Alouettes wrap up regular season with win over Argos

TORONTO — The Montreal Alouettes closed out their regular season with a 33-16 win over the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night at BMO Field, finishing on a high note with their playoff spot already secured.

With both teams resting regular starters, Dustin Crum made his second start of the season for Montreal before giving way to Caleb Evans in the third quarter. Crum went 17-for-20, finishing with 153 passing yards and two rushing touchdowns, while Evans added 82 yards and two passing touchdowns. The Alouettes improved to 14-4 and recorded their third season with at least 14 wins in franchise history.

Stevie Scott III set the tone for Montreal, ripping off 30 yards on five carries before Crum capped the game-opening, 10-play drive with a plunge from the one-yard line.

The first pass of Tucker Horn's first CFL start was a memorable one. The 26-year-old found Dymere Miller streaking past a blown Alouettes coverage, and the receiver took it 71 yards to the house for an immediate answer.

Montreal continued to lean on Scott to wear down Toronto's defence, but a miscommunication between Crum and his centre inside the 10 left the quarterback exposed to a free rusher on second down, forcing the Alouettes to settle for a chip-shot field goal.

Lirim Hajrullahu put the Argos back on top in the second quarter with a 53-yard boot, his longest field goal of the season. Kevin Mital also reached a milestone on the drive, picking up the 19 receiving yards he needed to reach 1,000 and giving Toronto four 1,000-yard receivers in the same season for the first time in franchise history.

Lewis Ward, filling in for José Maltos Díaz, added his second field goal before the kickers traded long-range misses. With 1:05 left, Crum capped a six-play drive with a nine-yard touchdown run to put Montreal ahead 19-10 at halftime. Montreal controlled the clock throughout the half, holding a near 15-minute edge in time of possession.

Evans took over at quarterback for Montreal in the second half, and he was intercepted by Nicolas Toomer on his third attempt. Horn gave it right back when Nate Beauchemin picked off a pass after the intended receiver slipped on his route.

Hajrullahu bookended an otherwise scoreless third quarter with field goals from 45 yards or more, but Montreal seized momentum back in the fourth. Mekhi Mews’ 44-yard punt return set Evans up at the edge of the red zone, and the quarterback found Charleston Rambo on a fade in the end zone four plays later.

Down 10 past the midway point of the fourth quarter, Toronto turned to Luis Perez in hopes of mounting a comeback, but Montreal’s defence held firm. Evans connected with Kaseem Ferdinand for a touchdown to add insurance for the Alouettes before the final whistle.

Horn finished 20-for-26 for 215 yards, a touchdown and an interception, while Miller led all receivers with 115 yards and a touchdown. Toomer recorded a game-high eight tackles as well as the interception in his CFL debut as the Argos closed out their regular season with a loss, finishing at 9-9.

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SCORING PLAYS

Dustin Crum one-yard touchdown run (9:25, Q1) | MTL 6 TOR 0
Tucker Horn 71-yard touchdown pass to Dymere Miller (8:50, Q1) | TOR 7 MTL 6
Lewis Ward 16-yard field goal (1:19, Q1) | MTL 9 TOR 7
Lirim Hajrullahu 53-yard field goal (12:30, Q2) | TOR 10 MTL 9
Lewis Ward 42-yard field goal (8:48, Q2) | MTL 12 TOR 10
Dustin Crum nine-yard touchdown run (0:16, Q2) | MTL 19 TOR 10
Lirim Hajrullahu 47-yard field goal (13:21, Q3) | MTL 19 TOR 13
Lirim Hajrullahu 45-yard field goal (0:00, Q3) | MTL 19 TOR 16
Caleb Evans five-yard touchdown pass to Charleston Rambo (7:10, Q4) | MTL 26 TOR 16
Caleb Evans 23-yard touchdown pass to Kaseem Ferdinand (1:52, Q4) | MTL 33 TOR 16

NEXT UP

With their regular season complete, the Toronto Argonauts await the results of Saturday's doubleheader to learn whether they'll host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, Saskatchewan Roughriders or Calgary Stampeders in the Eastern Semi-Final on Saturday, October 31.

The Montreal Alouettes have secured a first-round bye with the division's best record and will host the the winner of that matchup in the Eastern Final on Saturday, November 7.