The Montreal Alouettes (13-3) hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-8) on Thanksgiving Day at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium in their first of two meetings. This was the first meeting since the Grey Cup last year.
In the first quarter, Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander’s pass intended for Tyler Sead was intercepted by Marcus Sayles for a 15-yard return to the 19-yard line. The Roughriders moved the ball to the 35-yard line before kicker Brett Lauther made a 43-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 9:52 left.
Montreal had the ball on the 40-yard line. Davis Alexander threw four passes for 50 yards to the nine-yard line. Then, Alexander threw a touchdown pass to Tyler Snead to give the Alouettes a 7-3 lead with 6:19 left on a six-play drive for 70 yards.
The Roughriders had the ball on the 40-yard line. Running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudon rushed for eight yards, followed by Tommy Stevens with two carries for five yards to the 27-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker to give the Roughriders a 10-7 lead to end the first quarter on a four-play drive for 70 yards. Saskatchewan’s offense had 105 yards and six first downs, while Montreal’s offense had 102 yards and six first downs.
In the second quarter, Montreal had the ball on the 36-yard line. Running back Stevie Scott III rushed for two yards and caught a 17-yard pass from Alexander to the 45-yard line. Then, Alexander threw a touchdown pass right into the hands of Charleston Rambo for a 14-10 lead with 11:59 left on a five-play drive for 74 yards. For the rest of the second quarter, Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made a 39-yard field goal, and Montreal kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 22-yard field goal. The Alouettes led the Roughriders 17-13 at halftime.
Montreal’s offense had 257 yards, 13 first downs, and 8 for 12 on second downs. Quarterback Davis Alexander went 13 of 20 for 212 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and two carries for 33 yards. Running back Stevie Scott III had four carries for 10 yards and two catches for 18 yards. Wide receiver Jerreth Sterns made six catches for 106 yards, while Charleston Rambo made one catch for 45 yards and one touchdown, and Tyler Snead made two catches for 21 yards and one touchdown.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 118 yards, 12 first downs, and 5 for 10 on second downs. Quarterback Trevor Harris went 11 of 16 for 118 yards and one touchdown. Running back A.J. Ouellette had seven carries for 49 yards. Wide receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker made three catches for 62 yards, while Daniel Wiebe made two catches for 20 yards, and Dhel Duncan-Busby made two catches for 18 yards.
In the third quarter, Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made a 51-yard field goal. The Roughriders trailed the Alouettes 17-16 with 11:49 left. Montreal had the ball on the 40-yard line. Davis Alexander threw two passes for 15 yards and rushed for seven yards to the 48-yard line. Two plays later, Alexander threw a 46-yard touchdown to Tyson Philpot for a 23-16 lead with 8:50 left on a five-play drive for 70 yards.
After Saskatchewan went two-and-out, Montreal had the ball on the 15-yard line. On the second play, Davis Alexander threw an 11-yard pass to Tyson Philpot, plus a roughing-the-passer penalty on Saskatchewan moved the ball to the 55-yard line. Two plays later, Alexander threw a 51-yard touchdown pass to Charleston Rambo for a 31-16 lead with 5:17 left on a four-play drive for 95 yards. Late in the third quarter, Montreal’s defense stopped Saskatchewan on third down. The Alouettes moved the ball to the 35-yard line to end the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Montreal continued to move the ball to the five-yard line before Davis Alexander threw a touchdown pass to Tyler Snead for a 38-16 lead with 10:43 left on an 11-play drive for 77 yards.
The Roughriders had the ball on the 34-yard line. A.J. Ouellette had two carries for 10 yards, and Trevor Harris threw a 23-yard pass to Dhel Duncan-Busby to the 52-yard line. Then, Harris’s pass went off the hands of Kian Schaffer-Baker and was intercepted by Geoffrey Cantin-Arku for 32 yards to the 31-yard line. The Alouettes moved the ball to the 32-yard line before kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 40-yard field goal for a 41-16 lead with 6:21 left in the game.
Late in the game, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker. They went for a two-point conversion. There were two penalties during the conversion before Tommy Stevens got the two points. The Roughriders trailed the Alouettes 41-24 with 2:31 left on a 12-play drive for 70 yards.
With the game out of reach, Montreal put their backup players in to finish the game. Kicker Jose Maltos made a 32-yard field goal for a 44-24 lead with 49 seconds left. Saskatchewan put their backup players in to. Quarterback Jack Coan threw a nine-yard pass to Dylan Djete. Montreal defensive back Don Callis forced the ball out, and it was recovered by Will Sutton to end the game. The Alouettes beat the Roughriders 44-24.
Montreal’s offense had 524 yards (423 passing yards, 109 rushing yards, 8 yards lost), 27 first downs, 13 of 21 on second downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized eight times for 72 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 26 of 33 passes (78%) for 403 yards, five touchdowns, one interception, and three carries for 40 yards. Alexander now has over 5,000 passing yards this season. Running back Stevie Scott III had 10 carries for 44 yards, and two catches for 18 yards.
Wide receiver Jerreth Sterns made eight catches for 124 yards, while Charleston Rambo made two catches for 96 yards and two touchdowns. Tyler Snead made eight catches for 75 yards and two touchdowns, and Tyson Philpot made five catches for 74 yards and one touchdown. 41 tackles, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 358 yards (258 passing yards, 107 rushing yards, 7 yards lost), 20 first downs, 9 for 21 on second downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 66 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 23 of 33 passes (69%) for 243 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Harris now has 5,000 passing yards this season. Running back A.J. Ouellette had 11 carries for 77 yards, and two catches for 16 yards.
Wide receiver Kian Schaffer-Baker made four catches for 76 yards and two touchdowns, while Dhel Duncan-Busby made six catches for 62 yards. The defense made 45 tackles, one sack, and one interception.
The two teams will meet in a rematch next Saturday at 3 pm on TSN and CFL+.
