TORONTO - The Montreal Alouettes will again only go as far as veteran quarterback Anthony Calvillo takes them. But head coach Marc Trestman knows he has a valuable insurance policy in backup Adrian McPherson.
McPherson threw for 110 yards and ran for a TD to lead Montreal past the Toronto Argonauts 37-24 in the first CFL exhibition game for both teams Wednesday night.
The CFL sophomore, starting with Calvillo not dressed, completed 9-of-12 passes to stake Montreal to a 21-7 first-half lead. The six-foot-three, 220-pound former Florida State star also ran seven times for 68 yards before giving way to Chris Leak in the second half in front of a sparse Rogers Centre gathering of 18,241 with the roof closed on a rainy night.
McPherson impressively moved Montreal's offence, effectively mixing the run with the pass and keeping Toronto's defence off balance. He was especially elusive running for a two-point conversion to make it 21-7 in the second quarter.
"I thought Adrian kept his poise throughout," Trestman said. "He moved it well with his feet.
"He has a way to go but continues to make strides."
McPherson's performance won't move him up the depth chart -- Calvillo was the CFL's outstanding player last year. But the 26-year-old's pure athleticism and mobility not only provides depth at quarterback but also gives Trestman the luxury of throwing a occasional changeup to Calvillo, who is more of a dropback passer.
"I felt a lot more comfortable than last year," said McPherson, who played briefly for the NFL's New Orleans Saints. "Definitely something to build on.
"I just wanted to go out and get the ball into everyone's hands."
Montreal rolled up 462 total yards -- including 274 rushing -- and had the ball for over 36 minutes. Sophomore tailback Chris Jennings -- with incumbent Avon Cobourne not dressed -- ran 12 times for 122 yards and a TD.
"We saw tonight this team has a lot of depth," McPherson said. "Guys weren't here but those who were showed they can only get better with practice."
McPherson made headlines in 2006 when he filed a lawsuit after being injured an in NFL exhibition game. He was run over by a golf cart driven by the Tennessee Titans's raccoon mascot and sued the NFL team for US$20 million in damages.
McPherson was injured while warming up for the second half of the contest and was forced to miss the entire NFL season.
Rookie Ricky Santos cemented the win with a six-yard TD run, then hit Brandon Whittaker on the two-point convert with 3:21 remaining to play.
Toronto rookie head coach Bart Andrus appeared in his first career CFL game and also handled play-calling duties. Veteran Kerry Joseph played the entire first half for the Argos, appearing over-anxious and tense early on, failing to complete his first five passes.
Joseph did settle down and his three-yard TD strike to Tyler Scott at 14:54 of the second cut Montreal's half-time lead to 21-17. He was 9-of-19 passing for 123 yards and two TD tosses, while running six times for 60 yards.
"Early on, he wanted so badly to impress," Andrus said of his quarterback. "I had to pull him aside and tell him he needed to relax.
"He eventually got comfortable and did some good things."
The half-time score flattered Toronto considering Montreal blocked two first-half Argos punts, then later in the fourth an errant snap resulted in a Montreal safety. Longsnapper Steve Schmidt (ankle) didn't play but Andrus figures he'll have Schmidt in the lineup to start the regular season.
"We tried a couple of guys snapping tonight and they weren't the answer," Andrus said. "We need to work on a few things but the first game is usually shaking off the rust.
"I anticipate us being a better football team in a lot of aspects next week and that's what we want to do."
Play was halted for about 15 minutes late in the third quarter after Toronto rookie receiver Todd Lowber suffered a neck injury. Lowber, who didn't play football at Ramapo-- a college in New Jersey -- required a neck brace and his head to be stabilized before being carted off the field. However, he was able to move both his arms and legs.
"What was encouraging was he was moving everything," Andrus said. "I'm not sure if it's a spinal-type injury.
"It's more of a concussion-type injury."
Arland Bruce III and former Alouette Jarrett Payton had Toronto's touchdowns. Jason Medlock added a field goal and three converts.
Chris Jennings and Frantz Hardy scored Montreal's other touchdowns. Damon Duval booted two field goals and a convert. McPherson added a two-point conversion.