The Montreal Alouettes (6-7) visited a rainy Mosaic Stadium on Saturday night against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-3) in their second meeting of the season. Montreal welcomed back McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who missed several weeks with an elbow injury.
First Quarter:
Montreal got the ball to start the game on the 32-yard line. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a 24-yard pass to Tyler Snead, and running back Stevie Scott III and Travis Theis logged 10 yards to move the ball to the 44-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Jose Maltos made a 52-yard field goal to put the Alouettes up 3-0 with 12:24 left.
Saskatchewan’s offense had the ball on the 40-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw three passes for 26 yards to lead them to the 38-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 46-yard field goal, and the game was tied 3-3 with 9:25 left.
Montreal running back Stevie Scott III started the next drive with two carries for 11 yards to the 51-yard line. On the next play, McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a 59-yard touchdown pass to Tyson Philpot. The Alouettes took a 10-3 lead with 7:34 left to cap off a three-play drive for 70 yards.
Later, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris’s pass intended for KeeSean Johnson was intercepted by Wesley Sutton on the 52-yard line. Originally, Sutton was called for pass interference, but after Montreal challenged the play, the ruling was overturned.
Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed two passes for six yards to the 46-yard line. On third down, kicker Jose Maltos attempted a 56-yard field goal. The ball hit the right upright and was no good with 6:02 left.
Late in the first quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense was on the 46-yard line facing third down. On third down, Tommy Stevens tried to get the first down, but Montreal Tyrell Richards popped the ball out, and it was recovered by Marc-Antoine Dequoy on the 45-yard line.
Montreal’s offense moved the ball to the five-yard line to end the first quarter, leading the Roughriders 10-3. They had 170 yards (147 yards passing, 23 yards rushing), and Saskatchewan’s offense had 67 yards (42 yards passing, 25 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Montreal moved the ball to the one-yard line before Shea Patterson scored the touchdown. The Alouettes extended their lead to 17-3 with 13:51 left to cap off a five-play drive for 65 yards.
Later, Montreal had the ball on the 43-yard line. They moved the ball to the 38-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Jose Maltos attempted a 46-yard field goal. He missed the field goal wide left, but the ball went out of bounds for a single point. It was now 18-3 with 13:51 left.
On the second play for Saskatchewan, quarterback Trevor Harris threw a 26-yard pass to Ajou Ajou to the 44-yard line. After A.J. Ouellette rushed for six yards, Trevor Harris threw a 38-yard touchdown pass to KeeSean Johnson. The Roughriders trailed the Alouettes 18-10 with 5:42 left.
Montreal’s offense had the ball on the 36-yard line. McLeod Bethel-Thompson rushed for 12 yards to the 48-yard line. Next, running back Stevie Scott III had two carries for 13 yards, including recovering the ball that he lost on the 49-yard line. Then, Thompson threw an 11-yard pass to Tyson Philpot, and the drive stalled. Kicker Jose Maltos made a 47-yard field goal for a 21-10 lead with 2:33 left.
Late in the second quarter, Montreal’s offense had the ball on the 36-yard line. Running back Stevie Scott III had two carries for 27 yards, and Thompson threw a 31-yard pass to Charleston Rambo to the 16-yard line. On the next play, Thompson threw the ball to the corner of endzone, where Tyson Philpot made the catch for the touchdown. The Alouettes led 28-10 at halftime to cap off a four-play drive for 74 yards.
First Half Stats:
Montreal’s offense had 324 yards (242 yards passing, 82 yards rushing), 13 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 15 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 13 of 17 passes (76.4%) for 242 yards, two touchdowns, and one carry for 12 yards.
Running back Stevie Scott III had nine carries for 63 yards. Wide receiver Tyson Philpot made five catches for 126 yards and two touchdowns, while Charleston Rambo made two catches for 44 yards. The defense made one sack, one interception, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one turnover on downs.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 169 yards (126 yards passing, 54 yards rushing, 11 yards lost), 8 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized two times for 20 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 10 of 15 passes (66%) for 126 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had nine carries for 51 yards. Wide receiver Ajou Ajou made five catches for 62 yards, while KeeSean Johnson made one catch for 38 yards and one touchdown. The defense had one forced fumble.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Montreal running back Stevie Scott III started the drive with a 15-yard run to the 55-yard line. He would get three more carries for 16 yards to help the offense move the ball to the 23-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Jose Maltos made a 31-yard field goal. The Alouettes extended their lead to 31-10 with 7:41 left.
Late in the third quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw five passes for 56 yards. A couple of penalties by Montreal’s defense, including a horse collar tackle on Wesley Sutton, placed the ball on the one-yard line. Tommy Stevens came in to score the touchdown. The Roughriders trailed the Alouettes 31-17 with 2:44 left to cap off a 10-play drive for 70 yards.
After Montreal went two-and-out, Saskatchewan’s offense had the ball on the 26-yard line. Running back A.J. Ouellette had two carries for 21 yards, and Trevor Harris threw a five-yard pass to Tommy Nield to the 52-yard line to end the third quarter, trailing the Alouettes 31-17.
Fourth Quarter:
Saskatchewan punted the ball to begin the fourth quarter. James Letcher Jr. returned a 46-yard punt for 11 yards to the 23-yard line. Montreal quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw the ball to Tyson Philpot for 77 yards to the 10-yard line.
A horse collar penalty was called on Saskatchewan defensive back Antonie Brooks Jr. The ball was placed on the one-yard line. Shea Patterson came in and scored the touchdown. The Alouettes led the Roughriders 38-17 with 13:12 left.
Later, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw four passes for 40 yards to the 31-yard line. A.J. Ouellette also helped on this drive make a catch for four yards, and three carries for 11 yards to the one-yard line. Oullette finished the drive by scoring a touchdown. The Roughriders trailed the Alouettes 31-24 with 8:47 left to cap off an 11-play drive for 69 yards.
Montreal’s offense had the ball on the 38-yard line. They moved the ball to the nine-yard line. On the next play, McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw the ball to Tyler Snead. Snead took a hit from A.J. Allen and fumbled the ball. Offensive lineman Donald Ventrelli recovered it in the endzone for the touchdown. Montreal restored a 21-point lead to 45-24 with 3:43 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 64 yards.
Late in the game, Jake Maier was the new quarterback for Saskatchewan. On the second play, he threw a short pass to Dohnte Meyers, who ran for a 47-yard touchdown. The Roughriders trailed the Alouettes 45-31 with 2:50 left to cap off a two-play drive for 74 yards.
Montreal’s offense had the ball on the 47-yard line. Running back Stevie Scott III had four carries for 16 yards to the 31-yard line. Kicker Jose Maltos made a 39-yard field goal for a 48-31 lead with 1:38 left.
Saskatchewan quarterback Jake Maier threw four passes for 44 yards to help the offense reach the five-yard line. With 17 seconds left, Jake Maier’s pass was intercepted by Kabion Ento to end the game. The Alouettes defeated the Roughriders 48-31. Despite the loss, the Roughriders clinched a playoff spot with the losses of Edmonton and Winnipeg.
Final Stats:
Montreal’s offense had 521 yards (370 yards passing, 152 yards rushing, 1 yard loss), 25 first downs, 4 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 34 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 20 of 26 passes (76.9%) for 370 yards, two touchdowns, and one carry for 12 yards.
Running back Stevie Scott III had 19 carries for 125 yards. Wide receiver Tyson Philpot made nine catches for 238 yards and two touchdowns, while Charleston Rambo made two catches for 44 yards. The defense made 45 tackles, one sack, two interceptions, three forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one turnover on downs.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 466 yards (370 yards passing, 107 yards rushing, 11 yards lost), 23 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 64 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 23 of 32 passes (71.8%) for 252 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Jake Maier completed 6 of 10 passes (60%) for 118 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had 16 carries for 90 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Ajou Ajou made eight catches for 95 yards, while Dhonte Meyers made seven catches for 89 yards and one touchdown, and KeeSean Johnson made four catches for 61 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 42 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two forced fumbles.
Next Friday, the Montreal Alouettes visit the Toronto Argonauts at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+. The Saskatchewan Roughriders are on a bye week.
