Alouettes pull off upset; snap Tiger-Cats' 5-game win streak

The cellar-dwelling Montreal Alouettes managed to upset the East-leading Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Thursday thanks to an ironclad defensive effort and a last-minute field goal by Boris Bede.

Coming into the game, the Ticats were simply dominant at Tim Horton's field. They had won 10-straight games at home, and carried a five-game win streak overall dating back to July 2 as they raced up the standings. Over that time, the Hamilton outscored its opponents by 125 points.

A raucous Tim Horton's field was also buzzing over the retirement of former defensive tackle Angelo Mosca's No. 68 during an emotional halftime ceremony. Mosca became just the second Ticat in franchise history to have his jersey retired.

However, the Alouettes' defense proved to be the difference-maker, as they held Hamilton to just 23 points en route to a thrilling 26-23 victory.

The Alouettes led for most of the game, but Ticats quarterback Zach Collaros managed to march his team down the field for an epic 70-yard drive that ended with a 2-yard rushing touchdown by Jeff Mathews. The scoring play knotted the game at 23 apiece late in the fourth quarter.

Collaros completed passes of 24, 19, 14, and 22 yards as part of the stellar nine-play drive.

However, the Alouettes responded with an impressive drive of their own. Backup quarterback Tanner Marsh picked up where starter Rakeem Cato left off, leading his team on a 62-yard push that ended with Bede kicking a 27-yard field goal to put Montreal up three.

Still, Hamilton had one last chance to salvage the game with a minute left. Collaros quickly pushed his team 28 yards up the field before sending a poor pass into triple coverage that was easily picked off by linebacker Kyries Hebert.

In total, the Ticats managed just 277 yards on the game, a far cry from their seasonal average of 380.9 yards per contest. The Alouettes grabbed 331 yards of their own.

The win pushes Montreal's record to 4-5 on the year, while Hamilton drops to 6-3.

The victory, however, came at a cost for Montreal, as Cato was forced to leave the game after being sacked by defensive end Eric Norwood. Cato was diagnosed with a lower-body injury and did not return. Cato finished the game with 115 yards on seven completions.