The Montreal Alouettes (1-0) hosted the Toronto Argonauts (0-1) on Friday night from Percival Molson Memorial Stadium to start the 2025 season. This was the first time these two teams met since the 2024 Eastern Final.
First Quarter:
Toronto began the game with a procedure penalty. They would end up going two-and-out. Montreal established the running game early with Sean Thomas-Erlington getting four carries for 29 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander threw four passes for 43 yards to Toronto’s 25-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Jose Carlos Maltos missed a 38-yard field goal with the ball sailing out of bounds for a single point. It was 1-0 Montreal with 6:54 left.
After Toronto went two-and-out again, Montreal got the ball on their 41-yard line. Running back Sean Thomas-Erlington and Travis Theis combined with three carries logging 18 yards. Montreal marched down to the 26-yard line before Davis Alexander threw a nice pass right on the hands of Tyson Philpot for the touchdown. It was now 8-0 Montreal heading into the second quarter. The drive was seven plays for 69 yards.
Second Quarter:
The defense from both teams did a good job. They did not allow many plays to develop. Toronto’s defense got to Davis Alexander three times, while Montreal got to Nick Arbuckle one time and with an interception.
With under six minutes left of the second quarter, Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw four consecutive passes for 64 yards reaching Montreal’s 33-yard line. The offense stalled and kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 45-yard field goal. Toronto trailed Montreal 8-3 with 2:34 left.
Toronto’s offense was sloppy for the majority of the game. The play calling was mediocre, guys seemed lost out there, and Nick Arbuckle spent the majority of time running around trying to keep plays alive.
With 38 seconds left, Montreal’s defense pressured Arbuckle. He ran around but Sean Oakman stripped the ball out. The ball bounced into the hands of Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund and he returned it for a touchdown.
There was an official review to see whether Arbuckle’s arm was going forward with the football for an incomplete pass. However, the play stood and it was a touchdown for Monreal. The Alouettes extended their lead 15-3 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Montreal had 186 yards of offense (113 yards passing, 87 yards rushing). Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 10 of 12 passes (83%) for 113 yards, one touchdown, and three carries for 38 yards. Running back Sean Thomas-Erlington had eight carries for 38 yards, and Tyson Philpot made three catches for 43 yards and one touchdown.
Toronto had 142 yards of offense (139 yards passing, 17 yards rushing). Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 11 of 16 passes (69%) for 139 yards, one interception, and one carry for one yard. Running back Deonta McMahon had three carries for 13 yards, and Damonte Coxie made four catches for 72 yards.
Third Quarter:
Montreal got the ball to start the third quarter. Quarterback Davis Alexander threw three passes for 27 yards plus a 12-yard run landing them on the one-yard line. Third-string quarterback Caleb Evans came in to score the touchdown for a 22-3 lead to cap off a seven-play drive for 40 yards.
For the rest of the third quarter, both defenses continued to play well not allowing big plays to develop. The Alouettes led 22-3 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw three passes for 90 yards, including a 47-yard pass to DaVaris Daniels. On the next play, Arbuckle threw a short pass to DaVaris Daniels. He was in the throes of being tackled but managed to extend his arms breaking the plain into the endzone for a touchdown. It was now 22-10 with 10:37 left to cap off a five-play drive for 101 yards.
For the rest of the game, Montreal kicker Jose Carlos Maltos kicked two field goals from 31 yards and 30 yards to seal the game. The Alouettes defeated the Toronto Argonauts by the final score of 28-10.
Final Stats:
Montreal had 354 yards of offense (205 yards passing, 163 yards rushing), 21 first downs, and the team was penalized six times for 63 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 19 of 26 passes (73%) for 205 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and four carries for 50 yards. Running back Sean Thomas-Erlington had 17 carries for 86 yards, and Travis Theis had three carries for 22 yards.
Wide receiver Austin Mack led the receivers making five catches for 51 yards, while Tyson Philpot made four catches for 48 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made 2 of 3 field goals (66.7%) with a long of 31 yards. The defense made 31 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and two interceptions.
Toronto had 276 yards of offense (273 yards passing, 34 yards rushing), 13 first downs, and the team was penalized nine times for 60 yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 20 of 32 passes (63%) for 273 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and three carries for 17 yards. Running back Deonta McMahon had four carries for 14 yards.
Wide receiver Damonte Coxie led the receivers making five catches for 99 yards, and DaVaris Daniels made two catches for 31 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made one field goal for 45 yards. The defense made 48 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks, and one interception.
Next week, the Montreal Alouettes visit the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Toronto Argonauts host the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday at 4 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub.
