The Saskatchewan Roughriders (7-1) visited Percival Molson Memorial Stadium on Saturday night to close out Week 9 against the Montreal Alouettes (5-3). The Roughriders did not have Shawn Bane Jr. and Mario Alford in the lineup due to injuries. McLeod Bethel-Thompson got the start again for Montreal.
First Quarter:
Saskatchewan got the ball to start the game on the 54-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw three passes for 22 yards helping the offense reach the one-yard line. On the next play, third-string quarterback Tommy Stevens scored the touchdown, putting the Roughriders up 7-0 with 7:55 left to cap off a 10-play drive for 54 yards.
Both offenses struggled for the rest of the first quarter. There were a ton of dropped passes, but both defenses held their own. The Roughriders led 7-0 heading into the second quarter.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 63 yards (53 yards passing, 17 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), and Montreal’s offense had 28 yards (9 yards passing, 19 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense marched to the 13-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Trevor Harris threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Tommy Nield. The Roughriders extended their lead to 14-0 with 8:35 left to cap off a nine-play drive for 79 yards.
Later, Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw three passes for 19 yards leading the offense to the 48-yard line. On third down, kicker Jose Maltos made a 56-yard field goal. The Alouettes trailed the Roughriders 14-3 with 5:15 left.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw a 58-yard pass to Dohnte Meyers to the 12-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the nine-yard line before kicker Brett Lauther made a 17-yard field goal for a 17-3 lead with 2:51 left.
Montreal was trying to get something going on offense when they moved the ball to the 50-yard line. On the next play, McLeod Bethel-Thompson attempted to throw the ball to Regis Cibasu, but Saskatchewan linebacker Jameer Thurman got in front of him to make the interception at the 43-yard line.
Saskatchewan’s offense went two-and-out. Punter Joe Couch punted the ball 70 yards. The ball bounced into the endzone, and Montreal returner Tyjon Lindsey took a knee to concede the single-point. The Roughriders led the Alouettes 18-3 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Saskatchewan’s offense had 212 yards on offense (177 yards passing, 43 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 13 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 20 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 12 of 17 passes (70.5%) for 177 yards and one touchdown.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had seven carries for 30 yards, while backup quarterback Tommy Stevens had four carries for 11 yards and one rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Dohnte Meyers made three catches for 80 yards, while Tommy Nield made two catches for 39 yards and one touchdown. The defense made one tackle for loss and one interception.
Montreal’s offense had 80 yards (54 yards passing, 26 yards rushing), 5 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized four times for 50 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 8 of 15 passes (53%) for 54 yards and one interception.
Running back Sean Thomas-Erlington had three carries for 15 yards. Wide receiver Tyler Snead made four catches for 39 yards, and Cole Spieker made two catches for 14 yards. The defense made one sack.
Third Quarter:
Montreal got the ball to start the third quarter. The offense moved the ball to the 46-yard line. On the next play, Thompson threw a pass to Tyler Snead. As he went down, the ball came loose and Saskatchewan recovered it. The command center reviewed the play before determining that it was an incomplete pass. On third down, kicker Jose Maltos made a 54-yard field goal. The Alouettes trailed the Roughriders 18-6 with 11:44 left.
On the next Saskatchewan drive, running back A.J. Ouellette had two carries for 14 yards, and quarterback Trevor Harris threw a pass for 32 yards to the 24-yard line. On third down, kicker Brett Lauther made a 32-yard field goal. The Roughriders led 21-6 with 8:47 left.
Later in the third quarter, Montreal punter Joseph Zema punted the ball 78 yards into the endzone for a single point. However, contact with the kicker penalty gave Montreal 10 yards. They went for it on third down. During the play, McLeod Bethel-Thompson was trying to find someone open. Saskatchewan’s defense was all over him and Shane Ray sacked him. The ball popped out, and Caleb Sanders recovered it on his way to scoring a 45-yard touchdown.
After further review, the ball was down at the 46-yard line. Quarterback A.J. Ouellette completed a pass to Dohnte Meyers for 24 yards, and running back A.J. Ouellette had two carries for eight yards to the 14-yard line. On the next play, Harris threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to KeeSean Johnson for a 28-6 lead with 3:57 left.
Montreal made a quarterback change with Caleb Evans replacing Thompson. The offense moved the ball to the 36-yard line before the drive stalled. Saskatchewan got the ball back with 52 seconds left. Trevor Harris threw a 19-yard pass to KeeSean Johnson, and A.J. Ouellette rushed for three yards to the 53-yard line as the third quarter ended. The Roughriders led the Alouettes 28-6.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan running backs A.J. Ouellette and Mario Anderson combined with three carries logging 42 yards leading the offense to the 24-yard line. On third down, kicker Brett Lauther made a 32-yard field goal for a 31-6 lead with 9:30 left.
Late in the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther missed a 43-yard field goal that hit the upright. With the game out of reach, Saskatchewan replaced most of their starters. Running back Mario Anderson was given some playing time. He had five carries for 48 yards.
Tommy Stevens replaced Harris at quarterback for the rest of the game. Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made a 48-yard field goal, and the Roughriders defeated the Alouettes 34-6. It was their third straight win. They are also 4-0 against the East Division this year.
Final Stats:
Saskatchewan’s offense had 418 yards (289 yards passing, 137 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 22 first downs, 3 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 62 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 19 of 27 passes (70.3%) for 289 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had 15 carries for 74 yards. Wide receiver Dohnte Meyers led the receivers making five catches for 136 yards. KeeSean Johnson made four catches for 62 yards and one touchdown, while Tommy Nield made two catches for 39 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 35 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, and two turnover on downs.
Montreal’s offense had 169 yards (132 yards passing, 59 yards rushing, 22 yards lost), 12 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized six times for 84 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 15 of 26 passes (57.6%) for 126 yards, one interception, and one carry for nine yards.
Running back Sean Thomas-Erlington had six carries for 20 yards. Wide receiver Tyler Snead led the receivers making seven catches for 88 yards, while Cole Spieker made five catches for 29 yards. The defense made 44 tackles and one sack.
Next week, the Montreal Alouettes host the Edmonton Elks on Friday at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are on a bye week.
