The Montreal Alouettes (6-1) hosted the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-4) on Sunday night at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium in their second meeting of the season. Tre Ford made his second start for the Tiger-Cats, and Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette played his 100th career CFL game.
Montreal got the ball to start the game on the 44-yard line. Running back Travis Theis began the game with two carries for 46 yards to the 20-yard line. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed a three-yard pass to Marco Dubois, but an illegal contact penalty on Hamilton moved the ball to the 10-yard line. Travis Theis gained a yard before kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 17-yard field goal to put the Alouettes up 3-0 with 11:43 left.
In Montreal’s next possession, Travis Theis rushed for five yards before Davis Alexander threw three passes for 27 yards to the 54-yard line before the drive stalled. Punter Joseph Zema punted the ball 46 yards to Isaiah Wooden Sr. He avoided several tackles before finding the crease to run for a 100-yard punt return touchdown. The Tiger-Cats took a 7-3 lead with 5:04 left.
Late in the first quarter, Hamilton had the ball on the 43-yard line when Tre Ford completed a pass to Myron Mitchell. Robert Kennedy caused a fumble, and it was recovered by Nate Beauchemin. However, the instant replay showed Mitchell’s left knee was down.
Hamilton punted the ball to Montreal. Davis Alexander threw three passes for 38 yards, and Terry Wilson rushed for a yard, plus a penalty on Hamilton moved the ball to the 52-yard line to end the first quarter with Hamilton leading 7-3.
Montreal’s offense had 122 yards. Davis Alexander went 7 of 10 for 90 yards. Hamilton’s offense had 15 yards. Tre Ford went 2 of 2 for 15 yards.
In the second quarter, Montreal continued to move the ball to the one-yard line, where quarterback Terry Wilson scored the touchdown. The Alouettes took a 10-7 lead with 11:09 left on an 11-play drive for 101 yards.
Hamilton quarterback Tre Ford threw two passes for 15 yards to the 45-yard line. Two plays later, Montreal defensive lineman Mustafa Johnson sacked Ford for a four-yard loss. Hamilton punter Mitch McCarthy punted the ball 76 yards. The ball bounced into the endzone before Montreal returner DeVonte Dedmon conceded the single point. It was now 10-8 with 7:55 left.
Late in the second quarter, Davis Alexander threw three passes for 22 yards before his pass intended for Kaseem Ferdinand was intercepted by Devodric Bynam to end the first half. The Alouettes led the Tiger-Cats 10-8 at halftime.
Montreal’s offense had 235 yards. Davis Alexander went 15 of 21 for 169 yards, and one interception, while running back Travis Theis had six carries for 61 yards. Wide receiver Cole Spieker made four catches for 59 yards, and Tyler Snead made three catches for 37 yards. The defense sacked Tre Ford three times.
Hamilton’s offense had 66 yards. Tre Ford was 7 of 7 for 50 yards, while running back Larry Rountree III had six carries for 28 yards. Wide receiver Myron Mitchell made three catches for 24 yards, and Isaiah Wooden Sr. made one catch for 11 yards, one kick return for 21 yards, two punt returns for 127 yards, and one touchdown.
Hamilton started the third quarter with the ball on the 34-yard line. Tre Ford completed two passes for 31 yards, and rushed for five yards, while Larry Rountree III rushed for a yard to the 33-yard line. On the next play, Hamilton went with a screen pass, with Ford completing a pass to Kenny Lawler. Lawler had a couple of blockers before scoring a 33-yard touchdown. Hamilton took a 15-10 lead with 10:40 left on a seven-play drive for 76 yards.
Montreal got the ball on the 45-yard line. Running back Travis Theis had two carries for 26 yards, and Davis Alexander threw a seven-yard pass to Alexander Hollins. Hamilton linebacker Wynton McManis was issued two objectionable conduct penalties, resulting in him being disqualified from the game after kicking Montreal offensive lineman Cyrille Hogan-Saindon on the head. The ball was placed on the one-yard line, where Terry Wilson scored the touchdown. The Alouettes took a 17-15 lead with eight minutes left on a five-play drive for 65 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Hamilton moved the ball to the 39-yard line before kicker Marc Liegghio made a 46-yard field goal for an 18-17 lead with 2:01 left. Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander threw two passes for 12 yards. Punter Joseph Zema punted the ball 49 yards to Isaiah Wooden Sr. for an 11-yard return to the 20-yard line as the third quarter ended. The Alouettes led 18-17 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, both teams struggled to move the football. With 7:12 left, Tre Ford rushed for two yards before T.J. Guy punched the ball out, and it was recovered by Najee Murray at the 42-yard line. Hamilton’s defense got the ball back when Davis Alexander threw a pass to Tyler Snead before he fumbled it and it was recovered by Destin Talbert at the 32-yard line.
Late in the game, Montreal kicker Jose Maltose Diaz made a 35-yard field goal and a 46-yard field goal for a 23-18 lead with two minutes left. He also kicked the ball for 84 yards into the endzone for a single point. It was now 24-18. Hamilton quarterback Tre Ford had pressure in his face. He overthrew Myron Mitchell, and it was intercepted by Robert Kennedy for an 18-yard return to the 30-yard line. Travis Theis finished the game with four carries for 30 yards, including scoring an eight-yard touchdown. The Alouettes defeated the Tiger-Cats 31-18 for their fourth consecutive win.
Montreal’s offense had 347 yards (187 passing yards, 167 rushing yards, 7 yards lost), 25 first downs, 3 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 14 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 21 of 29 passes (72.4%) for 187 yards and one interception. Running back Travis Theis had 19 carries for 156 yards, and one rushing touchdown, while Terry Wilson had seven carries for 10 yards, and two rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver Cole Spieker made five catches for 63 yards, and Tyler Snead made four catches for 37 yards. The defense made 35 tackles, three sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Hamilton’s offense had 228 yards (164 passing yards, 80 rushing yards, 16 yards lost), 14 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized 11 times for 116 yards. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 15 of 23 passes (65.2%) for 164 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and three carries for 24 yards. Running back Larry Rountree III had 13 carries for 52 yards.
Wide receiver Keric Wheatfall made four catches for 55 yards, and Kenny Lawler made three catches for 45 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 46 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, three forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Next Friday, the Montreal Alouettes visit the Ottawa Redblacks at 7:30 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network, while the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday at 3 pm on TSN and CFL+.
