The Montreal Alouettes (9-7) hosted the Ottawa Redblacks (4-12) on Monday afternoon in their annual Thanksgiving Day game from Percival Molson Memorial Stadium. Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown (Knee) was shut down for the rest of the season, and Dustin Crum was the starting quarterback. Wide receiver DaVonte Dedmon (Ankle) was a last-minute change and did not play.
The Alouettes came into this game without wide receiver James Letcher Jr. (Lower Leg) and offensive lineman Jamar McGloster (Wrist).
First Quarter:
Montreal got the ball to start the game on the 51-yard line. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed an eight-yard pass to Tyson Philpot, and running back Stevie Scott III rushed for one yard. A procedure penalty backed Montreal up five yards to the 55-yard line. On third down, punter Joseph Zema punted the ball 58 yards. The ball bounced into the endzone, and Ottawa returner Kalil Pimpleton conceded the single point. Montreal took a 1-0 lead with 12:40 left.
Ottawa started its first drive on the 40-yard line. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed two passes for nine yards. A procedure penalty on Ottawa backed them to the 44-yard line. On third down, Ottawa punter Richie Leone’s punt was blocked by Marc-Antoine Dequoy. Dequoy scooped up the ball and scored the touchdown. It was now 8-0 with 10:38 left.
Montreal had the ball on the 54-yard line. Davis Alexander completed an 11-yard pass to Austin Mack to the 45-yard line. After two unsuccessful tries in the endzone, kicker Jose Maltos made a 53-yard field goal for an 11-0 lead with 7:38 left.
Late in the first quarter, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the three-yard line. Montreal’s defense stood tall, stopping the Redblacks three times, which included a sack by Marc-Antoine Dequoy, and Montreal took over on downs. Davis Alexander completed two passes for eight yards before the drive stalled.
Ottawa got the ball on the 40-yard line to end the first quarter, trailing the Alouettes 11-0. Ottawa’s offense had 49 yards (54 yards passing, 25 yards rushing), and Montreal’s offense had 28 yards (27 yards passing, 1 yard rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum’s pass intended for Eugene Lewis was incomplete. However, a defensive pass interference penalty on Montreal defensive back Lorenzo Burns gave Ottawa a first down on the 25-yard line. Ottawa would get called for another procedure penalty, but Dustin Crum would get those yards back with a 12-yard run to the 18-yard line.
Crum would get an additional yard before William Stanback finished it off with two carries for 17 yards, including a 15-yard touchdown. They went for a two-point conversion, but Crum overthrew his intended receiver Bralon Addison. The Redblacks trailed the Alouettes 11-6 with 10:52 left to cap off a six-play drive for 70 yards.
Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander threw two passes for 13 yards, and Stevie Scott III rushed for three yards to the 40-yard line. On second down, Alexander’s pass intended for Tyler Snead in the end zone was incomplete. Kicker Jose Maltos made a 48-yard field goal for a 14-6 lead with 8:04 left.
Ottawa running back William Stanback began the next drive with a five-yard run to the 45-yard line. On the next play, Dustin Crum rushed for 12 yards, but a holding penalty backed them up ten yards. Crum went on to throw three passes for 33 yards to the 32-yard line. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 39-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Alouettes 14-9 with 4:14 left.
Montreal’s offense quickly responded. Davis Alexander threw two passes for 23 yards to the 47-yard line. On the next play, Alexander threw the ball to Austin Mack. Mack made the catch while falling down, and no one from Ottawa touched him. Mack extended his arm to break the plane for the touchdown. Montreal extended its lead to 21-9 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Montreal’s offense had 155 yards (144 yards passing, 11 yards rushing), 6 first downs, no red zone opportunities, and the team was penalized four times for 35 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 13 of 16 passes (81.2%) for 144 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for six yards.
Running back Stevie Scott III had three carries for five yards. Wide receiver Austin Mack made three catches for 70 yards and one touchdown, while Tyson Philpot made four catches for 37 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and two turnovers on downs.
Ottawa’s offense had 137 yards (94 yards passing, 73 yards rushing, 30 yards lost), 10 first downs, 1 for 2 in the red zone, and the team was penalized three times for 20 yards. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 11 of 16 passes (68.7%) for 94 yards and four carries for 26 yards.
Running back William Stanback had eight carries for 47 yards, one rushing touchdown, and three catches for 36 yards. Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton made four catches for 23 yards, while Keelan White made two catches for 14 yards.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Montreal controlled the line of scrimmage. Running back Stevie Scott III rushed for one yard before Davis Alexander threw four consecutive passes for 49 yards to the 39-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Jose Maltos made a 47-yard field goal for a 24-9 lead with 3:47 left.
Later, Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum’s pass intended for Eugene Lewis went off his hands and was intercepted by Lorenzo Burns on the 51-yard line. However, the play was ruled incomplete, and Montreal challenged the ruling but lost. Ottawa ended up punting the ball to the 26-yard line.
Montreal went two-and-out. Ottawa’s offense had the ball for the rest of the third quarter. Justin Hardy rushed for five yards, running back William Stanback caught a five-yard pass and rushed for seven yards before Daniel Adeboboye rushed for three yards to the 52-yard line. The Redblacks trailed the Alouettes 24-9 to end the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
Ottawa started the fourth quarter moving the ball to the 30-yard line. On the next play, Dustin Crum was sacked by Najee Murray for a nine-yard loss. Kicker Lewis Ward attempted a 47-yard field goal. He missed it wide left, and Montreal returner Eno Benjamin conceded the single point. It was now 24-10 with 11:34 left.
Later, Montreal returner Eno Benjamin returned a 52-yard punt for 10 yards to the 45-yard line. Ottawa fullback Marco Dubois was disqualified from the game for throwing a punch, and Montreal picked up 25 yards to the 20-yard line. Davis Alexander threw a 14-yard pass to Tyler Snead to the six-yard line. They could not get into the end zone, and kicker Jose Maltos made a 14-yard field goal. Montreal extended its lead to 27-10 with 7:04 left.
Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the 28-yard line. On third down, Montreal’s defense blitzed Dustin Crum. He tried to get away, but Tyson Beverette sacked him for a 20-yard loss.
With the game out of reach, running back Eno Benjamin had four carries for 23 yards, and Shea Patterson rushed for three yards to the 36-yard line. Benjamin would recover a fumble for a three-yard loss before kicker Jose Maltos made a 47-yard field goal. Montreal led 30-10 with 1:21 left.
Ottawa’s offense had one more shot to get into the end zone. On third down, Montreal defensive back Wesley Sutton broke up a pass to end the game. The Alouettes defeated the Redblacks 30-10 for their fourth win in a row. They keep their hopes alive to win the East Division. For Ottawa, it was their fourth straight loss.
Final Stats:
Montreal’s offense had 296 yards (240 yards passing, 59 yards rushing), 13 first downs, 0 for 1 in the red zone, and the team was penalized nine times for 104 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 23 of 30 passes (76%) for 240 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for six yards.
Running back Stevie Scott III had seven carries for 30 yards. Wide receiver Austin Mack made five catches for 87 yards and one touchdown, while Tyson Philpot made six catches for 40 yards. The defense made 42 tackles, one tackle for loss, four sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and four turnovers on downs.
Ottawa’s offense had 220 yards (162 yards passing, 121 yards rushing, 63 yards lost), 15 first downs, 1 for 2 in the red zone, and the team was penalized seven times for 80 yards. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 19 of 29 passes (65.5%) for 162 yards and seven carries for 36 yards.
Running back William Stanback had 11 carries for 73 yards, one rushing touchdown, and four catches for 41 yards. Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton made seven catches for 47 yards, while Keelan White made four catches for 22 yards. The defense made 36 tackles and two tackles for loss.
The two teams will meet in a rematch next Saturday at 3 pm on CTV and CFL+.
