Montreal Alouettes fans have seen this way too many times in the past: their quarterback dominates the game while the defence neutralizes the opposing attack into looking like a pee-wee team. The vintage Alouettes were on display on Friday night when they beat the defending Grey Cup champions, the Calgary Stampeders, 29-11 at home.
The only difference with this vintage Alouettes style of play is that it came as a shock. There’s no certainty moving forward into their week three match-up on the road against Winnipeg, next Friday.
When the Alouettes used to dominate games like they did on Friday, a guy named Anthony Calvillo was taking snaps behind center. He was the undisputed number one quarterback during his tenure with the Alouettes between 1998 to 2013. On Friday, Calvillo’s number 13 was hanging below the mezzanine and he was on the sidelines, acting as receivers coach.
He witnessed Rakeem Cato, Marshall University’s all-time leading passer, take the field for the first time as a starter in his rookie CFL career. Cato, who was injured in week one, was a surprise start considering that Brandon Bridge filled in for Jon Crompton and Dan LeFevour when they went down with injuries last week. The 23-year-old hadn’t played a single down in the league before facing the Stampeders.
Cato had a fantastic pre-season, going 7 for 9, with 96 yards and a touchdown pass in two games. He continued to dominate on the Canadian field in this one. He unexpectedly went 20 of 25 passing, which was good enough for 241 yards and three TDs to three different receivers – all of whom caught their first major for the Alouettes.
Cato looked in control of the game from start to finish. He wasn’t fazed by the fact that he was up against the Grey Cup MVP in Bo Levi Mitchell. At times, it seemed that Cato was having fun out there, forgetting that he was beating up on one of the best teams in the league.
He was mobile, too. He created passing opportunities with his quick feet, often scrambling out of the pocket to make the easier pass, but he would rarely run past the line of scrimmage.
His wide receivers and slotbacks were on their top game too. Offensive coordinator Turk Schoenert called a fantastic game and Cato was able to spread the ball around to different options; he made mainly short and safe passes, but it got the job done. Nik Lewis, playing against his former team for the first time, finished with only 3 receptions but had 65 total yards and his first touchdown with his new club. S.J. Green followed Lewis in total yardage with 60 yards on 7 receptions.
Rookie Cody Hoffman was no doubt a surprise to have played the game he did, gaining 48 yards on 3 catches and his first touchdown in the league. Sam Giguere also caught his first pass in the endzone for his home-province team following a 9-play, 95-yard drive that was orchestrated beautifully by Cato.
Not to forget about the running back, Tyrell Sutton, who might have been the only player on the Alouettes offence to have played better than Cato. He got 25 touches and ran for a fantastic 134 yards, although he failed to find the endzone. He just rumbled and tumbled past a Calgary defensive line that featured Charleston Hughes and Freddie Bishop III. This was Sutton’s break-out game, as it’s his first season as the legitimate number one in Montreal and he proved to everyone why the team cut Brandon Whitaker and kept him before the start of the season.
The Alouettes of five or six years ago always had a good defence, but they were often overshadowed by the overpowering offence. Now the tide is turning, and Montreal is starting to appreciate its defence. All 12 starters were able to record a tackle on Friday, with linebacker Chip Cox leading the way with 11, while the next best, Bear Woods, had four. John Bowman continued to be in the face of the opposing quarterback, producing two out of the three sacks, the other one provided by Michael Klassen. Marc-Olivier Brouillette got the only interception of the game, coming off of Drew Tate late in the game.
The defence was able to hold Calgary scoreless in the first half and a shutout seemed possible until Rene Parades hit a field goal with 3:19 left in the third quarter. Mitchell was held to 19 for 31 passing with 244 yards while Jon Cornish only had 59 yards of rushing on 12 attempts, although he did score Calgary’s only touchdown.
With the defence clicking and handing the ball over to the offence quickly, Cato and company were able to work their magic, looking like the Alouettes that featured Calvillo, Jamel Richardson, Ben Cahoon, and Avon Cobourne. But the question is; can the vintage Alouettes fly high into next week?
Many fans have prematurely gotten excited about Alouettes players, like Troy Smith and even Brandon Bridge, and they are rightly concerned that the same will transpire with Cato. Looking at Cato’s personal history, the Liberty City, Miami native lost his mother at thirteen and only met his father in college, but he persevered and has kept battling on the field. Acting humble, he mentioned both events in a post-game interview on Friday and reminded the media that it is “only one game” and that he still needs to do a lot of work.
Only time will tell if these vintage Alouettes can ride into the rest of the season with as much swagger and confidence as they displayed on Friday. Until then, Alouettes fans can only hope that Cato is the successor to Calvillo.
