Black- and Whitelist » win of the season

MONTREAL -- The Edmonton Eskimos built a big enough lead early in the game that it didnt matter what the Montreal Alouettes did in the second half. After taking a 22-point lead over the Als into the dressing room at halftime at Percival Molson Stadium on Friday night, Edmonton staved off Montreals second-half comeback to hold on for the 33-23 victory. The loss extended the last-place Alouettes losing streak to four games. "We played the first half really well," said Eskimos coach Chris Jones, who spent six years as a defensive coach for the Als, from 2002 to 2007. "If you can mirror the first and second half, that would be great. Unfortunately. We came out flat in the second half and let a good football team hang around. It was closer than what it should have been." With Edmonton leading the Alouettes 30-8 at the half, Montreal was seemingly en route to a third consecutive blowout loss - the Als lost back-to-back games by a combined score of 72-10 coming into Friday. But the Eskimos only scored three second-half points, giving a desperate Montreal side a glint of hope in the process. Down by three scores, Montreal (1-5) put their best drive together at the start of the third quarter. The Als made five consecutive first downs - as many as they converted in the first half - for a 53-yard drive that lasted more than six minutes. But they couldnt find the end zone, and were forced to settle for the field goal. After cutting Edmontons lead to 16, Montreal was given a small lifeline early in the fourth quarter when Eskimos kick returner Jamal Miles dropped the ball after a punt. The fumble was recovered by Montreal at Edmontons 30. After yet another two-and-out, the Als kicked a field goal to make the score 30-17. With their team at the bottom of the standings with the worst record in the Canadian Football League, Alouettes fans let the team know they were unhappy with the decision to go for the three points instead of the touchdown. "That was an excellent call," said Als coach Tom Higgins, defending his teams choice. "Anybody who thinks differently, thats okay, thats their opinion. It was third-and-ten. Two two-point converts? Thats probably not going to happen. It doesnt play to your favour. The decision, in my mind, is absolutely correct." It was all too little, too late for the Alouettes, who finally found the end zone in the games final minute - the teams first touchdown in 12 quarters. Brandon Whitaker scored his second TD of the year at 14:31 of the fourth quarter after completing a 43-yard pass-and-run. "We didnt give up," said Higgins of the second-half attempted comeback. "We didnt beat ourselves, we didnt take foolish penalties, we caught the ball a little bit better, and we were able to get some first downs. We came out and played a lot better, disciplined football, the way it needs to be played." Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly threw for two touchdowns and 208 yards, with 171 of those coming in the first half. Edmontons offense was stagnant in the second, punting the ball away five times to Montreals two. The Eskimos held onto the ball for just 12 minutes in the second half. "For whatever reason, we couldnt get anything going offensively in the second half," said Reilly, who threw his only interception of the game after the restart. "We left our defence out on the field way too long. Luckily we did enough to get the win, we built up a good lead in the first half." Now in first place in the West Division, Edmonton (5-1) got off to the quick start it was looking for, as the visiting team opened the score just 2:28 into the game. On a drive that started at their own 51-yard line, the Eskimos moved down the field quickly. After a 20-yard run by Kendial Lawrence, Reilly found his running back all alone on the edge of the end zone for the 35-yard touchdown. After an Edmonton field goal and a couple of singles by Montreals Sean Whyte to make the score 10-2 for the Eskimos, the Als capped off back-to-back drives with field goals of their own to bring it to within two. John White restored Edmontons comfortable lead with a 58-yard run at 4:52 of the second quarter to make it 17-8 - by far the longest run of the game. The TD was Whites second of the season. The Eskimos kept rolling in the second quarter, adding another 10 points before the half. Reilly finished off a 93-yard drive when he connected with Adarius Bowmans diagonal run for the 25-yard score at 12:23. Bowman leads the league with 433 receiving yards. Despite the poor first-half showing by Montreals offence, Higgins decided to keep quarterback Troy Smith in the game. Smith was pulled in the second half of Montreals previous two losses. On Friday, Smith went 8-for-18 and threw for 102 yards in the first half, including a 52-yarder to Duron Carter. Smith, who has started all six games for Montreal this season, ended the match 20-for-45 with 231 yards. With another poor performance, Smiths job could be at risk. "We need to win games, and if its somebody else that can help us out, then thats the way to go," said Smith. "Ive prepared for the worse, and hope for the best. The whole time Im here, Ill continue to do that. There are multiple guys on your team for a reason." The end of the game was marred when linebacker Eric Samuels was taken off the field on a stretcher after taking a hit to the head. Samuels laid motionless on the field for several minutes before showing any signs of consciousness. Notes: The West has now won 14 of 16 inter-divisional matches this season. à Als slotback S.J. Green (ribs) was not in the lineup. à Montreal has yet to win a game this season when trailing after the first quarter (0-4). à The attendance at Percival Molson Stadium was 20,054. à The Alouettes go on the road for the next two games, with games against the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Winnipeg Blue Bombers over the next two weeks. à The Eskimos welcome the Ottawa Redblacks to Commonwealth Stadium next Friday. Arizona Diamondbacks Store . Robert Griffin III, the No. 2 pick in the 2012 draft, set numerous rookie records and was picked AP Offensive Rookie of the Year for the Washington Redskins. Archie Bradley Jersey . - Tiger Woods only made it through 10 holes Thursday — this time because of the weather, not his back. https://www.cheapdiamondbacksjerseys.us/...amondbacks.html. Rockhold." Known as an aggressive striker, Belfort (23-10) instead paced himself as the engaged in the early going and showed restraint by not overcommitting against the larger Rockhold (10-2). But when the opportunity presented itself, Belfort delivered an incredible spinning heel kick that landed flush on Rockholds chin and sent him toppling to the floor. Steven Souza Jersey . With the Pirates in the thick of the race in the NL Central, the timing couldnt be better. Liriano struck out a season-high 11 in seven innings to win consecutive starts for the first time this season and Pittsburgh beat the San Francisco Giants 3-1 on Tuesday night. Bo Takahashi Jersey .? It was his second straight start for the Jets; he suffered a 1-0 loss against Minnesota Monday. So this season Hutchinson has now won games in the ECHL, AHL and NHL. He was perfect three- for-three in the shootout to nail down the win.TORONTO -- The elaborate designs Dominic Oduro has worn shaved in his hair have included a black and yellow striped mohawk, a replica slice of pepperoni pizza, and even a neon pink breast cancer ribbon with matching pink mohawk. But Oduro turns heads on the pitch for more than his distinctive hairstyles, and thats all Toronto FC cares about. "I dont think Ill be joining him in any fashion choices," Toronto captain Steven Caldwell said, laughing. "No interest in his hair. Were only interested in his talents on the pitch." TFC acquired the speedy Ghana forward/winger in a trade with the Crew on Friday, sending Spanish winger Alvaro Rey to Columbus. Toronto hopes to have Oduro in the lineup when they host the San Jose Earthquakes on Saturday. The 28-year-old Oduro, whose Twitter handle is "Freakyfast8," has 46 goals in 228 MLS appearances, including 139 starts. "Were talking about the fastest or one of the top three fastest guys in the whole league, so its very exciting to have Dominic join us," Caldwell said. "Hes been a dangerous opponent of ours since I came here, scored a couple of goals and been a real thorn in the side. When were defending for long periods with Dominic in the park we can break with such pace, and cause every team in the league problems." The colourful character earned mention on "The Tonight Show with Jay Leno" after a 2013 goal celebration against Chicago that saw him take a bite of pizza after being passed a slice by a waiting accomplice. Oduro then gave the rest of the pizza to a fan in the stands. He showcased his love for pizza by having the design of a slice shaved into his hair. Asked what he knows about his new teammate, star striker Jermain Defoe said "I just heard that hes fast. I heard that hes really quick. At the end of the day the club has done good business so I can imagine that hes going to improve the team. And he knows that hes coming into a good team, so hopefully he can come and get off to good start and help the team." Toronto (5-4-1) is in sixth in the Eastern Conference -- one spot out of the playoffs -- with several games in hand, and hopes to head into the three-week break for the World Cup on a high note. Coach Ryan Nelsen said hes coveted Oduro since last season, when the six-foot-one player scored in two of the three meetings between the teams. "We know his character really well, we know who he is, and we know that when we scouted Columbus, hes one of the guys that you worry about. Most teams when they scout Columbus, you worry about Dominic Oduro," Nelsen said. "Hes proved in the league that he can be pretty devastating. Hes a nice age, hes got good MLS experience, and can play a couple of positions and hes going to be a very valuable asset to our club." Wheen asked if Toronto was lacking in speed before acquiring Oduro, Nelsen said: "No, but pace always helps doesnt it? "Its always nice to have probably the fastest guy in the league on your team, a guy who scored double-figure goals in the league.dddddddddddd It helps, he can play right midfield, he can play striker, so its just another weapon in the arsenal that were trying to build. Were trying to make the squad better, deeper, and we always look to be creative, and well keep doing that." Oduro, who was to arrive in Toronto later Friday, had a career-high 13 goals last season, but is goalless in 11 games (six starts) this season. Prior to Columbus, he played for Chicago, Dallas, Houston and New York. "To my new team, Toronto hope to help the team move forward. Thanks for everyones love and support," the Ghanaian tweeted Friday. Another tweet read: "Wanna thank the Crew organization for the opportunity they gave me to play for them. It was blast but in the end guess it didnt work out." Toronto doesnt play again until June 27 when they travel to New York to face the Red Bulls, and Nelsen said hed love to head into the break with a victory. "Of course its important, to get back to winning ways in front of our home fans," Nelsen said. "Were really motivated, could put us in a really nice position in the league, weve many games in hand." Toronto dropped a 1-0 decision in Montreal on Wednesday, as the Impact won the Amway Canadian Championship, which doesnt count toward Major League Soccer standings. Defoe said his teammates had put that loss behind them. "I think the league is more important," said Jermain Defoe. "To be honest I think that was the main goal before the season started, to have a good run in the league and hopefully get in the playoffs. Now its important to focus on the league, no distractions. Were on a good run at the minute." TFCs last league game was a 3-2 win over Columbus last weekend. San Jose (4-4-4) is coming off its first road win of the season, beating FC Dallas 2-1. "Theyre a very good team, they dont give you much, they have very good centre backs there, and theyre just a very very hard working, solid, well-organized team and they dont give you much in terms of goals," Nelsen said of the Earthquakes. "Credit to Mark Watson, their coach (who is Canadian). Theyre like him, just hard and organized. It will be a very very difficult game." The 24-year-old Rey, meanwhile, had one goal in 20 appearances for Toronto. He made six starts, with one substitute appearance, this season but had been slowed by injury and dropped behind Jonathan Osorio on the left side on depth chart. Prior to joining the Toronto, Rey scored three goals in 28 appearances for Spanish side Xerez. ' ' '