Roughriders’ Game 4 at Montréal Alouettes (7/24/11):

After last week’s debacle in Hamilton, the Riders moved to Montréal for a very tough test with the undefeated Als at Molson Stadium. In Game 2 at home, Anthony Calvillo shredded the Riders’ defense, so the Riders had a little added motivation coming into this game.

The Als received the opening kick and started off at their 42. Brandon Whitaker attempted a short run on second down and was gang tackled inches short. Adrian McPherson entered in the short yardage package and pushed ahead for the first down. Calvillo then connected with Jamel Richardson for a first down. SJ Green then picked up nine more on a slot pass and then Whitaker moved the ball down to the Riders’ 32. The drive stalled there and Sean Whyte knocked in a 40-yard field goal to give the Als an early 3-0 lead. Hugh Charles returned Whyte’s kick to midfield. Durant then found Chris Getzlaf over the middle for a first down. The Riders settled for a 40-yard field goal from Eddie Johnson to tie the score. A face mask call against the Riders on the kick return moved the ball to the 44 but Calvillo threw two incompletions and Whyte punted out. Etienne Boulet nearly picked off Durant’s pass on first down and then Durant was dumped for no gain. Johnson’s punt stuck the Als back at their 9. After the Als went two n’ out, the Riders took over at midfield. Getzlaf gained eight on first down. Durant then scrambled right down to the 32. From there, Johnson’s field goal attempt hooked wide left and through the end zone for a single. From the 20, Whitaker picked up 1 and then he gained about five on a swing pass to the left. Whyte punted out and his short punt put the ball at midfield as the first quarter came to a close.

On first down from the 53, Durant found Getzlaf on the right flank down to the 38. But the drive stalled there and Johnson nailed a 45-yard field goal to put the Riders ahead, 7-3. On first down, SJ Green picked up 14 over the middle. Calvillo then escaped the rush and ran for a first down. From there, Calvillo connected with Green on the left flat for another first down at the 30. On the next play, Green caught a deep pass on a corner route down to the 1. McPherson then entered and rushed up the middle for the touchdown and the Als were on top 10-7. On first down from the 35, Durant rolled right and found Weston Dressler all alone and Dressler streaked 75 yards down the sideline for the touchdown that put the Riders ahead 14-10. Ferri returned Johmson’s kick back to the 42. Calvillo was intercepted by Sean Lucas, but also took a wicked shot from Dario Romero and was favoring his throwing shoulder. Durant then bootlegged left all the way down to the 3, taking a hard hit of his own. Ryan Dinwiddie stepped in for a play and Charles rushed up the middle for no gain. Dinwiddie’s pass was then batted down by Guzman and the Riders had to settle for a chip shot field goal to put them ahead. Calvillo went into the locker room for repairs and it was unknown if he would return. McPherson came out to lead the Als’ offense at the 31. As the three-minute warning approached, the Als faced a 3rd-and-1 at their 39. McPherson carried up the middle for a first down. The drive stalled there and, after a short punt, the Riders took over at their 32. The Riders went two n’ out and Johnson punted out with about a minute left on the clock. The Als started the drive at their 25. McPherson’s pass intended for Maypray was nearly picked by McKenzie. McPherson then scrambled to the right for a first down. McPherson was then sacked for a big loss by Barrin Simpson. Whitaker then carried for 16, setting up a 3rd-and 2, but McPherson took a knee to conclude the first half.

The Riders opened the second half with the ball at their 36. Durant connected with Terrence Nunn in the right slot for a first down. With the ball at the 54, Chris Getzlaf picked up another first down at the 43 on a slant-in route. Cates then carried off left end for 8 and then plowed off left tackle for a first down at the 33. Durant then hit Cates on a swing pass for 10 more yards. Cates then banged up the gut for another first down at the 12. A pass interference call against Bekasiak put the ball down at the 2. From there, Cates leaped over left guard and into the end zone. With the point after, the Riders were ahead 24-10. Calvillo remained on the sideline as Whitaker carried off left end for a first down. At the 49, McPherson couldn’t escape the rush and was hauled down for no gain, so Whyte punted away. The Riders went two n’ out and after a “no yards” penalty, the Als took over at midfield. On second down, McPherson connected with Brandon London at the 35. Jamel Richardson then picked up 8 on a slant and the Als went for it on 3rd down at the 22, but McPherson’s short pass was incomplete and the Riders took over on downs. The Riders couldn’t advance the ball on their next drive so Johnson punted away. A roughing the punter call against Tad Crawford gave the Riders another crack on offense at the 47. A time-count violation set the ball back and Durant ended up getting sacked by Jermaine McElveen on the final play of the quarter.

Shomari Williams made a nice tackle of Maypray’s punt return to open the fourth quarter. McPherson scrambled right on second down but was tackled three yards shy so Whyte punted away. The Riders started at their 34 and Cates ripped up the middle for 23. An off-sides penalty against the Riders pushed the ball back to midfield and then they were hit with a time-count violation set them back further. Durant’s shovel pass to Cates moved the ball to midfield, far short of the first down. The Riders were then hit with another “no yards” call on the punt return, which put the ball at the 34. Richardson moved the ball to the 40 on an inside curl and then McPherson carried for a first down. McPherson then scrambled left and was buried by Freeman after a short gain. McPherson then hit SJ Green for a first down at the 48. A face mask call against the Riders’ Shea Emry moved the ball into the Riders’ end of the field. From the 18, Whitaker carried around left end down to the 9. From there, McPherson rolled right and hit Brian Bratton in the corner of the end zone for the touchdown. Coach Marshall challenged the ruling on the field to determine whether McPherson crossed the line of scrimmage before the pass. It was close, but the referees upheld the touchdown call. With the point after, the Als were only behind by a touchdown. Dressler returned Whyte’s kick to the 36. From there, Durant hit Nunn on a 35-yard catch and run that was immediately challenged by Coach Trestman was to whether the ball hit the turf prior to Nunn’s catch. Upon review, the catch was overturned and ruled incomplete. The Riders needed to generate some offense with four minutes left. They were aided by a pass interference call against Boulay putting the ball at the 46. Durant’s 16-yard run was wiped out by a foul against Clermont. It looked like a clean hit but the flag-happy referees thought otherwise. After the three-minute warning, the Riders had a 2nd-and-8 at the 50. From there, Durant carried on the quarterback draw for a first down. A roughing penalty (poking Dressler in the eye) against the Als’ Dwight Anderson put the ball down to the 30. Cates then carried twice for no gain. Were the Riders going for it on 3rd-and-9? No, they called a timeout, burning the clock down to 1:25 and Eddie Johnson booted through a field goal to put the Riders up by 10. A face-mask call against Graham on the kick return moved the ball to the 51. McPherson quickly picked up a first down on a slant pass to London. After a pass to Bratton gained six, McPherson hit Whitaker in the right slot for a first down inside of a minute remaining. McPherson took a shot into the end zone but Richardson fell down while the ball was in the air and then deflected off of Richardson and into the arms of James Patrick for the interception. Cates then went off right tackle and fumbled the ball into the hands of Billy Parker, who returned the ball down to the 6. On second down, McPherson escaped the rush and scrambled into the end zone with 26 seconds left. The Als attempted an on-sides kick but Whyte’s kick was secured by Nunn. Durant took a knee on first and second downs to burn the clock down to :01. From there, Durant took another knee and the Riders escaped Montréal with their first win of the year. There will be a lot of relieved players and coaches on the flight home to Regina.

Sure, it was a big upset and everyone should be happy with the win, but the Als played most of the game without Calvillo.