MONTREAL - On a night so hot even the ball was sweating, not to mention bouncing away from the Alouettes in as many ways as possible, Montreal simply couldn't find a way to top the Ticats.

Shooting themselves in the foot with repeated fumbles, dropped passes, poor throws, and mental gaffes in all facets of the game, the Als just couldn't seem to get out of their own way long enough to compete against their other opponent, the Ticats.

The Als cursed their own cause, too, with multiple major fouls to extend Hamilton drives.

Diamond Ferri, Anwar Stewart, and Dwight Anderson all picked up unnecessary roughness calls that were heavy on the "unnecessary" part, Jermaine McElveen got tagged for illegal hands to the face that negated a second-half turnover, and Chip Cox drew an untimely illegal contact call, all of which gave the Ticats fresh sets of downs, better field position, and/or new chances to control the flow of the game.

Considering all the difficulty the Als' offence was having moving the chains and holding on to the ball themselves, all the breakdowns in discipline on defence simply extended Hamilton's drives too often and led to too many Ticat points for the team to win a tough divisional game on the road.

Cold Streak on a Hot Day

After coming out of the gate 3-3, Anthony Calvillo misfired on seven straight passing attempts in the first half. Some of the incompletions could be written off to pressure, some to poor timing, and some to tight coverage. All of them, however, contributed to the Als stacking two-and-outs while the Ticats built a lead.

All totaled, the Alouettes had four two-and-out possessions out of their eight drives in the first half. They also had a fifth possession with only one first down. Calvillo's dry spell absolutely killed the Als' offensive rhythm, and it ceded both field position and time of possession to Hamilton.

Combined with all the penalties, fumbles, and mental errors the Alouettes committed in the first two quarters, the offence's inability to sustain drives in between the first and last possessions of the first half made the game much more difficult than it should have been.

The Cobourne Factor

Despite all of his pre-game protestations that this game was just another East Division battle to him, it was obvious from his first carry on that Avon Cobourne had a little something-something for his old team in this one.

By night's end Cobourne had ripped off 67 yards on 15 carries against the Als' defence. He also snagged four catches for another 59 yards out of the Ticats' backfield on damaging screen passes to move the chains on multiple second-and-long situations.

If Cobourne's impact on the game could be reduced to mere numbers, though, this one would've been a win for the Als' D. Unfortunately, Cobourne's emotion, his constant yabbering, his pass protection, and his unwillingness to be tackled before reaching the sticks all combined to inspire Hamilton more than his production ever could.

Five Plays that Swung the Game

1) Calvillo Overthrows Green on 2nd and 10 from the Ticats' 50. (1st Quarter, 6:52)

Working from prime real estate inside Ticats' territory, Calvillo had S. J. Green wide open behind Hamilton DB Daniel Francis right up the numbers. Green had come in motion toward the line of scrimmage in the slot and used a stutter-go to get behind Francis. The pass from Calvillo was simply overthrown by a couple of yards. Had the ball dropped into Green's hands, it would have been a sure TD since Francis had no safety support on the play. With momentum and a 10-0 lead, the Als might have been off to another rout in Steeltown. Instead, they were forced to punt the ball away on another two and out, giving Kevin Glenn and the Ticats' offence a chance to build some steam, not to mention a lead of their own.

2) S. J. Green's Fumble. (2nd Quarter, 10:41)

Trying to help his team fight out of a field-position hole in its own end, Green caught a curl route in front of DB Carlos Thomas just past the sticks. When Green wheeled out of Thomas' tackle to extend the play, LB Rey Williams punched the ball out of his hands and DB Jason Shivers pounced on the it at the Als' 33-yard line. Two plays later the Ticats were in the end zone on a Glenn TD pass to former-Alouette Dave Stala, and the scoreboard read 16-6 Ticats. More than just a loss of possession, Green's fumble gift-wrapped a two-score lead for Hamilton off the short field, and that was all the cushion the Ticats would need.

3) Calvillo's 46-yard Bomb to Brian Bratton. (2nd Quarter, 13:19)

Down 17-6 with less than two minutes remaining in the first half, Calvillo hit Brian Bratton behind the Ticats' secondary on a 46-yard out-and-up from his own 44. Bratton's initial move froze DB Bo Smith enough for the receiver to get behind him for the catch. By the time LB Jamall Johnson caught up to the play in support to push Bratton out of bounds, the Als had the ball inside the red zone. Three plays later, Jamel Richardson caught a TD pass from Calvillo in the back of the end zone, and the Alouettes were back in the game at 17-13. More than just a long gainer, the play to Bratton revealed what Calvillo could accomplish with time and clear throwing lanes. And it provided a little hope that the Als could turn the game around in the second half.

4) Dave Stala's 58-yard TD. (4th Quarter, 11:15)

Having swapped field goals for much of the second half to stay within a single score, the Alouettes had Hamilton in another second-and-10 situation with 3:35 remaining. A stop would've meant getting the ball back for Calvillo with more than enough time on the clock to mount a game-tying drive. Instead, Stala wheeled down the left sideline for the easiest touchdown pass of Kevin Glenn's career. Stala lined up on the wing off the left side of the Ticats' formation. When Montreal's defence blitzed off the edge with Ramon Guzman and Billy Parker, it left Stala free to flare into the flat with only DE Anwar Stewart in pursuit. Stala's easy jog into the end zone spotted Hamilton an insurmountable 33-19 lead.

5) Calvillo's Pinpoint 30-yard Completion to Green. (4th Quarter, 13:06)

Facing a last-gasp third-and-nine to give the Als any hope at all of coming back in the game, Calvillo hit S. J. Green on a beautifully-thrown fade route toward the left sideline. The throw was perfectly weighted over DB Ryan Hinds and dropped into Green's arms like it was laser-sighted. Four passes, an overturned TD to Brian Bratton, a PI call on Bo Smith in the end zone, and a one-yard plunge by Dahrran Diedrick later, and the Als were set up for their second last-ditch onside kick attempt in as many weeks. Unfortunately, the same scenario resulted in the same outcome, with the Ticats gaining possession and running enough off the clock to secure the win.

Up Next

Be sure to check back Thursday for my preview of the Alouettes' game in Toronto. With the Argos coming off a tough loss of their own, it's sure to be a real knock-down, throw-out affair.

I'll be taking a look at the importance of winning the field position battle against the league's premier kick returner, Chad Owens.

Until then, take care. And remember that standings don't mean a thing in August.