Als falter in second half

Montreal Alouettes quarterback Anthony Calvillo can't play both sides of the field, and as he watched the Calgary Stampeders run out the clock to cement a 23-19 win over the Als in front of the usual sellout crowd of 20,202 spectators at Molson Stadium last night.

Calvillo threw for 342 yards and a touchdown, but his offence couldn't close out scoring drives in the first half and the Stamps made them pay for it in the second half. The Stamps' running attack and offensive line took over the game in the third quarter, and Joffrey Reynolds, Henry Burris and company outrushed Montreal 175-28. The Als' exhausted defence couldn't get off the field in the second half.

Calvillo got things started with a good first half, hitting Jamel Richardson for a 67-yard touchdown in the first quarter. Couple that with a Damon Duval field goal and single, and the Als took an 11-0 lead into the second quarter.

Then, the defence started to wilt. The linebackers struggled to contain Burris and the Stamps' play-fakes, and Burris managed to gain the edge on multiple runs, including a 38-yard jaunt that set up Reynolds' eight-yard TD. The Als then saw two more promising drives end in field goals, while a Sandro DeAngelis field goal before halftime cut the Als' lead to a single touchdown.

Then, Calgary really started to get physical. Reynolds gained most of his 82 yards rushing in the third and fourth quarter, and a Burris touchdown pass to Ken-Yon Rambo and another De Angelis field goal put the Stamps on top to stay.

The Alouettes take to the field again next week against the reigning Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders at Mosaik Stadium in Regina Saturday, July 19 at 7 p.m.