Greg Bell ran for 156 yards and one touchdown on 20 carries as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats defeated the Montreal Alouettes 26-9 on Saturday.

Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell ran for another touchdown as Hamilton (7-5) snapped a three-game losing streak and moved four points ahead of Montreal (5-7) for top spot in the CFL’s East Division.

Meanwhile, the Alouettes lost their fifth consecutive game in front of a home crowd of 20,612 at Percival Molson Stadium. 

The Ticats’ defence held strong throughout the game, and Hamilton outgained the Alouettes 419-220 in net yards. 

It was the first win in Montreal for Hamilton since Aug. 27, 2021, and the visitors swept the two-game season series.

Hamilton’s promising opening drive ended abruptly when Ciante Evans forced a Bell fumble at the Montreal one-yard line that was recovered by the Alouettes, keeping the Ticats off the board.

Later in the quarter, Lorenzo Burns, who also recovered the Bell fumble, intercepted Mitchell and returned it 44 yards to the Hamilton 25. The turnover led to the game’s first points, as Jose Maltos Diaz hit a 19-yard field goal to make it 3-0 Montreal with 2:09 remaining.

The Ticats had 144 yards of offence in the opening quarter, but no points to show for it. They finally got on the board at 1:06 of the second quarter when Marc Liegghio hit a 44-yard field goal to even the game.

Hamilton benefited from a turnover when Montreal quarterback James Morgan fumbled the ball on the ensuing drive.

A 42-yard run on a reverse by Tim White led to Liegghio’s second field goal of the game, a 27-yard attempt with 6:21 remaining in the first half. 

The teams traded field goals again as Maltos Diaz hit a 48-yard field goal before the three-minute warning.

Hamilton took a 13-6 lead on an eight-play, 70-yard drive ending with a 14-yard touchdown run by Mitchell with 20 seconds remaining. 

The Alouettes managed to cut into the lead before the end of the half, when a 47-yard kickoff return by James Letcher Jr. led to a 48-yard field goal by Maltos-Diaz to make it 13-9.

The Ticats extended their lead with 10:49 remaining in the third quarter with Liegghio’s third field goal of the game, from 48 yards, to make it a 16-9 game.

In the fourth quarter, Montreal changed quarterbacks. Cameron Dukes replaced Morgan for one drive, throwing one pass, before Morgan returned to finish the game.

In Morgan’s first drive back in the game, he was hit as he threw a pass that was intercepted by Jamal Peters. A return and two Montreal penalties on the play moved the ball to the two-yard line, leading to a Bell touchdown to make the score 23-9 in favour of the visitors with 4:40 remaining.

Morgan, making his second start, finished the game 17-of-27 passing for 138 yards and one interception, most of it coming late in the fourth quarter with the game out of reach. A fumble with just over two minutes remaining ended all hope for the Alouettes. 

Liegghio added his fourth field goal from 33 yards out with 49 seconds left in the game after the turnover.

Tiger-Cats: Host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday.

Alouettes: Visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders next Saturday.