The Montreal Alouettes (10-2) kicked off the OK Tire Labour Day Weekend on Friday night against the B.C. Lions (6-6) at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium in their first of two meetings this season.
Montreal started the first quarter with the ball on the 50-yard line after DeVonte Dedmon returned a 67-yard kickoff for 37 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander threw four straight passes for 53 yards to the seven-yard line. Then, Alexander threw a touchdown pass to Tyler Snead to put the Alouettes up 7-0 with 11:52 left on a five-play drive for 60 yards.
B.C. had the ball on the 46-yard line. Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw three passes for 42 yards to the 32-yard line. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 39-yard field goal. The Lions trailed the Alouettes 7-3 with 8:37 left. Montreal had the ball on the 40-yard line. The Alouettes moved the ball to the one-yard line. They ran three straight quarterback sneaks, and B.C.’s defense stopped them all, forcing a turnover.
Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 40 yards to the 41-yard line. On the next play, Zander Horvath ran to his left side, scoring a 69-yard touchdown. However, the touchdown was wiped away after B.C. was called for holding. Rourke threw an 18-yard pass to Keon Hatcher to the 49-yard line to end the first quarter. The Alouettes had 129 yards on offense, and B.C.’s offense had 100 yards.
In the second quarter, the Lions continued to move the ball to the 19-yard line before kicker Sean Whyte made a 27-yard field goal. The Lions trailed the Alouettes 7-6 with 10:37 left. For the majority of the second quarter, both defenses made quick work. Montreal’s offense had five straight two-and-outs. B.C.’s defense had a forced fumble and a fumble recovery. B.C. kicker Sean Whyte made two field goals for 49 yards and 45 yards to give the Lions a 12-7 lead at halftime.
B.C.’s offense had 203 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke went 11 of 20 for 162 yards, and two carries for 15 yards. Running back Zander Horvath had nine carries for 26 yards. Wide receiver Jermaine Jackson made four catches for 62 yards, and Jevon Cottoy made four catches for 62 yards.
Montreal’s offense had 152 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander went 13 of 19 for 140 yards and one touchdown. Running back Travis Theis had three carries for 12 yards. Wide receiver Kaseem Ferdinand made two catches for 25 yards, while Tyler Snead made three catches for 15 yards and one touchdown, and Tyson Philpot made three catches for 23 yards.
B.C. got the ball to start the third quarter from the 22-yard line. Nathan Rourke completed two passes for nine yards to the 45-yard line, bringing up third down. Montreal’s defense stopped Zander Horvath short of the first down for a turnover on downs. Montreal kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 50-yard field goal. The Alouettes trailed the Lions 12-10 with 11:49 left.
The Lions had the ball on the 40-yard line. Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 24 yards, and Zander Horvath had three carries for nine yards, plus a penalty on Montreal moved the ball to the 35-yard line. On the next play, Rourke threw a touchdown pass to Justin McInnis for a 19-10 lead with 8:49 left on a six-play drive for 73 yards.
The Alouettes had the ball on the 31-yard line. Davis Alexander started the drive by throwing a 45-yard pass to a wide-open Tyson Philpot to the 34-yard line. Alexander threw two more passes for 28 yards to the six-yard line. Then, Alexander handed the ball to Liam Talbot, who got a push from behind to score the touchdown. The Alouettes trailed the Lions 19-17 with 6:30 left on a four-play drive for 79 yards.
B.C. had the ball on the 42-yard line. They were hit with back-to-back procedure penalties. The Lions would reach the 52-yard line and went for it on third down. Montreal’s defense stopped Zander Horvath short of the first down. On the third play, Davis Alexander scrambled to his right side before throwing a 40-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Snead. However, after further review, the catch was ruled an incomplete pass. Kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 48-yard field goal to give the Alouettes a 20-19 lead with 2:45 left.
B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke threw an 11-yard pass to Justin McInnis to the 51-yard line. On the next play, Rourke’s pass intended for Justin McInnis was picked off by Tyrice Beverette for a 57-yard pick-six touchdown for a 27-19 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, B.C. kicker Sean Whyte made a 36-yard field goal. The Lions trailed the Alouettes 27-22 with 8:08 left. Montreal had the ball on the 40-yard line. Not only did they move the ball, but they also took time off the clock, reaching the one-yard line before Terry Wilson handed the ball to Tyler Snead for the touchdown. It was now 34-22 with 2:57 left on a nine-play drive for 70 yards.
With their backs against the wall, B.C.’s offense went to work on the 36-yard line. Nathan Rourke threw five passes for 45 yards, and Zander Horvath rushed for four yards to the 25-yard line. On the next play, Rourke threw the ball in the endzone, where Jermaine Jackson extended his arms to make the touchdown catch. They went for a two-point conversion, and Rourke threw the ball to Keon Hatcher for two points. The Lions trailed the Alouettes 34-30 with 1:38 left on a nine-play drive for 74 yards.
With under a minute left, Montreal put the game away when kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 39-yard field goal for a 37-30 win. The Alouettes outscored the Lions 30-18 in the second half. With the win, the Alouettes clinched a home playoff game and snapped a six-game losing streak to the B.C. Lions. The Lions also saw their five-game winning streak end.
Montreal’s offense had 338 yards (297 passing yards, 41 rushing yards), 21 first downs, 3 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 48 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 25 of 34 passes (74%) for 297 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for seven yards. Running back Travis Theis had three carries for 12 yards, while Liam Talbot had five carries for 19 yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Tyson Philpot made eight catches for 98 yards, while Tyler Snead made seven catches for 69 yards, one touchdown, one carry for one yard, and one rushing touchdown. The defense made 47 tackles, one interception, and one touchdown.
B.C.’s offense had 457 yards (375 passing yards, 82 rushing yards), 25 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized six times for 53 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 31 of 45 passes (68%) for 375 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and three carries for 31 yards. Running back Zander Horvath had 17 carries for 46 yards.
Wide receiver Justin McInnis made six catches for 100 yards and one touchdown, while Jermaine Jackson made seven catches for 98 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 33 tackles, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
The two teams will meet in a rematch next Saturday at 10 pm on TSN and CFL+.
