It was Davis Alexander’s mission to remain prepared. The Alouettes third-string quarterback didn’t flinch when his number was called, even though his team was behind badly.
On Thursday, Montreal overcame a 13-point halftime deficit to overcome the Saskatchewan Roughriders 20–16 thanks to two touchdowns from Alexander in relief.
“You never know when it’s gonna be your time,” he stated. Your thoughts are a little bit rushing. You’ve been waiting your entire life for this time, so just have faith in your planning.”
With his first-ever touchdowns in the CFL, the third-year pivot from Portland State completed 15 of 18 passes for 178 yards, helping Montreal to a league-best 6-1 overall.
Shea Patterson, the starter for Saskatchewan, completed 21 of 33 passes for 222 yards as the Roughriders lost to Saskatchewan 5-2 after a battle of the division leaders. Frankie Hickson gained 117 yards and a touchdown on 16 rushes.
After halftime, with Montreal down 16-3, Alexander took over as backup quarterback Caleb Evans was having trouble passing, gaining just 91 yards on 9 of 17 attempts. Veteran starter Cody Fajardo was placed on the six-game disabled list.
Receiver Tyson Philpot of the Alouettes remarked, “I told him to stay ready.” “His opportunity was gonna come.”
Jason Maas, the head coach of Montreal, gave credit to his entire team for the turnaround.
“Everybody steps their game up when a quarterback gets pulled,” he stated. “Our entire team had to step up to support Davis because it’s not just one guy down—45 guys are down.”
After beginning the three-game homestand with a thrilling 30-26 comeback victory over the Calgary Stampeders in Week 5, Montreal finished with a 2-1 record. On July 11, the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Als 37–18, resulting in the Als’ first defeat since September.
At 10:31 of the third quarter, Alexander found Reggie White Jr. in the touchdown zone, sparking the Alouettes offense, which rapidly erupted in the second half, trailing 16-3.
With 1:19 left in the third quarter, Davis and White connected once more to give Montreal the lead for the first time, 17-16.
Alexander declared, “We have the best receiving corps in the league.” “These guys are all my best friends, they really are my brothers on and off the field, and I just gotta get them the ball.”
With 11:44 remaining in the fourth quarter, Roughriders kicker Brett Lauther missed a 53-yard field goal attempt that would have given Saskatchewan the lead by hitting the upright.
With 4:21 remaining, Jose Maltos made a field goal from 21 yards out to increase the Alouettes’ lead to 20-16, but Montreal’s defense held strong in the closing moments.
Lauther’s 22-yard field goal gave Saskatchewan the early lead at 9:04 of the first quarter, giving them a 3-0 advantage.
After storming down the field on their opening drive, the Alouettes had to settle for a field goal by Jose Maltos at 5:34 to level the score.
Just before the first quarter ended, the Roughriders’ defense recovered a fumble and sack to put them in great position to score. After fifteen minutes, Saskatchewan led 10-3 thanks to a 20-yard touchdown run by Hickson into the end zone.
With 5:33 remaining in the second, Lauther extended the visitors’ lead with a 43-yard field goal.
With 1:35 remaining in the second quarter, the Alouettes’ special teams unit recovered a fumble; however, they were forced to go three and out, and Anthony Lanier II blocked their 48-yard field goal attempt.
With the second quarter coming to a close, Lauther converted a 22-yard field goal to give the Roughriders a 16-3 lead at the break.
After that, the Alouettes switched to Alexander and never looked back.
“Davis is a gunslinger,” Philpot declared. “I can’t wait for you guys to see what he’s got.”
On August 2, the Alouettes play the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton. On August 3, the Roughriders will play the Edmonton Elks.
Alexander returns to action as the Alouettes attempt to defeat the Tiger-Cats twice in a row.
Montreal — For the second week in a row, Davis Alexander is excited about the chance to take on and defeat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes is also aware that Hamilton will attempt to take him off guard.
In his maiden CFL start, Alexander completed 262 passing yards, one touchdown, and one interception to help the Alouettes (7-1) defeat the Tiger-Cats (2-6) last Thursday at Tim Hortons Field, 33-16.
Alexander will start again on Saturday when the Alouettes play their East Division rivals at Percival Molson Stadium because starter Cody Fajardo is still sidelined.
Alexander said to reporters last week, “Obviously, we’ll review the tape a little more than we would normally.” “But we need to be ready to adapt in case they come out with something completely different,”
The 25-year-old Alexander gave his receiving corps credit for turning in clutch plays to seal the victory during the previous week’s victory.
“Throughout the game, they made some excellent coverages, but we always believed we could move the ball,” Alexander remarked. We simply fell into a groove. “Obviously, we had the big drive, and (Charlestron) Rambo made a big catch, Reggie (White Jr.) made a big catch, and Tyson (Philpot) made a big catch.”
The Tiger-Cats, meantime, are trying to recover from their early-season slump at the bottom of the East and return to winning ways.
Bo Levi Mitchell, the starting quarterback for Hamilton, had a rough game last week, completing just 29 of 42 pass attempts and throwing two interceptions. Mitchell gave Montreal’s potent secondary credit for containing huge plays downfield.
Mitchell told reporters in Hamilton, “You saw last week they’re just trying not to give up anything deep.” “All you need to do is be wise and make sure the football is taken care of.”
In line with his quarterback’s thoughts, Ticats head coach Scott Milanovich stated that his team needs to exercise considerably more caution when managing their offense if they want to score against the second-best defense in the CFL.
“You have to play football without making any mistakes in this game,” Milanovich remarked. “There are times when we need to be aggressive, but we also need to make wise choices and keep the ball out of danger.”
In Week 8, Alexander came in as a relief player and helped the Montreal Canucks overcome the Saskatchewan Roughriders 20–16. Since then, he has been riding high.
After taking a significant blow in the fourth quarter, he was momentarily removed from the victory over the Ticats.
In the event that the situation recurs, head coach Jason Maas of the Alouettes has faith in James Morgan, who fills in as acting backup, to do well.
“Regardless of how long they’ve been here, the expectation will be that any quarterback in our building can contribute to our offense,” Maas stated. “He’ll be prepared for action.”
Although Alexander is the Alouettes’ third starting quarterback of the year, Maas and his team have managed to maintain the team’s success as they remain atop the East Division and pursue a fourth straight victory.
“The first step is preparedness. The quarterback room in Montreal operates according to a set procedure, and the play-caller stated, “We have high expectations for our quarterbacks.” “We’ve been able to demonstrate that we can win even without your starter,”
In addition to Fajardo’s hamstring ailment, the Alouettes have declared backup quarterback Caleb Evans ineligible for the entire campaign due to a knee injury he sustained versus Hamilton.
To fill the vacuum left by Evans, Montreal signed nine-year CFL veteran quarterback Dominique Davis. This is the 35-year-old’s second season with the Alouettes; in 2022, he ran for 13 touchdowns while with Montreal. Davis played for the B.C. Lions during the previous season.
Coming back to Montreal is extremely meaningful to me, Davis remarked. “I thought we were on very good terms when I left.” Everything occurs for a purpose. I’m going to go with the flow and not question it. I will make the most of this opportunity by using it.
MONTREAL ALOUETTES (7-1) VS. HAMILTON TIGER-CATS (2-6)
Percival Molson Stadium on Saturday
ALEXANDER’S INITIAL HOME START: On Saturday, quarterback Davis Alexander will start his first game of the season at Percival Molson Stadium. In Week 9, Alexander started and led the Alouettes to a 33-16 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
PUROLATOR TACKLE HUNGER GAME: The 20th Purolator Tackle Hunger Game will be held on Saturday by the Alouettes. It is suggested that supporters of the cause bring non-perishable food items or cash donations.
The Canadian Press initially published this item on August 9, 2024.
Claude Neven, The Journal of Canada
