Lewis on Als loss: ‘This one hurts for all of us’
TORONTO — Despite an incredible turnaround after a difficult start to the year, the clock has struck midnight on the 2022 season for the Montreal Alouettes.
The Alouettes outscored the Toronto Argonauts in the game’s second half and battled until the final whistle, but they ultimately fell 34-27 to their division rival in Sunday’s Eastern Final.
“There was never a time in the game where I didn’t think we were going to win,” said Als quarterback Trevor Harris during a post-game interview.
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Harris did his best to will his team to victory, completing over 80 per cent of his passes for 362 and a touchdown in the game.
The Montreal quarterback maintained that he was confident in his units’ ability to explode for positive yardage and create plays. The Alouettes recorded 454 yards of offence in the game and averaged 10 yards per play.
“To be honest I’m not sure how much of an answer they had for us offensively,” said Harris. “We were going to move the ball. But they have a good defence and at any point in time they could create a turnover.
“I felt like we were going to move the ball regardless whenever we needed. It was just a matter of us getting an opportunity to get the ball back.”
The Alouettes trailed by as many as 18 points in the game, but showed their resiliency as they clawed their way back to make it 27-24 nearing the end of the third quarter. However, the Als wouldn’t be able to find the necessary points to pull off the comeback as the Argos held them scoreless in the game’s final quarter.
“We didn’t play the way we’re capable of playing,” said Als general manager and interim head coach Danny Maciocia. “They just executed and we got caught.
“But we answered back when we came out of the locker room. Offensively, we took advantage of the fact that they wanted to kick us the ball because they wanted the wind to their back and we drove it. But we needed to counter, we needed a stop and when we needed that stop we didn’t get it.”
Tyson Philpot, the East Division finalist for Most Outstanding Rookie, put together an incredible performance despite the loss. He reeled in all eight of his targets for 127 yards, including a 36-yard score in the first half.
Eugene Lewis also played a pivotal role in helping to stretch the field as he reeled in five passes for 83 yards in the game. Reflecting on the loss, the East Division’s nominee for the league’s Most Outstanding Player admitted the loss was going to sting for some time.
“This one hurts,” said Lewis. “I’ve been in Montreal for some years now, as much as I wanted this one for the city, for my family, for myself, this one definitely hurts.
“I’m just such an elite competitor that I hate losing more than I love winning. This one hurts, for all of us. It’s going to sting for a little bit.”
