Zurkowsky: Jose Maltos caps Alouettes' rally with career-long 58-yard field goal

Article content

Perhaps it was the fact most everyone believed the Alouettes couldn’t win without quarterback Davis Alexander that motivated the visitors.

After all, it’s amazing what a team can accomplish when it’s backed against a wall.

Perhaps it was the fact Calgary suffered one too many injuries on this night. After losing receiver Damien Alford, a Montreal native and the first overall draft choice this year, and cornerback Adrian Greene, the biggest blow occurred on the final play of the third quarter, when starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. — a former Alouette — appeared to suffer a head injury as he was sandwiched between linebackers Tyrice Beverette and Darnell Sankey after a seven-yard gain.

Adams didn’t return for the final quarter and was replaced by P.J. Walker, a 30-year-old veteran who played for five NFL teams and had a 5-4 record over 21 games. But Walker was making his CFL debut against what’s considered one of the league’s stingiest defences — and the result was predictable.

One week after overcoming an 18-point deficit at home against Toronto, the Als erased an eight-point deficit on the road at Calgary, scoring nine unanswered points in the fourth quarter for an improbable 23-21 victory before 19,863 fans at McMahon Stadium Thursday night.

Global kicker Jose Maltos provided the margin of victory with three fourth-quarter field goals, including the winner, a career-long 58-yarder with 70 seconds left. The kick was down the middle and probably would have been good from more than 60 yards. His previous longest field goal was 53 yards.

Maltos kicked five field goals in the game, including a 10-yard chip shot in the first quarter, when the Als couldn’t find the end zone from the Calgary 3.

“It feels good,” Maltos told reporters in Calgary. “This was an important game. We’re happy because we need these kind of wins. Every kick is important to me. If they need me … I’m going to be there and try to do my best.”

The Als are 4-0-1 in their last five games against the Stamps. When the teams played to a 19-19 tie last season in Calgary, Maltos kicked four field goals, including two in overtime.

The win moved Montreal (5-2) into first place in the East Division, two points ahead of Hamilton, which plays in B.C. on Sunday night. The Als are heading into the most difficult stretch of their schedule, with five consecutive games against West Division teams, though three are at home.

And they will probably be without Alexander for most of that stretch. He was placed on the six-game injured list after re-injuring his left hamstring against the Argonauts.

Montreal hadn’t won without him this season, but veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson changed that with his first victory in three starts.

Bethel-Thompson completed 30 of 40 passes for 280 yards and a second-quarter touchdown to Cole Spieker. While Bethel-Thompson was intercepted by Greene in the opening quarter, he settled down. He released the ball quickly, relied on mostly short passes to various receivers and was sacked only once.

While it was far from a perfect performance — especially during the third quarter, when Montreal didn’t score and ran only eight offensive plays — his numbers would have been better had several receivers not dropped passes.

Bethel-Thompson used seven receivers, but his favourite target was Tyler Snead, who caught seven passes for 103 yards — including a 42-yard flea flicker from backup Caleb Evans. The Als had 22 first downs, 362 yards’ net offence, ran 64 plays and controlled the ball for slightly more than 34 minutes.

“It feels great to finally play my role for this team,” Bethel-Thompson said. “I’m just so grateful to have done my job. That was an unbelievable kick at the end by Jose.

“I’ll get better. I’ll continue to improve. That’s the fun part. I was dialed-in on doing my job and putting the team in position to make the kick. There are things I can get better at. I’m just excited to do my role.”

The Als played like a team with a chip on their shoulders after critics said they couldn’t win without their franchise quarterback, but Bethel-Thompson, 37, won a Grey Cup with Toronto in 2022.

“You can’t buy what we just went through,” Maas told journalists in Calgary. “It’s such an incredible feeling and moment. It’s something you’ll never forget the rest of your life.

“He (Bethel-Thompson) deserved it. Any time you’ve been doubted, like he was this week. And the last few weeks, whether we could win with him? That’s a hard cross to bear in my opinion when you’re a quarterback. You’ve got to have confidence when everyone’s telling you, you can’t do it. I thought he played tremendous. I’m very happy for him.”

Adams completed 15 of 25 passes for 193 yards and a touchdown, while tailback Dedrick Mills gained 78 yards on 14 carries and scored twice. But Walker failed miserably after being inserted, completing only three of seven passes for 20 yards. The Stamps, uncharacteristically, took 11 penalties for 121 yards.