MONTREAL – Cody Fajardo threw three touchdowns and rushed for another, the Montreal Alouettes’ defence dominated and the Grey Cup champions crushed the Ottawa Redblacks 47-21 after raising their banner Thursday night.
Fajardo, the Grey Cup MVP, completed an efficient 28-of-35 passes for 393 yards as Montreal (3-0) remained undefeated after road wins in Winnipeg and Edmonton.
A pair of Canadian receivers were his main targets. Kaion Julien-Grant had a game-high 137 receiving yards. Tyson Philpot added 127 yards and one touchdown before a sellout crowd of 23,035 fans who celebrated last November’s Grey Cup triumph at Molson Stadium.
Reggie White Jr. also caught two TDs and had 61 yards in his first game in 619 days due to knee surgery.
On the other side of the ball, the Alouettes smothered the Redblacks and quarterback Dru Brown.
Linebacker Tyrice Beverette led the defensive unit with a complete effort of one interception, one forced fumble, one recovered fumble and a sack.
Brown went 21-of-35 for 263 yards with one TD pass and one pick in his second start for Ottawa (1-1), which beat Winnipeg 23-19 at home last Thursday. DeVonte Dedmon completed a 101-yard kick return for a touchdown in the fourth quarter.
Montreal kicker David Cote was a perfect 4-for-4 on field goals, including a 41-yarder. Ottawa’s Lewis Ward went 2-for-3.
Fajardo’s 51-yard touchdown pass to Philpot gave the Alouettes a jaw-dropping 27-1 lead with 7:40 remaining in the second quarter, highlighting a lopsided first half where punter Richie Leone scored Ottawa’s only point.
Moments after two fighter jets flew over the venue as a part of the Grey Cup banner ceremony, Fajardo ran in a touchdown on a six-play, 73-yard drive to open the game.
He connected twice with Philpot, who hauled in a 40-yard catch to get the Alouettes downfield.
On the ensuing drive, Beverette picked off Brown on his first passing attempt and ran the ball to the Redblacks’ 10-yard line, leading to a one-yard TD for backup QB Caleb Evans.
Brown’s only completed pass of the first quarter was tipped by Beverette before a Jake Harty reception.
Beverette added to Brown’s nightmare early in the second, poking the ball from the QB’s hands for a fumble recovered by Darnell Sankey to set up Cote’s second field goal of the game.
The 29-year-old Beverette caught another victim when he recovered a fumble by running back Ryquell Armstead. Fajardo found Philpot alone in the end zone on the next play.
Down a daunting 30-1, Brown completed a 25-yard TD pass to Jaelon Acklin at 11:23 of the third quarter.
Fajardo connected with White for a 16-yard touchdown at 13:47 of the fourth quarter before Dedmon returned Cote’s kickoff for a score. The score was 37-18 Montreal after Ottawa missed a two-point conversation.
White then hauled in his second TD of the game on a 19-yard pass with 10:03 remaining in the game.
Some bad blood boiled over with four minutes left when Sankey drilled Acklin with a hard hit, leading to a scuffle between the two teams that included Ottawa head coach Bob Dyce stepping onto the field.
UP NEXT
Alouettes: Visit the Toronto Argonauts on June 28.
Redblacks: Host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on June 30.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 20, 2024.
