Zurkowsky: Outmatched Alouettes suffer embarrassing defeat to CFL-leading Roughriders

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The slaughter on Pins Ave. began with a 46-yard kickoff return by Dohnte Meyers — and got progressively worse from there.

It would be easy to pile on the Alouettes, and criticize them extensively, following Saturday night’s humbling 34-6 defeat to the Saskatchewan Roughriders before 21,654 Molson Stadium spectators, who endured an approximate 25-minute delay at halftime because of lightning in the area, not to mention the ensuing downpour.

There are plenty of holes to fill on the Alouettes, and plenty of blame to mete out, following this embarrassing performance. And while Montreal clearly isn’t in the same class as the Roughriders, who have a CFL-best 7-1 record as the regular season is about to reach the halfway mark, the Als’ roster, which was already decimated by injuries, took a major hit on this night.

Cornerback Kabion Ento, who has a team-leading three interceptions, was a last-minute scratch with a calf injury. Early in the first quarter, the Alouettes lost safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy with what appeared to be an injury to his left shoulder. And the team already was missing linebacker Najee Murray.

Offensively, it appears the Als will be without centre Justin Lawrence for the conceivable future. He was injured in the second quarter and was seen on crutches post-game.

Montreal already is without starting quarterback Davis Alexander (hamstring) and two starting receivers — Tyson Philpot (knee) and Austin Mack (ankle). Alexander is already on the six-game injured list and it appears the frequently injured Mack is headed there as well. He has a walking boot on his left ankle and must manoeuvre on crutches.

While pro football teams will never use injuries as an excuse, and head coach Jason Maas always has adopted a next-man-up mentality, it’s hard to believe the Alouettes can remain competitive with so many players sidelined.

“Injuries are part of the season, part of the game,” a remarkably calm Maas said. “Obviously, at times, they’re harder to overcome than others. I thought our guys kept fighting and dealing with them. Obviously, you never want to start a game losing a guy, then losing a couple of extra guys. That’s hard. No one has that depth. At the end of the day, you’ve got to keep playing and find a way. We just didn’t do that tonight. There’s never going to be an excuse. No question it’s never easy and makes it more difficult.”

As Maas, a former CFL quarterback, went to bed Saturday night, he undoubtedly contemplated a dilemma his team has at that most important position without Alexander. Namely, can this team win with veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson? It might be a moot point for now, since there doesn’t appear to be a viable alternative.

After finally winning his first start in three games last week at Calgary, the 37-year-old took a huge step backward against Saskatchewan.

Bethel-Thompson completed 15 of 26 passes for 126 yards. He was intercepted once, should have been pilfered at least once more, and fumbled after being sacked by defensive-end Shane Ray.

Looking for a change in momentum, Bethel-Thompson was temporarily benched in the third quarter following the turnover, replaced by an ineffective Caleb Evans, only to return with less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth period. While the quarterback always will receive too much credit, or blame when necessary, he’s now 1-3 with Montreal after going 3-10 with Edmonton last season.

“That was a tough one,” Bethel-Thompson said. “I can’t remember a time that we felt that out of rhythm on offence and I felt that out of rhythm. We just didn’t execute and that was a really, really disappointing performance. We definitely kicked ourselves in the shin, over and over again.

“It was crazy. Unexplainable and unacceptable to come out and have that performance. That was one of the worst performances I’ve been a part of. Definitely got to be better.”

Forget for a moment the Alouettes were held to two long Jose Maltos field goals — from 56 and 54 yards. Their deepest penetration was to the Saskatchewan 46 early in the third quarter. Montreal was held to 12 first downs and 169 yards’ net offence. The Als ran only 48 offensive plays and controlled the ball barely more than 23 minutes. Bethel-Thompson was sacked twice.

While Tyler Snead was the Montreal’s leading receiver, catching seven passes for 88 yards, the team’s longest offensive play was an 18-yard pass to him. Charleston Rambo, arguably Montreal’s fastest receiver, didn’t have a pass thrown his way. Alexander Hollins, replacing Mack, was targeted only once and didn’t have a reception.

The Alouettes failed to score an offensive touchdown for the first time since last Oct. 19, at B.C.

Defensively, not even the return of suspended veteran rush-end Shawn Lemon for the first time in a year could galvanize the Als. Trevor Harris passed for 289 yards and two touchdowns. Meyers caught five passes for 136 yards, while tailbacks A.J. Ouellette and Mario Anderson combined for 122 yards. The Riders had 22 first downs and 418 yards’ net offence.

With a 5-3 record, Montreal is in no immediate danger and sit second in the East Division, two points behind Hamilton (6-2), who defeated Edmonton earlier Saturday.

The Alouettes entertain the Elks on Friday night. The game marks the return of former Montreal starting quarterback Cody Fajardo, who was named the Grey Cup’s most valuable player in 2023. Fajardo was traded last winter for Bethel-Thompson.