselves available.
Then, Tyler Snead stepped up in the fourth quarter with four catches for 55 yards to get the Als in field goal range. His routes were quick and precise.
Cole Spieker and Regis Cibasu also had good moments throughout the game.
End of game questionable calls
The referees didn’t have a significant impact on this game until the last two minutes. Austin Mack seemed to have caught a ball for a first down, but the referees judged that the pass was incomplete. After review by the command centre, the call on the field stood, and the Als were forced to attempt the field goal.
I still don’t understand why it wasn’t a catch. Mack controlled the ball, extended it for more yardage, and it only came out when he was down by contact. It should have been a catch and a first down.
Then, after the incredible Maltos field goal, the Stampeders were in a third-and-two situation with time winding down. Tyrice Beverette appeared to be offside, but the referees didn’t throw the flag. The play resulted in an incomplete pass that confirmed the Als’ win.
What’s next?
The Alouettes will face the Saskatchewan Roughriders at home on Saturday, August 2. The kickoff is slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT.