Defence's killer instinct kicks in when it counts for Alouettes

EDMONTON — If the Alouettes’ defence lacked a killer instinct, as Micah Awe had suggested, that no longer appears to be the prevailing wisdom.

Three times alone in the fourth quarter, the Edmonton Elks, nursing a precarious one-point lead at the time, appeared poised to score, including twice alone from inside the Montreal five-yard line.

Instead, a Taylor Cornelius pass for Derel Walker was tipped by Adarius Pickett and returned 100 yards for a touchdown by Tyrice Beverette. Improbable? Yes, but the Montreal defence wasn’t finished.

On the Elks’ next possession, and faced with second and goal from the two, tailback Kevin Brown was hit by Chris Ackie for a one-yard loss. Gambling on third and goal, Brown was stopped by Mustafa Johnson — certainly some questionable play selection on the part of head coach Chris Jones.

And, finally, in the dying seconds and with the ball at the Montreal 28, Cornelius’ pass for Danny Vandervoort deflected off his hands and was intercepted by Awe.

Game, set and match as the Alouettes, playing their first road game in 51 days following a four-game homestand — the longest in team history — outlasted the Elks 25-18 Saturday afternoon at Commonwealth Stadium.

It marked the first time since Oct. 5, 2019, against Calgary that Montreal defensively shut out their opponent in the second half of a regular-season match.

“I wish I could say each person did something out of character, ridiculous and special, but that’s our capabilities,” Awe said. “Beverette making a 100-yard return, he’s capable of doing that. Mustafa stopping him on the three-yard line, one-on-one with a running-back, that’s not out of character. And me just doing my job, being in the right place, isn’t out of character. That’s the killer instinct.

“It sounds corny, but we all love each other and work hard for each other.”

While there’s a natural tendency on defence to sag when the opposition’s near the end zone, the inevitable score about to occur, the Alouettes appear to take the opposite approach, defying a team to produce a touchdown. Hamilton, more than a week ago, had to settle for a field goal from the Montreal two. And now this.

“If you go to each individual (on defence) and do a character test on them, none of us is that type (to say) it is what it is,” Awe said. “Not one person on that defence. When you have all 12 people thinking that way, sometimes it’s impossible to stop us. That’s what happened today.”

Say what you will about an Elks team that has now lost 15 straight at home — setting a CFL record — dating back to Oct. 12, 2019, but Edmonton was averaging 24 points per game in its last five before meeting Montreal; Cornelius throwing five touchdowns while being intercepted only once.

He was good against the Alouettes, passing for 273 yards, but the two interceptions were his cross to bear.

Beverette, who mostly played special teams for Hamilton before signing with Montreal as a free agent last winter, never intercepted a pass, let alone score in his CFL career. And while it appeared he might run out of gas en route to the end zone, he slowed down temporarily, got his bearings, changed direction and scored the winning touchdown.

“I’m trying to still catch my breath,” Beverette said. “My legs felt like it was 100 yards. It was a great play and a total team effort. Shout-out to Pickett for getting the pass deflection and breakup. I was just there to help him out on that play.

“Shout-out to this team. When it’s time to make big plays, we come through. We have a bend-don’t-break mindset. Sometimes things aren’t going to go our way, but we want to protect our end zone. We play with a chip on our shoulder and a lot of physicality. That’s why we come out with big stops at the end.”

It’s certainly not poetry in motion watching the Alouettes play. They squandered a 10-point lead against Edmonton at one point. A potential interception by Mike Jones was nullified when Awe was called for roughing the passer. Reggie White Jr. would have scored a touchdown late in the second quarter, only to be called for offensive pass interference. And Montreal’s offence failed to produce a point in the second half.

But Montreal continues to find ways to win. This was their season-high third consecutive victory and, with five wins in their last six, a team that was once 2-6 and seemingly on a path to nowhere, is suddenly 7-7, solidly entrenched in second place in the East Division. And now, only a game behind Toronto with two coming contests against last-place Ottawa, the possibilities suddenly appear endless.

“Nothing’s been easy for the longest of times,” said general manager and interim head coach Danny Maciocia, 6-4 since replacing Khari Jones. “If we signed up for easy, this is not the place. Nobody signed up for easy and, if someone did, you’re at the wrong place. We know we’re going to have to battle and will our way. That’s probably going to be our theme.

“This team right now believes they can do anything. I never thought a .500 record would feel this good. It was bleak there not too long ago.”

hzurkowsky@postmedia.com

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