[À VOIR] Caleb Evans: From Zero to… Victory Hero

After I take it away in extreme cases Caleb Evans and the Alouettes breathed a sigh of relief 25-24 against the Rouge et Noir on Saturday night in Ottawa.

After enduring a very difficult first half with three turnovers, the quarterback used head coach Jason Maas’ forbearance to redeem himself. It was Evans himself who scored the game-winning touchdown with 14 seconds remaining as he reached the end zone on the run.

“It’s a great team win because they kept trusting me,” said Evans at the end of the game in an interview broadcast on the Alouettes’ social networks. It’s always nice to win, but this time there’s a little more emotion.”

• Also read: Jason Maas and Martin St-Louis: The principle is the same

A spectacular ending to the game that completed a two-tiered performance for Evans, capable of both good and bad. The Alouettes thus recorded their fourth win in a row.

“There are ups and downs in football, but there are always four quarterbacks in a game,” added the 25-year-old quarterback, who was playing against his former team.

Photo Patrick Doyle, courtesy of the CFL

After an inspiring 47-yard pass to Austin Mack, Evans and the Alouettes scored their first touchdown of the game early in the third quarter. It was Tyler Snead who caught the ball after a seven-yard throw from Evans in the end zone. Snead hit his second touchdown in the game, his fifth of the season, with just over two minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Until mid-September

With a 6-3 record, the Montreal club are in a very good position overall as the coming weeks will be very challenging. Since the start of the season, the Alouettes have now won three of their four away games after losing to the BC Lions in Vancouver in early July.

Speaking of the coming weeks: The Alouettes only have a few days to prepare for their next game, as head coach Jason Maas’ team has an appointment with the Blue Bombers (8-2) in Winnipeg on Thursday. This is followed by a difficult mission against the mighty Lions (7-2) on Saturday, September 2 at Percival Molson Stadium, followed by a return trip against the Toronto Argonauts (7-1).

In the event of a loss in Ottawa, it could have been difficult for the Alouettes to stay above the respectability threshold, a record .500, through mid-September. Montreal have provided pleasant surprises since the start of the season and, as we saw in Ottawa, you should never expect this club to be beaten ahead of time, even against the greats of the Canadian Football League. The next few weeks will be exciting.

• Alouettes rookie Austin Mack, who gained 116 yards in the game, is the Canadian Football League’s most prolific receiver since the start of the season. After nine games, he now has 773 yards.
• Quebec linebacker Frédéric Chagnon did well against his former team, notably managing five defensive tackles.

Ottawa club head coach Bob Dyce greets Alouettes player Frédéric Chagnon, former Rouge et Noir, before the game on Saturday August 19, 2023. Photo Patrick Doyle provided by the CFL