Fri Jul 4 23:07:59 2008

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Calvillo's big first half paces Als over Bombers

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Montreal, QC (Sports Network) - Anthony Calvillo threw for 372 yards and four touchdowns as the Montreal Alouettes held off a second-half charge from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to notch a 38-24 win at Molson Stadium.

Calvillo finished 34-of-44 and was intercepted once for the Alouettes (2-0), while Ben Cahoon caught three passes for 32 yards and a touchdown. The score was his 55th in a Montreal uniform, passing Hall of Famer Peter Dalla Riva for the most in franchise history.

Avon Cobourne rushed 17 times for 89 yards and a touchdown, and also caught 10 passes for 96 yards in the win. Danny Desriveaux had eight receptions for 105 yards and a score.

Kevin Glenn was 26-of-40 for 313 yards and a score for the Blue Bombers (0-2). Derick Armstrong caught eight passes for 92 yards and a touchdown, while Terrence Edwards hauled in eight passes for 84 yards.

Montreal jumped out to a quick lead on Calvillo's 11-yard TD strike to Jamel Richardson just over five minutes in. Later in the first, Calvillo found Cahoon for his record-setting score -- a four-yard connection -- as the Alouettes led 14-0. Calvillo followed by hitting Kerry Watkins from 18 yards out early in the second for a 21-0 lead.

Calvillo's fourth scoring pass of the half, a three-yard toss to Desriveaux, extended the lead to 28-0 before Charles Roberts got the Blue Bombers on the board with a three-yard run with just under a minute and a half left in the quarter. Duval drilled a 42-yard field goal just before the half to send the Als to halftime leading 31-7.

Winnipeg hit the comeback trail late in the third, pulling within 31-14 when Glenn found Armstrong for a 29-yard score. On Montreal's next possession, Jovon Johnson intercepted a Calvillo pass and sprinted 69 yards in the other direction for a touchdown to bring the Blue Bombers within 10.

Alexis Serna's nine-yard field goal cut the lead to 31-24 early in the fourth, but Cobourne's one-yard plunge late in the quarter secured the final margin.

Game Notes

Calvillo put up most of his numbers in the first half, when he completed 24- of-28 passes for 286 yards and all four of his touchdowns. He also ran for 57 yards on three carries for the game. Over the first two weeks of the season, the CFL's second all-time leading passer is 59-of-81 for 665 yards and six scores...Winnipeg managed just 12 rushing yards on seven carries.