MONTREAL (AP) — Johnny Manziel was 12 of 20 for 88 yards and a touchdown and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats scored 30 straight points to beat the Montreal Alouettes 30-15 on Saturday in the final preseason game for both teams.
The 2012 Heisman Trophy winner at Texas A&M also ran for 19 yards, and is set to back up starter Jeremiah Masoli — rested against Montreal — next Saturday at Calgary in the regular-season opener. Manziel is making a comeback in Canadian Football League after being released by the Cleveland Browns in March 2016.
“By no means is it perfect, or close to perfect, but there are some flashes, things I know and feel comfortable with,” Manziel said. “There are things that I should hit on the field that I missed today. That’s just part of trying to get better and get back in a feel of playing ball every day, week in and week out. Any time I’m getting in and getting reps, and getting a chance to take live reps like today, that’s a positive day.”
Manziel took over for Bryant Moniz with Hamilton down 14-0 four minutes into the second quarter.
Manziel opened with consecutive completions to running back Alex Green for Hamilton’s first first down, and capped the drive with a 3-yard scoring pass to Green.
“Hopefully, that’s the first of many,” Manziel said.
Manziel led three drives for field goals in the second half before giving way to Dane Evans.
“You saw him out there. He’s still a little rusty,” Tiger-Cats coach June Jones said. “But he’s a competitor. He knows what’s going on. He’s seeing what’s going on. He’s able to execute real quickly. You guys can see what he can do. He can make a difference. I think he’s going to be a very good player in this league.”