ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
MONTREAL – Montreal. The Big O. Anthony Calvillo versus Ricky Ray for a chance to get to the 100th Grey Cup.
The Argos would start with the ball and East Division Most Outstanding Player Chad Owens would start the DoubleBlue off well with a solid return to the 40-yard line. After a first down throw to Chad Owens, the Als would strike with the first turnover of the game sacking Ricky Ray and forcing the ball loose. The Als would recover just outside Argos territory.
Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo would march the Als down the field but the Argos defence would pick up a huge stop in the red zone. They would sack Calvillo on second down and force the Also to come away with just a field goal. K/P Sean Whyte would make no mistake and the Alouettes would take a 3-0 lead.
| Related: Argos v. Als |
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After another strong kickoff return from Chad Owens on the Argos second series, the offence would get put in a third and short scenario. The short yardage unit would come in but QB Jarious Jackson would get stuffed on his line of scrimmage plunge. Argos turnover on downs.
Calvillo would march his team down the field helped by two huge runs by third string running back Chris Jennings. Jennings is starting in place of the injured Brandon Whitaker and Victor Anderson. Once in the red zone, Jennings would punch it in for the major. 10-0 Als early.
The Boatmen would finally get on the board on their third drive of the game. After a multi-play drive would find the Argos in the red zone, Alouettes safety Chip Cox would make a diving play on a ball to WR Maurice Mann. The ball would fall incomplete and the Argos would have to settle for the Swayze Waters chip shot field goal. 10-3 Als to end the first quarter.
With the ball in hand to start the second quarter the Argos would start their drive deep in their own territory. After a long completion to CFL leading receiver Chad Owens, the Argos would get stopped after another deep pass to Mann was broken up. Punter Noel Prefontiane’s punt would tumble into the end zone and the Als would concede a single. 10-4 Als to start the second quarter.
After some stalled drives by both teams, the Argos would find themselves in Als territory but be forced to punt after RB Chad Kackert was stopped on second down. However, an illegal substitution by the Als would result in a first down for the Argos n the Als 40-yard line. Ricky Ray would then find WR Dontrelle Inman on a deep throw to the one yard line. The Argos would get three chances to punch it in with Jackson and Kackert getting stopped on all three attempts after the coaching staff would elect to go for it on third down. Another Argos turnover on downs and the Als with the ball on their own one yard line.
The Als could get nothing going from their goal line and would eventually concede the safety to avoid punting out of their own end zone. 10-6 #Als still lead with three minutes left in the second quarter.
Prefontaine would add another single to bring the scoreline to 10-7 Montreal.
On the Alouettes next offensive posession, Montreal would take three plays to put seven points on the board. a 49-yard pass to S.J. Green, a pass interference call on Ahmad Carroll in the endzone, and a one yard touchdown plunge by Adrian McPherson put the Als back up by 10.
With one minute left in the half, the Ray and the offence would get the ball back. The offence would march the ball to the Alouettes 25-yard line, when Ray found Owens across the middle on a massive second down conversion to get the ball to the Als 15-yard line with 23 seconds to go. A penalty by then Alouettes put the Argos on the five yard line with ten seconds to go. An unsuccessful pass attempt by the Boatmen woud force a short FG by Swayze Waters.
It would be good from 12 yards out, and the Argos would go into the half with a 17-10 deficit on their hands.
After an Als drive would fizzle to start the second half, the Argos would take over deep in their own territory. However, on a quick slant catch Chad Owens would find a seem down the middle of the field and run to the Als goal line. Once there, the Argos would punch it in on a pass out in the flats to Dontrelle Inman. The game all tied up at 17.
On the next Als possession, LB Marcus Ball would continue his hot play of late with another playoff interception. Argos ball with a chance for their first lead of the game and they would make no mistake.
Ray would find Jason Barnes over the middle for a first down and that’s when the Kack Attack would take over. Looking bottled up, Kackert would find a hole, turn on the after burners and take off for the end zone. Argos 24-17.
The Double Blue D would get a stop on second down to force a Whyte punt on the next Als drive. However, the Als would put all their chips on the table and run a punt fake and Chip Cox would scamper out of the backfield for the first down. The gamble would pay off as the Als would get a field goal out of the drive. Start of the fourth quarter and the Argos lead cut to four.
The Argos would go two-and-out on their next drive and the Als would come back with a two and out of their own.
On the following possession, Swayze Waters would tack on another field goal to extend the Argos lead back to seven. The field goal was made possible by another long run up the middle by Chad Kackert.
That’s when the Argos defence would break through with another huge play as cornerback Pacino Horne would strip an Alouettes receiver. The play would be challenged but would hold up after review.
The Als would get the ball right back after SB Andre Durie would get stripped attempting to break a tackle for extra yardage.
Just when the Als would look primed to score, Marcus Ball would strike again. Picking off Calvillo for his second INT of the game and his third of the playoffs. Argos ball with 1:34 left to play in the game.
Following a two-and-out, the Argos would have to punt and give Calvillo the ball with just over a minute to play. He would find a receiver deep and set up his offence on the 25 yard line with 59 seconds left on the clock.
Calvillo would take his shots to the end zone and he would get three chances. After two incompletes the third throw would bounce off an Als receivers hands and land on the ground.
The Argos would kneel out the victory and with that, prepare to defend home turf in the 100th Grey Cup game on November 25th!
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