• Recap
• Bleachers

Calvillo throws 2 TDs as Alouettes hang on to beat Roughriders 30-26

Aug 7, 2010 - 2:30 AM Montreal (CP) - Anthony Calvillo threw touchdown passes to Jamel Richardson and Kerry Watkins as the Montreal Alouettes avenged their lone loss of the season with a 30-26 victory Friday night over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Tim Maypray returned his second missed field goal of the season for a touchdown - both against the Roughriders - and Chip Cox intercepted two passes for the Alouettes (5-1), who have won five straight since a 54-51 double overtime loss in Week 1 in Saskatchewan.

The Roughriders (4-2) got a touchdown catch from Wes Cates and four field goals from Luca Congi, while Darian Durant overcame a stomach ailment to play a very strong game eluding the Alouettes pass rush.

Calvillo did not finish the game for Montreal after getting hurt on a scramble late in the fourth quarter.

The vaunted Alouettes offence was rolling early on, but sputtered to the finish line with only a Damon Duval field goal and single in the second half. Montreal went two-and-out six times after halftime to allow Saskatchewan to hang around.

The Roughriders - who came back from 21 points down against Montreal in Week 1 - couldn't repeat the comeback and fully erase the 24-10 halftime deficit.

The third quarter was an exchange of field goals, as Congi kicked two and Duval one for a 27-16 score heading into the fourth quarter.

Durant opened the fourth quarter by stringing together four straight first downs en route to a seven-yard touchdown pass to Cates at 2:38 of the fourth to cut the Alouettes lead to 27-23.

Duval kicked a single at 4:26 and Congi countered with his fourth field goal of the game from 46 yards out at 8:37 to make it 28-26.

Thats when the Alouettes defence made two huge plays to seal the tight victory.

With Saskatchewan driving late in the fourth quarter, Durant threw a jump ball in the air towards receivers Andy Fantuz and Rob Bagg. Fantuz jumped to try and grab it, bobbled it as he fell to the ground and the ball wound up in Cox's hands with 3:40 to play at the Montreal 47.

After another Montreal two-and-out where Calvillo got hurt, the Riders got the ball back deep in their own territory.

Scrimmaging from their own five-yard-line, Durant was sacked in the end zone by Montreal defensive tackle J.P. Bekasiak at 12:24 of the fourth to make it 30-26 Alouettes.

The Riders had one last shot to win the game when they got the ball back at their own 32 with 1:38 to play, but a Durant Hail Mary try from the Montreal 43 as time was winding down got knocked away in the end zone.

The game could not have started much better for the Alouettes, but they still emerged from the first quarter up only 10-7.

On the game's opening play, Calvillo found Green behind Omarr Morgan for a 67-yard catch-and-run play to the Saskatchewan 22. Calvillo then hit Watkins in the end zone on the very next play, giving Montreal a 7-0 lead barely a minute into the game.

On the second play of the Riders' first possession of the game, Durant threw a shovel pass off Cates back and the ball bounced to Montreal's Chip Cox for an interception at the Saskatchewan 29. That led to an 11-yard Duval field goal for a 10-0 Als lead at 5:30.

Durant then orchestrated a 75-yard drive on only five plays capped by a 20-yard touchdown to Dressler at 7:58 to get Saskatchewan on the board.

Montreal opened the second quarter with an impressive drive deep into Saskatchewan territory. But Calvillo fumbled the ball near the Saskatchewan 20 and had it recovered by Riders linebacker Jerrell Freeman.

The play was negated when Saskatchewan was called for illegal contact on a receiver, and on the very next play Calvillo found Richardson alone in the end zone to make it 17-7 at 5:43.

The Als increased their lead when Maypray returned a missed 42-yard field goal try by Congi 118 yards the other way at 13:04, but Congi kicked a 35-yarder at 14:53 to make it 24-10 Montreal at halftime.

NOTES: Durant passed Kerry Joseph to move into 10th on the Roughriders all-time pass completions list. ... Alouettes receiver Brian Bratton did not play as he recovers from a concussion suffered in last week's 41-10 win over Toronto. ... Both teams played in retro uniforms from the 1970s. ... Alouettes cornerback Mark Estelle hurt his left leg late in the fourth quarter and was helped off the field. ... It was the Alouettes' 12th-straight regular season win at Percival Molson Stadium.