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Cody Fajardo and the Montreal Alouettes looked out of sync as they trailed 17-6 at halftime against the Edmonton Elks on Sunday night, but head coach Jason Maas wasn’t worried.
Led by Fajardo, wide receiver Cole Spieker and a resolute Alouettes defense, league-leading Montreal beat Edmonton 21-17 in thrilling second-half fashion for its fifth straight win.
“We never give up on anything, we only learn,” Maas said. “We know it’s a 60-minute game and no matter what the half-time score is, you have to play the full 60 minutes in this league and finish the game.
“We’ve done a really good job of that.”
Fajardo returned from a four-game absence with a hamstring injury and threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Speake early in the third quarter, his third catch in a six-play, 100-yard drive.
From there, the Montreal Alouettes (10-1) kept the momentum going. With 3:37 left in the third quarter, Spieker caught a 22-yard pass that barely stayed in bounds for his second touchdown of the game. The catch capped a nine-play Montreal drive that was followed by a 30-yard run by Walter Fletcher to give Montreal an 18-17 lead.
“Cole Speake played so well,” Fajardo said. “It seemed like every time I passed the ball to him, he caught it.”
“We made good adjustments at halftime. Plus, I feel like it gave me time to recover. I was a little rusty at first, but I think that’s what happens after being out for five weeks.”
Fajardo completed 22 of 34 passes for 336 yards and two touchdowns, while Speaker had two touchdown passes and five catches for 107 yards in the second half as Molson Stadium announced a crowd of 19,048.
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But those efforts would have meant nothing without the Alouettes defense holding off Edmonton twice in the red zone late in the game.
“To beat them on third down. I mean, I can’t put it into words,” Maas said. “I mean, it’s incredible.”
Trailing 21-17, the Elks drove to the Montreal 12-yard line with 1:24 left but advanced only 6 yards as the Alouettes defense forced a turnover on offense.
With the game almost over, Edmonton pushed all the way to the Montreal 20-yard line, but Montreal’s defense was once again effective and the Elks were unable to enter the end zone.
Early in the fourth quarter, Elks kicker Boris Bader missed a crucial 41-yard field goal attempt. He was 1-for-2 on the night.
“It’s tough. As far as losing in that way, it’s tough right now,” Elks interim head coach Jarious Jackson said. “At the end of the day, you’re playing the best team in the league right now and you’ve got to take advantage of your opportunities.”
All-Pro receiver Austin Mack returned to the Montreal Alouettes this week after a stint with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons and caught three passes for 32 yards in his debut for 2024. Montreal kicker Jose Maltos made three field goals.
Elks quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, making his second straight start, went 21-of-33 for 200 yards and two touchdowns as Edmonton (3-8)’s three-game winning streak came to an end.
Running back Kevin Brown, returning from a shoulder injury, rushed for 105 yards.
The Alouettes also defeated the Elks 23-20 in Week 2 in Edmonton.
The Montreal Alouettes were unable to score a touchdown in a tough first half that included turnovers, pass breakups and offensive struggles. Montreal was also missing two offensive linemen, with Philippe Gagnon temporarily sidelined and Pier-Olivier Lestage also leaving the game early in the first.
Meanwhile, with 4:59 left in the first quarter, Bethel-Thompson connected with Eugene Lewis for a 6-yard pass in the end zone to give Edmonton a 7-3 lead.
The Elks extended their lead to 14-3 at 1:19 of the second quarter. This time, Bethel-Thompson found Cooley Gittens II through the crowd for an 8-yard touchdown.
Edmonton’s Devorrick Bynum intercepted Fajardo’s long pass aimed at Mack at 5:27 of the second period.
The Elks kicked another field goal in the final seconds of the first half to take a 17-6 lead after two quarters, but the second half was a much different story.
“They really dominated in the second half,” Brown said. “We pulled back a little bit towards the end of the game, but it was too little too late.”
Legends in the house
The 1974 Alouettes were honored at halftime to celebrate the 50th anniversary of their Grey Cup title. The home team also wore throwback jerseys featuring the Alouettes’ 1974 logo during the game. Montreal defeated Edmonton 20-7 at Vancouver’s Empire Stadium to win its third title in franchise history.
Next step
Alouettes: Host BC Lions (5-6) on Sept. 6 after a week off.
Elks: Visit the Calgary Stampedes (4-6) on Labour Day (Sept. 2).
© 2024 The Canadian Press
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