MONTREAL — Spoiling Kevin Glenn’s final game as a Saskatchewan Roughrider wasn’t enough for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, because for the second straight week they stifled the veteran pivot in his first game with his new team.
The Ticats picked off Glenn three times and blocked a punt, earning a 23-11 win over the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday to move back into sole possession of first place in the East.
Mike Daly blocked a punt in the second quarter and Frederic Plesius recovered, setting up the game’s only touchdown by Terrell Sinkfield to put the Ticats ahead 13-0. They contained Glenn the rest of the way, holding Montreal to only a field goal and a safety to pick up their second straight win and move to 10-5.
Rookie Jeff Mathews was efficient for the Ticats in picking up his second career victory as a starting quarterback, while Luke Tasker was his go-to target with 107 receiving yards on eight catches. Mathews finished his day with 235 passing yards and a touchdown on 20-of-24 passing on a cold day in Montreal.
Glenn made his first start for the Alouettes after being acquired in a trade from the Riders on Wednesday. But with limited time to learn the offence, he managed only 127 passing yards and failed to find the end zone until the game’s final possession. The 36-year-old was the eighth quarterback since Anthony Calvillo to start at quarterback for the Alouettes.
Glenn’s first drive as an Alouette started with a first down but ended on an incompletion, as Erik Harris broke up a second-down passing attempt to force Boris Bede to kick the ball away.
A 25-yard run off tackle by Michael Ford got the Ticats’ first possession started on the right foot, while an eight-yard completion to Luke Tasker set up another first-down run by Ford as the Ticats moved into scoring range early on.
On the next play Mathews hit Terrell Sinkfield in the flat and the burner followed a block around the corner, continuing the drive’s momentum to the Montreal 13-yard-line. From there, though, the Alouette defence tightened up to force Justin Medlock’s first field goal of the afternoon, giving Hamilton a 3-0 lead midway through the opening quarter.
The teams exchanged punts as the Alouettes took over the edge in field position, but after a Stefan Logan punt return started the offence at the 35, Glenn got the Als down to the 15 before being intercepted by Courtney Stephen to immediately end the threat and leave Montreal empty-handed.
A jockey for field position continued into the second quarter with Glenn and the Alouette offence taking over possession up near midfield, but another Montreal turnover gave the Ticats the first-half momentum. Glenn’s second-down pass was deflected and interception by Simoni Lawrence for the second interception of the half by the Hamilton defence.
The Alouettes challenged pass interference on the play but it was upheld, giving Mathews and the Ticats possession inside Als territory. A nine-yard pickup moved the chains on a completion to Sinkfield in the flat kept the drive alive on second down, but again the Alouette defence tightened up to force a Medlock field goal.
As Montreal’s offence continued to struggle, it was only a matter of time before the Ticats broke the game open – this time by way of a special teams play. Special teams ace Mike Daly got to Bede’s punt and Frederic Plesius scooped it up to give Hamilton the ball within close scoring range, and two plays later Sinkfield was on his way into the end zone on a short pass by Mathews.
