REGINA — A matchup between the two division leaders on Friday night football did not disappoint. It was Davis Alexander and the Montreal Alouettes who came out on top in a dramatic 27-24 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Montreal has now swept the season series with Saskatchewan after defeating the Riders in Week 8 of the season. After Friday’s result, the Als have set a franchise record with eight straight road wins.
Alexander was 22-33 for 285 passing yards, with a touchdown through the air, and one on the ground rounding out his stat line in what was his third straight start at quarterback in place of Cody Fajardo. With Tyson Philpot on the six-game injury list, Charleston Rambo led the way for Montreal’s receiving room, finishing the game with seven catches on 11 targets for 94 yards.
Returning to the field for the first time since getting injured in Week 3, Trevor Harris had a fine night in Riders green despite the result. He finished the contest 31-39 with 355 passing yards and two touchdown tosses. AJ Ouellette had 111 total yards in his return to the lineup after a three-game absence. Dohnte Meyers caught eight of his nine targets for a game-high 101 receiving yards.
Missed field goals would cost the Riders, as Lauther failed to deliver on four of his seven kicks, including a 48-yard attempt deep in the fourth quarter which would’ve brought the game to overtime. The Riders are now winless in their last four.
RELATED
» 3 stats that defined Montreal’s Week 11 win over Saskatchewan
» Depth Chart: MTL | SSK
» Images: Montreal at Saskatchewan
» Alouettes, Roughriders by the numbers
» Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally
The Roughriders offence got off to a quick start at home on the game’s opening drive. A 31-yard kickoff return from Mario Alford brought Saskatchewan to midfield, and a 22-yard completion from Harris to Mitchell Picton allowed the Riders to go for an early field goal. They would have to settle for a single point instead of three as Brett Lauther‘s attempt from 30 yards sailed wide right.
Closing out the first quarter on offence, a positive possession by the Riders was undone by another miss by Lauther. After Shawn Bane Jr. and Samuel Emilus picked up first downs on the nine-play drive, Lauther had another go from 43 yards, sending his kick wide left. This time, his field goal was run out of the end zone by James Letcher Jr., leaving the score at 1-0 at the end of the opening frame.
The Riders were able to add to their tally early in the second quarter following Montreal’s third consecutive punt. Back-to-back 20-yard receptions by Meyers and then KeeSean Johnson pushed the hosts downfield but Harris and the offence couldn’t deliver the goods inside the red zone. Instead, Lauther got his 13-yard field goal to go, making it 4-0.
On the first play of the ensuing drive, the Als gave up the game’s first turnover. Amari Henderson forced Walter Fletcher to cough up the football and C.J. Reavis was in the vicinity to bat the ball out of bounds. The Riders weren’t able to make the most of their fumble recovery, but another field goal by Lauther extended their lead to 7-0.
In response, Alexander produced a five-play, 70-yard drive to get Montreal on the board. Alexander found a wide-open Cole Spieker by the left sideline for a 46-yard play as the Als knocked on the door for the first time in the game. Then, making up for his fumble a few minutes earlier, Fletcher caught a play-action pass for a five-yard touchdown score to bring the score level.
After the three-minute warning, Montreal was able to jump into their first lead. A passing play to Rambo good for 30 yards was the highlight of the 10-play drive, with a Jose Maltos field goal from 40 yards putting the visitors up 10-7 at the interval.
It was the Roughriders who came out of halftime swinging, coming up with consecutive scoring drives after the break. Lauther’s third field goal of the evening tied things up at 10-10 after Montreal opened the second half with a three-and-out. Then, after Montreal turned it over on downs, Saskatchewan picked up their first touchdown of the game. Harris connected with Johnson for his first CFL score as the Riders jumped back into the lead at 17-10.
On the next drive, the Roughriders defence came up with a couple of key stops inside the red zone, including a sack by Reavis on Alexander. Maltos would knock in a 25-yard field goal to make it a four-point game going into the final quarter.
Another missed field goal by Lauther would cost the Riders as they tried to increase their advantage. Instead, Lauther’s attempt from 38 yards was returned 128 yards to the other end of the field by Letcher as Montreal went back on top 20-17 after Maltos’ extra point. His 70-yard kickoff tacked on one more point as the Als went up 21-17 with 11:11 on the clock.
The Riders would answer back immediately through a six-play scoring drive. After Harris connected with Johnson for a 13-yard reception to get to Montreal’s 35, the Riders’ pivot tossed a 33-yard pass to Picton at the right sideline who scurried into the end zone. Lauther’s extra point made it 24-21 Saskatchewan with 7:21 to go.
Following the touchdown, the Roughriders defence would stand tall to force consecutive punts out of their opponent. But on the other side of the three-minute warning, a defensive pass interference flag went against Marcus Sayles after he was ruled to push Rambo to the turf, giving Montreal a real shot to either level or win the game late in regulation. After a review by the command centre overturned an interception call, Alexander took the ball 15 yards into the end zone, tiptoeing by the right sideline to put Montreal into the lead.
Maltos’ extra point was no good, allowing the Riders the chance to even the score with a field goal. Unfortunately for Rider Nation, Lauther missed his fourth field goal of the night as the Alouettes escaped Mosaic Stadium with a 27-24 victory.
In Week 12, the Roughriders go on the road to face the Toronto Argonauts on Thursday, August 22. The Alouettes will round out the week’s action when they welcome the Edmonton Elks to Montreal on Sunday, August 25.
