The Montreal Alouettes (7-1) visited TD Place Stadium on Friday night against the Ottawa Redblacks (0-7) for their second meeting of the season. Montreal was coming off a win over Hamilton last week, and the Redblacks were coming off a bye week still searching for their first win of the season.
Montreal got the ball to start the first quarter at the 29-yard line. Running back Travis Theis started the drive for a five-yard run before Davis Alexander threw three passes for 72 yards to the six-yard line. On the next play, Alexander threw a touchdown pass to Tyson Philpot for a 7-0 lead with 11:16 left to cap off a six-play drive for 81 yards.
Ottawa started its first drive from the 48-yard line. Running back Greg Bell had two carries for 10 yards, while Jake Maier threw four passes for 46 yards to the six-yard line. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 13-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Alouettes 7-3 with 6:51 left.
Davis Alexander did not waste any time in Montreal’s next possession by throwing a 54-yard pass to Tyson Philpot to the 16-yard line. Travis Theis rushed for five yards, and Alexander threw an eight-yard pass to Tyler Snead to the three-yard line.
Then, Theis rushed up the middle for the touchdown. The Alouettes led 14-3 with 4:06 left on a four-play drive for 70 yards. Ottawa took over for the rest of the first quarter. They moved the ball to the one-yard line as the first quarter ended.
In the second quarter, Ottawa running back Daniel Adeboboye walked in for the touchdown. The Redblacks trailed the Alouettes 14-10 with 14:32 left on a nine-play drive for 83 yards. Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander started the next drive by throwing a 21-yard pass to Alexander Hollins to the 54-yard line.
The Alouettes continued to move the ball to the 11-yard line, where Davis Alexander threw a touchdown pass to Cole Spieker. The Alouettes led 21-10 with 11:03 left on a six-play drive for 77 yards. For the rest of the second quarter, the two teams exchanged field goals. Montreal kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 35-yard field goal, and Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward made a 14-yard field goal. The Alouettes led the Redblacks 24-13 at halftime.
Montreal’s offense had 303 yards. Davis Alexander went 15 of 20 for 287 yards and two touchdowns, while Travis Theis had three carries for 11 yards and a rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Tyson Philpot made five catches for 135 yards, while Tyler Snead made five catches for 90 yards, and Cole Spieker made two catches for 17 yards and two touchdowns. For Philpot, he became the fastest Canadian to reach 1,000 receiving yards in CFL history.
Ottawa’s offense had 179 yards. Jake Maier went 15 of 17 for 156 yards. Running back Greg Bell had five carries for 21 yards, while Daniel Adeboboye had two carries for one yard and one rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton made four catches for 62 yards, and Ayden Eberhardt made three catches for 39 yards.
In the second half, it was all Montreal. In the third quarter, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the one-yard line, where defensive lineman Joshua Archibald intercepted it. On the second play, Davis Alexander threw a short pass to Tyler Snead for 48 yards to the 53-yard line.
Montreal moved the ball to the 19-yard line before Alexander threw a touchdown pass to Tyler Snead for a 31-13 lead with 5:01 left to cap off a six-play drive for 109 yards. Ottawa quarterback Jake Maier threw eight passes for 62 yards to the four-yard line to end the quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Ottawa went for it on third down, but Greg Bell had no blockers as Montreal’s defensive line shut him down for a two-yard loss. The Alouettes moved the ball to the 34-yard line, where kicker Jose Maltose Diaz made a 42-yard field goal for a 34-13 lead with 7:32 left.
For the rest of the game, Ottawa missed two more third-down conversions. Jake Maier was replaced by Bryson Barnes. Montreal’s defense put the game away when defensive back Lorenzo Burns intercepted Barnes. The Alouettes beat the Redblacks 34-13 for their fifth straight win.
Montreal’s offense had 504 yards (420 passing yards, 89 rushing yards, 5 yards lost), 25 first downs, 4 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 50 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 22 of 30 passes (73%) for 420 yards and three touchdowns. Running back Travis Theis had 10 carries for 62 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Tyson Philpot made nine catches for 184 yards, while Tyler Snead made eight catches for 174 yards and one touchdown, and Cole Spieker made two catches for 17 yards and two touchdowns. The defense made 50 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, and two interceptions.
Ottawa’s offense had 375 yards (346 passing yards, 36 rushing yards, 7 yards lost), 25 first downs, 1 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 60 yards. Quarterback Jake Maier went 34 of 41 passes (83%) for 311 yards, one interception, and three carries for 12 yards. Running back Greg Bell had six carries for 19 yards, while Daniel Adeboboye had three carries for four yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Justin Hardy made seven catches for 77 yards, and Ayden Eberhardt made six catches for 69 yards. The defense made 36 tackles.
Next Friday, the Ottawa Redblacks visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 9 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network, while the Montreal Alouettes face the Edmonton Elks on Saturday at 3 pm on TSN and CFL+.
