The Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-8) hosted the Montreal Alouettes (13-4) on Saturday afternoon at Mosaic Stadium in their second and final meeting of the season. The Alouettes rested several starters. Dustin Crum got the start at quarterback in place of Davis Alexander.
Montreal got the ball to start the game on the 33-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 48-yard line before punter Joseph Zema punted the ball 57 yards into the endzone. The ball stopped just before going out of bounds, and Mathew Sexton conceded the single point. The Alouettes took a 1-0 lead with 11:16 left.
Late in the first quarter, Montreal had the ball on the 28-yard line. Quarterback Dustin Crum had two carries for 13 yards and threw a seven-yard pass to Rohan Jones to lead the offense to the 37-yard line. Then, Crum threw a touchdown pass to a wide-open Alexander Hollins for an 8-0 lead to end the first quarter on a seven-play drive for 82 yards. Montreal’s offense had 118 yards, 6 first downs, and 2 for 5 on second downs, while Saskatchewan had 43 yards, 2 first downs, and 1 for 3 on second downs.
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw a couple of passes for 23 yards, and running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for four yards to the 43-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 52-yard field goal. The Roughriders trailed the Alouettes 8-3 with 9:11 left.
Late in the second quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 40-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther attempted a 48-yard field goal, but he missed it wide right with 2:12 left. With 30 seconds left, Trevor Harris’s pass intended for Johnny Johnson III was intercepted by Wesley Sutton for a 14-yard return to the 28-yard line. The Alouettes moved the ball to the 16-yard line before kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 25-yard field goal for an 11-3 lead at halftime.
Montreal’s offense had 178 yards, 10 first downs, 5 for 11 on second downs. Quarterback Dustin Crum went 10 of 12 for 89 yards, one touchdown, and four carries for 22 yards. Running back Shomari Lawrence had nine carries for 70 yards, and two catches for three yards. Wide receiver Alexander Hollins made one catch for 37 yards and one touchdown, while Rohan Jones made three catches for 25 yards.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 111 yards, 7 first downs, and 3 for 9 on second downs. Quarterback Trevor Harris went 10 of 17 for 79 yards, one interception, and one carry for five yards. Running back A.J. Ouellette had three carries for 11 yards, and two catches for 17 yards. Wide receiver Samuel Emilus made five catches for 46 yards, and KeeSean Johnson made two catches for 14 yards.
In the third quarter, Trevor Harris threw five passes for 56 yards, and A.J. Ouellette had two carries for seven yards to the 25-yard line. On second down, Harris was sacked by Geoffrey Cantin-Arku for an eight-yard loss. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 31-yard field goal. The Roughriders trailed the Alouettes 11-6 with 6:56 left.
For the rest of the third quarter, Montreal’s offense had 11 yards, and Saskatchewan’s offense had 29 yards, resulting in both teams punting the ball. The Alouettes remained ahead 11-6 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Montreal’s offense moved the ball to the 38-yard line. Kicker Jose Maltos Diaz made a 46-yard field goal, but a time-count penalty on Montreal took them out of field goal range. Punter Joseph Zema punted the ball 59 yards into the endzone. Mathew Sexton took the ball and conceded the single point. It was now 12-6 with 12:04 left.
Saskatchewan had the ball on the 40-yard line. Trevor Harris threw three passes for 30 yards, including a 22-yarder to KeeSean Johnson to the 40-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 48-yard field goal. The Roughriders trail the Alouettes 12-9 with 9:38 left.
Late in the game, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 54-yard line before Montreal’s defense stopped Tommy Stevens on third down. The Alouettes moved the ball to the 35-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Jose Maltos Diaz attempted a 44-yard field goal. He missed it wide left. Mathew Sexton returned the missed field goal for 46 yards. Diaz hurt his left arm after the play.
Trevor Harris threw three passes for 35 yards and took off for 22 yards to the 17-yard line. Then, he threw a touchdown pass to KeeSean Johnson for a 16-12 lead with 29 seconds left on a seven-play drive for 74 yards. Montreal had the ball on the 27-yard line. On the final play of the game, Dustin Crum threw a 12-yard pass to Jerreth Sterns to end the game. The Roughriders came back to beat the Alouettes 16-12 to clinch a playoff spot.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 329 yards (253 passing yards, 84 rushing yards, 8 yards lost), 19 first downs, 10 for 22 on second downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized one time for five yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 26 of 38 passes (68.4%) for 251 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and three carries for 36 yards. Running back A.J. Ouellette had seven carries for 31 yards, and five catches for 33 yards.
Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson made seven catches for 85 yards and one touchdown, while Samuel Emilus made six catches for 50 yards. The defense made 45 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two sacks.
Montreal’s offense had 317 yards (185 passing yards, 147 rushing yards, 15 yards lost), 18 first downs, 10 for 22 on second downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized eight times for 69 yards. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 20 of 26 passes (76.9%) for 185 yards, one touchdown, and six carries for 35 yards. Running back Shomari Lawrence had 16 carries for 109 yards and three catches for six yards.
Wide receiver Alexander Hollins made five catches for 71 yards and one touchdown, while Jerreth Sterns made six catches for 55 yards. The defense made 42 tackles, two tackles for loss, one interception, and one turnover on downs.
Next Friday, the Montreal Alouettes visit the Toronto Argonauts at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Edmonton Elks on Saturday at 3 pm on TSN and CFL+.
