It’s fitting to give quarterback Caleb Evans and his Alouettes teammates a little celebration after their spectacular 25-24 win over the Rouge et Noir in Ottawa on Saturday night.
Without a doubt, this Montreal team doesn’t give up easily.
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“We knew it, it’s a matter of believing in the team, believing in each of your teammates by your side,” defender Kordell Rodgers admirably summarized in an interview on the Alouettes’ social networks after the game. We were still confident of winning this game.”
“We knew we still had a chance to win, and we knew anyone could make plays,” said receiver Tyler Snead, author of the Alouettes’ first two touchdowns in that famous comeback.
Obviously, it’s the winning push at the end of the game that draws the most attention. The efficiency of the defensive unit initially allowed the Alouettes to recapture the ball. A 51-yard pass from Evans to Quebec’s Hergy Mayala put Montreal on target immediately, then it was the quarterback who scored the game-winning touchdown with 14 seconds left.
“This win definitely means a lot to him, he was phenomenal in the second half,” Snead said of Evans. It was more difficult for our team at the beginning of the game, but we came back. And we never saw Caleb put his head down, he believed in it to the end.
Hats off to Jason Maas!
Despite three turnovers against Evans and the Alouettes in the first half, Alouettes head coach Jason Maas has remained confident. However, Montreal was trailing 17-3 at half-time. It would have been tempting to send Davis Alexander into the fight to cause a stir.
Earlier, last week, Maas rightly expressed his philosophy that a starting quarterback deserves to stay in the game even if he makes mistakes.
“If you play music chairs because a quarterback is making a bad game, you’re not helping to improve their mental performance,” he summarized. You want to see him fight against all odds.”
Photo Martin Chevalier
That’s what Evans did, much to the delight of his teammates.
“There was this big play in Mayala and then this touchdown,” said Austin Mack, who was also interviewed on the Alouettes’ social media. For him, who’s been playing in Ottawa for the last two years, it feels good to come back here and get that win and we’re proud of that guy.
“We’re happy for him,” Mayala agreed. Every time you play against your old team, of course you want to do well.
The calm of the quarterback
Of all the players, Evans was arguably one of the most composed after that win over Rouge et Noir, although he could barely hide his smile.
“You have to play one game at a time,” he noted of the winning streak. Those are the moments I love the most and when you have to keep calm.”
Photo Patrick Doyle, courtesy of the CFL
Remember that the Alouettes (6-3), who clinched their fourth consecutive win, will only have a few days to prepare for their next game as the club have a date with the Blue Bombers ( 8-2) has . We could likely see Evans as an offensive pivot again, regardless of veteran Cody Fajardo’s condition.
- Statistically, Caleb Evans finished Saturday’s game with 333 passing yards. He completed 24 stints in 36 attempts, suffering two interceptions in the process. Evans had two touchdowns through the air and then the game-winning major on the run.