week he was waiting for

MONTREAL -- Montreal Alouettes coach Tom Higgins said this week he was waiting for his offence to explode, and they picked a playoff game to do it. . With third string running back Brandon Rutley leading the way with 95 yards on 15 carries, the Alouettes piled up 215 rushing yards in a 50-17 trouncing of the B.C. Lions in the CFL East Division semifinal on Sunday afternoon. Its a great feeling to be doing this and be in this position, said Rutley, who stepped into the lineup when Tyrell Sutton hurt an ankle in the final regular season game, a 29-15 loss at Hamilton. We have so much talent and, when it comes together like this, its magic out there. The victory bought Montreal a return ticket to Hamilton to face the Tiger-Cats in the East final next Sunday. They hope to stay on the roll that started in mid-season, when they bounced back from a 1-7 start to win nine of their next 11 games. Jonathan Crompton completed 14 of 21 passes for only 155 yards, but they included touchdown tosses to S.J. Green and Duron Carter. The Alouettes tied a team record for rushing TDs in a playoff game with four, as backup quarterback Tanner Marsh ran in twice and Rutley and Chris Rainey each scored one. Defensive back Jerald Brown also scored on a team-record 103-yard fumble return. B.C. ended its season with only two wins in its last eight games. Including one-sided losses to Edmonton and Calgary to end the regular season, the Lions were outscored 120-36 in their final three games. The Lions finished fourth in the West but crossed over because they had a better record than the Easts third-place team, the Toronto Argonauts. Montreal is 4-0 all-time against crossover opponents, with three of those wins against the Lions. B.C. starting quarterback Kevin Glenn went 6 for 18 for only 64 yards with two interceptions before Travis Partridge took over in the third quarter. Star QB Travis Lulay, who missed 20 of the last 21 games, dressed but was not deemed fit enough to get into the game. Theres no way to explain it, said B.C. coach Mike Benevides, whose team trailed 50-3 before Partridge threw late TD passes to Shawn Gore and Ernest Jackson, mostly against Montreals second string defenders. The third quarter was disastrous. At halftime, it was a 12-point game. They executed at a high level. They made plays and we didnt make any. Montreal led 15-3 at the half, but broke open the game with 21 points in the third quarter on three rushing TDs. We were getting good push up front, said Montreal tackle Josh Bourke. We stuck with the run game. When playoff football occurs, its about running the ball and playing good defence. We made some nice touchdown passes in there too, but we set the tone by running the ball. Rutley had quite a season. He was invited to training camp after a tryout, but was let go. When tailback Brandon Whitaker was injured late in the season, he was called back and put on the practice roster. Then Sutton went down and he suddenly became the starter. Its an amazing journey and I want it to continue, said Rutley. Now the Alouettes need to carry the confidence gained against B.C. into Hamilton, where they lost with turnovers and weak play in the regular season finale. Thats the regular season, they won that one, said linebacker Bear Woods. Were going to win this one. Asked if that meant he was guaranteeing victory, Woods said: Im guaranteeing it and I hope theyre guaranteeing theyll beat us. Thats the mentality that both teams have. Itll make for a great football game for all the fans in the CFL. There were plenty of empty seats at Percival Molson Stadium as only 15,107 turned out to the 23,500-seat venue on a chilly day with a few snowflakes. There wasnt a lot to see until late in a slow first half marked by dropped passes on both sides, but then Montreal took apart the B.C. defence the rest of the way. The first quarter saw only Sean Whytes punt single go up on the board. The Lions thought theyd thwarted a drive when Adam Bighill intercepted near the goal-line, but an illegal contact penalty on Cord Parks instead gave Montreal the ball on the B.C. 10. On the next play, Crompton found Green behind Parks in a corner of the end zone at 9:20 of the second. Glenn answered with an eight-play drive capped by Paul McCallums 30-yard field goal. A roughing call against Ryan Phillips helped keep alive Montreals return drive and Crompton hit Carter over the middle for a TD at 13:51 for a 15-3 halftime lead. Montreal opened the second half with a nine-play 79-yard drive on which Rutley carried four times in a row to the B.C. 2. Marsh ran it in at 5:25. Woods picked off a Glenn pass and, set up by a 29-yard toss to Green, Rutley ran in from the four at 10:41 to all but put the victory in the bank. Things got strange when Partridge took over at QB for the Lions next possession. He threw a short pass to Marc Ianuzzi, who attempted to punt the ball only to see it dribble forward, giving Montreal the ball on the 3. Marsh ran it in two plays later at 13:01 As if things couldnt get worse for B.C., Tim Brown ran a kickoff back to the Montreal 12, only to see Stefan Logan fumble and Brown run it back 103 yards for a TD at 4:01 of the fourth quarter. Finally, with 2:14 left, Partridge found Gore for an eight-yard TD pass and Logan scored the two-point convert. Brown returned a punt to the Montreal eight and Partridge hit Jackson for the TD, but this time, the two-point attempt failed. It was the most points Montreal has scored this season. Their next best was a 38-31 win at home over Hamilton on Sept. 7. It was a team win,said Woods. Our offence was able to score points. Its been rare that weve had that type of support from our offence, to where our defence got some rest and was able to play at that high level the whole game. Alouettes defensive end John Bowman left with a rib ailment in the third quarter and did not return. Higgins said Bowman could have come back but they decided to keep him out as a precaution. As for the weak attendance, Alouettes president Mark Weightman said it was tough selling an outdoor game in November when the team only found out it would be in the semifinal last week. Weve had a great sequence to end the season, but weve had a couple of years now where we havent had as much success, he said. I dont think a good second half is necessarily going to re-convince 100 per cent of your fans, you need to show you can win consistently over a longer period of time. There were probably still some skeptical fans who werent sure about this game and thinking what would happen. Hopefully, 50-17 will convince them. Notes -- The last time Montreal scored 50 points in game was the opening week of 2010, a 54-51 loss in overtime to Saskatchewan. . . The loss ends the run of three straight years in which a team playing at home won the Grey Cup. The championship game is slated for Nov. 30 in Vancouver.. . B.C.s Logan had 13 carries for 94 yards, but the Lions had only 102 passing yards. . The judge sternly instructed the prosecutor to restrain himself and he apologized -- then went right back to trying to pick holes in the testimony of the double-amputee runner. It was a harsh day of cross-examination for Pistorius, challenged relentlessly about his account of the moments just before he killed Reeva Steenkamp, as well as circumstances related to several firearms charges against him, including the firing of a gun in a crowded restaurant. . The Yankees made the moves before Tuesdays game against Baltimore. Robertson was listed retroactive to Monday. Robertson posted two saves in three games as the replacement for retired Yankees closer Mariano Rivera before getting hurt.KISSIMMEE, Fla. -- The Atlanta Braves agreed Wednesday on a $14.1 million, one-year contract with Ervin Santana, bolstering their injury plagued starting rotation. The 33-year-old right-hander went 9-10 with a 3.24 ERA in 32 starts for the Kansas City Royals last season and should make a huge impact with the battered Braves, who are facing the prospect of losing Kris Medlen for the season and opening with Brandon Beachy and Mike Minor on the disabled list. Medlen, who had been announced as Atlantas opening-day starter, left a spring training outing Sunday after grabbing his right elbow. Initial tests showed ligament damage, and he will undergo further examination to determine if he needs surgery for the second time in less than four years. Medlen said hes already preparing himself to miss the entire season. Beachy left a start Monday because of continuing problems with his right elbow, and Minor has yet to pitch this spring because of a sore shoulder. "In light of what has happened over the past few days with our pitching staff, we felt it was incumbent on us to do everything we could to strengthen our starting pitching," Braves general manager Frank Wren told reporters before a game against Washington. Santana will be pitching in the NL for the first time in his 10-year career. He spent eight seasons with the Los Angeles Angels before being traded to the Royals in 2013, helping Kansas City post an 86-76 record, their best since 1989. But Santana, who made $13 million in the final year of his contract, turned down a $14.1 million qualifying offer from the Royals and became a free agent. Given his hefty contract demands, he remained unsigned as spring training began, despite putting up some impressive career numbers. "This guy makes our rotation a lot better than where we are at now," Braves manager Fredi Gonzalez said, praising Wren. "We lost Medlen and Beachy in a matter of 2 1/2 days and he went out there and got the best pitcher available for us." Santana threw a bullpen at the Braves spring training complex on Wednesday, which Gonzalez said went well. Despite his late entrance to camp, Santana could be ready for the start of the season. "It will be close," Gonzalez said. "We are kind of keeping our fingers crossed that we can get him enough innings where he can start for us." Santana was an AL All-Star in 2008, tossed a no-hitter in 2011, and has reached double-figure wins five times, going a career-best 17-10 in 2010 and twice winning 16 games. Overall, he is 105-90 with a 4.19 ERA. Santanas agent, Jay Alou, said he initially received a text from Wren on Sunday, then got another call Tuesday night while negotiating with other clubs. It didnt take long to reach an agreement with Atlanta, a deal that includes award bonuses. Its easy to see why the Braves felt a sensee of desperation. . Medlen went a team-leading 15-12 with a 3.11 ERA last season, while Minor was 13-9 with a 3.21 ERA. The team also was counting on a full recovery for Beachy, who was one of the NLs most effective pitchers in 2012 before he underwent season-ending elbow surgery. Beachy has been limited to a total of 18 starts over the past two seasons, enduring several setbacks in his attempt to come back. After his latest problem, he will miss his next scheduled spring start and faces another trip to the DL. Minor, who underwent urinary tract surgery on Dec. 31, hopes to pitch within the next week but also seems likely to start the season on the DL while he builds his arm strength. Given all the health issues, the Braves got to the go-ahead from corporate owner Liberty Media to bump the payroll well above the projected $100 million limit. Wren called it "an incredible decision by the organization." With opening day less than three weeks away, the only healthy members of the Braves possible rotation are second-year pitchers Julio Teheran (14-8 last season) and Alex Wood, rookie David Hale and non-roster invitee Freddy Garcia. Hale and Garcia have both struggled this spring. Atlanta also signed veteran Gavin Floyd, but he is coming off Tommy John surgery and wont be ready to pitch until at least May. Now, add Santana to the list, though it will likely be mid-April before he is prepared to join the rotation. He has been throwing on the side and could make his spring training debut next week. "We want to take the right amount of caution to get him ready right, and be ready for the long haul," Wren said. By signing Santana, the Braves forfeited their first-round pick in Junes amateur draft, No. 26 overall, and the Royals will receive a compensation-round selection, the 28th overall. Atlantas first pick is now 32nd overall, as compensation for losing free agent catcher Brian McCann, who signed with the New York Yankees. Santanas signing leaves only two free agents -- Stephen Drew and Kendrys Morales -- available from the 13 players who turned down qualifying offers. If they agree to one-year contracts after opening day, they wouldnt be subject to qualifying offers this November. If they wait until after the draft to reach agreements, clubs that sign them wont lose selections. Among the 22 qualifying offers in the two years of the new labour contract, none have been accepted. "Frankly, the players havent adjusted to the change," New York Mets general manager Sandy Alderson said. "To blame the system versus the marketplace and blame the system versus a misunderstanding of the marketplace I think is a little one-sided. From a management standpoint, Id say, Hey, Im surprised if you guys havent taken a qualifying offer. Maybe they should have." ' ' '