ALOUETTES 35 BLUE BOMBERS 14
MONTREAL (CP) – Jonathan Crompton threw touchdown passes to Samuel Giguere and S.J. Green in his first game back from an injury and the Montreal Alouettes defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 35-14 on Sunday afternoon.
Stefan Logan returned a punt for a TD and Boris Bede booted four field goals and added two points on kickoff singles for Montreal (5-6), which has won three of its last four.
The win put Montreal, last in the East Division, one win ahead of West clubs Winnipeg and B.C. in the race for a crossover playoff spot. The Alouettes ended a five-game losing run to the Bombers over the last three seasons, and beat them at home for only the second time in their last seven meetings.
Backup quarterback Brian Brohm scored a touchdown and Lirim Hajrullahu had two field goals for Winnipeg (4-8).
Crompton began the season as the Alouettes starter but injured a shoulder in the season opener. He was intercepted twice. Rakeem Cato, who had taken over as starter but who missed two games attending to a family matter, went on late in the game.
A crowd of 23,262, the largest at Percival Molson Stadium in nearly two years, saw Montreal get field goals on its first two drives.
Crompton was picked off by Matt Bucknor late in the first quarter, but Cameron Marshall fumbled it back. Crompton then led a drive capped by a 41-yard TD strike to Giguere.
Late in the first half, Logan ran a punt back 78 yards for a TD.
Logan then ran the opening kickoff of the second half a career-long 95 yards inside the Winnipeg 10, setting up Crompton’s eight-yard toss to Green.
Bede added a 43-yard boot, but a Sam Hurl interception let Hajrullahu get one back late in the third quarter.
Matt Nichols, making his second start for the Bombers, went off briefly after a hit from Marc-Olivier Brouillette. On that drive, three Montreal roughing penalties helped Winnipeg move the ball inside the 10, and Brohm carried in from the one with 8:00 left in the game. Justin Veltung caught the two-point convert pass from Nichols.
The Alouettes converted a turnover on downs into a fourth Bede boot late in the game. The rookie is 29-for-31 on field goals this season.
