Sergio Castillo scored a 51-year-old field goal on the final play of the game, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers captured their fourth consecutive CFL West Division title with a 28-27 victory over the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday.
Trailing by two points as time expired in the fourth quarter, Blue Bombers kicker Castillo scored his fifth field goal of the game to secure first place in the West for Winnipeg (11-7) against a sold out crowd at Percival Molson Stadium. .
Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros was 24-for-32, throwing for 331 yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Nic Demski finished with a 90-yard touchdown, giving him over 1,000 yards for the second consecutive season.
Alouettes starting quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 16 of his 20 passes for 171 yards and a touchdown in just under three quarters of action. Backup quarterback Davis Alexander took over behind center late in the third quarter, completing 7 of 9 passes for 100 yards and a rushing touchdown.
Montreal (12-5-1) had already clinched first place in the East Division, a feat it accomplished for the first time since 2012.
Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette had five tackles, giving him 103 on the season. In doing so, he became just the seventh Alouette to surpass 100 tackles in a single season. He also added his fifth capture in the contest.
Alexander opened the fourth quarter with a one-yard rushing touchdown. The play came after he completed a 39-yard pass to Tyjon Lindsey, making his season apertura for the Alouettes.
The Alouettes also wasted no time getting on the scoreboard at the start of the third quarter. Fajardo connected with Cole Spieker for a 47-yard reception to give Montreal a 20-9 lead. Two plays later, Walter Fletcher ran three yards into the end zone, capping a seven-play, 84-yard drive.
After missing a 49-yard field goal attempt early in the quarter, Castillo succeeded from 25 yards out to open the scoring for Winnipeg just over 10 minutes into the first quarter.
Montreal responded with a 45-yard field goal by José Maltos to tie the score with 90 seconds left in the first quarter.
Montreal scored the first touchdown of the game on a two-yard pass from Fajardo to Charleston Rambo just over five minutes into the second quarter to give the Alouettes their first lead of the game. Rambo's fifth touchdown of the season was made possible by a 30-yard run by Sean Thomas Erlington and a 26-yard reception by Kaion Julien-Grant early in the drive.
Castillo added a field goal from 53 yards out to cut Montreal's lead to one. However, Maltos would hit a 34-yard field goal to give Montreal a 13-9 lead as time expired in the first half.
Winnipeg scored its first touchdown of the game late in the third quarter. Collaros led the Blue Bombers on a three-play, 81-yard drive, which resulted in a nine-yard landing pass to Demski.
They would add another score midway through the fourth quarter, thanks to a two-yard run by backup quarterback Terry Wilson. Winnipeg's next two-point conversion attempt failed, preserving the Alouettes' 27-25 lead.
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