Lions 19 Alouettes 12
VANCOUVER — Some hard running by Martell Mallett set up Emmanuel Arceneaux’s winning touchdown catch late in the fourth quarter as the B.C. Lions defeated the Montreal Alouettes 19-12 Friday night in a wild victory that moved Wally Buono into a tie as the winningest coach in the CFL.
Mallett set up the winning touchdown with a 54-yard run to the Montreal four. On the next play quarterback Jarious Jackson found Arceneaux in the end-zone, bringing a roar from the B.C. Place crowd of 27,199.
Mallett, who also hauled in a touchdown pass, finished the game with 21 carries for 213 yards, setting a Lions single-game rushing record. The Alouettes, who lead the CFL in scoring, did not score an offensive touchdown.
It was a wild CFL finish. After the Lions scored, Montreal marched the ball down to the B.C. eight.
Facing a third-and one, the Als thought they had scored a touchdown. But the referees said the play had been blown dead to add more time on the clock. When the Als tried again, Avon Cobourne was stopped short of the first down, giving B.C. the ball with 53 seconds left.
The win gives Buono, the Lions coach and general manager, 231 career victories. That leaves him tied with Don Matthews for all-time CFL victories.
The victory also improved the Lions record to 4-5 and moves them into a tie with Saskatchewan and Calgary for second place in the CFL West.
The loss dropped Montreal to 7-2 and continued the Alouettes’ frustration in Vancouver. Montreal’s last win at B.C. Place Stadium was Aug. 31, 2000, when they beat the Lions 32-25.
The Als dodged a bullet early in the fourth quarter when a Lion drive stalled after Mallett fumbled on the Montreal eight-yard line. First the referees ruled B.C. ball because the play was dead. But upon review it was ruled Mallett’s knee was not down when he coughed up the football.
On the following drive Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo hit Jamel Richardson with 65-yard, pass-and-run play. That set up a 36-yard Damon Duval field to give Montreal a 12-10 lead with 8:05 remaining.
Earlier, Duval missed from 36 yards and had to settle for a single. Later, unable to move the ball, and facing a punt out of their own end-zone, the Als conceded a safety to tie the game 12-12. A late Whyte field goal gave the Lions a 10-7 half-time lead.