The Montreal Alouettes proved once again that they have the Hamilton Tiger-Cats‘ number.
The defending champion Als (8-1) beat the Ticats 33-23 Saturday night in Montreal for their second consecutive victory over Hamilton.
A mistake-prone first quarter by the Cats, which included a fumble by fullback James Tuck on the first offensive series and an interception by starting QB Bo Levi Mitchell, allowed Montreal to burst out to a 15-0 lead.
Taylor Powell replaced Mitchell soon after and engineered two touchdown drives in the fourth quarter, but it was too little too late for the last-place Tiger-Cats (2-7).
Powell completed 30-of-38 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns, while Mitchell was yanked after going 3-for-4 for 25 yards.
After the game, Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich said he expects to give Powell the start in their Week 11 clash against the Edmonton Elks on Aug. 17 at Tim Hortons Field.
Receiver Shemar Bridges had a strong game for Hamilton with a game-high eight receptions for 106 yards, while Steven Dunbar Jr. and Luther Hakunavanhu scored TDs for the visitors.
Making his second start in a row, Montreal QB Davis Alexander completed 17-of-24 passes for 247 yards and two touchdowns to receiver Charleston Rambo, who recorded six catches for 124 yards.
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Penalties also proved to be a big problem for the Ticats. Hamilton committed several in the first quarter alone and ended up with 11 infractions for 85 yards.
Montreal registered five penalties for 45 yards.
Linebacker Kyle Wilson led Hamilton with six defensive tackles and defensive end Nick Usher had the lone sack for the Cats.
The Tiger-Cats will try to stop their two-game losing skid on Aug. 17 when they host the Edmonton Elks.