Alouettes 39 Blue Bombers 12
WINNIPEG — It was a feat Anthony Calvillo can’t remember making in his 16-year CFL career.
Three consecutive passes the Montreal Alouettes quarterback threw in the first half of his team’s 39-12 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Saturday night ended in touchdowns.
“Somebody mentioned that to me out there,” said Calvillo, who threw four TD passes in the game. “I didn’t realize that and they asked me if it’s ever been done or if I’d done it before and I can’t recall.”
The three straight TDs were notched by S.J. Green, Kerry Watkins and Kerry Carter, while Jamal Richardson caught another in the third quarter.
Damon Duval hit field goals from 23, 14 and 20 yards and Winnipeg punter Mike Renaud conceded a safety for Montreal’s other points.
The victory bumped the Alouettes’ record to a CFL-leading 6-1 while the offensively challenged Bombers drop to 2-5.
Winnipeg got its points off four Alexis Serna field goals from 31, 40, 44 and 30 yards. He missed from 46 in front of 25,053 fans at Canad Inns Stadium.
Montreal scored 24 points off four Winnipeg turnovers.
“Our defence put us on the short field throughout the night and we capitalized on the turnovers,” said Calvillo, the league’s top-rated pivot.
Calvillo completed 23 of 37 pass attempts for 259 yards, four TDs and two interceptions. He went into the game with seven TDs and two interceptions.
“We have a lot of work to do,” Calvillo said. “We had a few dropped passes, a few misreads by myself and two turnovers. We’re always looking to improve and we definitely have to improve on offence.”
Calvillo’s three straight TD tosses began late in the first quarter.
Following a fumble by Winnipeg running back Yvenson Bernard on a kickoff return, Calvillo capped a five-play, 31-yard drive with a 14-yard TD pass to Green at 11:53 to make it 10-3.
After Serna notched his 40-yarder 13 seconds into the second quarter, Calvillo stepped to the line and tossed a pass to Watkins that he turned into a 71-yard catch-and-run TD at the 51-second mark.
On the next series, Winnipeg quarterback Michael Bishop was intercepted by safety Matthieu Proulx and Calvillo used his first pass to connect with Carter for a 25-yard TD at 2:02 that upped the score 24-6.
“It’s a great accomplishment, but something we don’t keep track of,” Watkins said of Calvillo’s triple TD treat.
Watkins led all receivers with five catches for 103 yards. His touchdown was his fourth of the season.
“It’s an honour,” Watkins said of having Calvillo for a quarterback. “That’s a living legend. I’ve been so fortunate to play my whole (six-year) career with him.”
Montreal led 26-9 at halftime.
Bishop was 13-of-35 for 155 yards and two interceptions in his third game with his new team.
Bombers head coach Mike Kelly, who’s also the team’s offensive co-ordinator, gritted his teeth when asked if it was time he tinkered with his scheme.
“There’s nothing wrong with this scheme,” Kelly said. “I’ve seen this scheme work 1,000 times . . .
“If you want to get right down to it, we have to block when we need to block and catch when we need to catch and throw to the right people.”