The Montreal Alouettes (6-1) hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-2) on Thursday night from Percival Molson Memorial Stadium where the winner of this game will have the best record in the CFL.
Both teams played their backup quarterbacks as Montreal placed Cody Fajardo on the six-game injured list. The crowd at Montreal did not know what to expect with Fajardo being out but by the time this game ended, they may have found their replacement while Fajardo was away and recovering from a hamstring injury.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Saskatchewan went on a ten-play drive for 62 yards before the offense stalled and kicker Brett Lauther made a 22-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 9:04 left.
On Montreal’s first possession of the game, they went six plays for 34 yards plus a 15-yard penalty on Saskatchewan resulting in kicker Jose Carlos Maltos making a 17-yard field goal, and the game was tied 3-3 with 5:34 left of the first quarter.
After Saskatchewan went on a four-play drive for 21 yards, kicker Brett Lauther had a chance to put the Roughriders back in the lead but he missed a 57-yard field goal as the ball hit the crossbar. Saskatchewan’s defense answered the call when Miles Brown stripped the football away from Montreal quarterback Caleb Evans and it was recovered by Lake Korte-Moore on the Alouettes’ 31-yard line.
Saskatchewan running back Frankie Hickson took over on the Roughriders’ next series carrying the ball three times for 31 yards, including bulldozing his way to a 20-yard touchdown. The Roughriders led 10-3 as the first quarter ended.
Saskatchewan had 114 yards on offense (44 yards passing, 70 yards rushing). Quarterback Shea Patterson completed 5 of 7 passes for 44 yards, and running back Frankie Hickson had a great first quarter with seven carries for 68 yards and one touchdown.
Montreal had 47 yards on offense (55 yards passing, one yard rushing, 9 yards lost). Quarterback Caleb Evans completed 4 of 7 passes for 55 yards.
Second Quarter:
Early in the second quarter, it was a defensive battle with both teams going two-and-out. Then, Saskatchewan quarterback Shea Patterson and running back Frankie Hickson led the team to a six-play drive for 59 yards before the offense stalled. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 43-yard field goal extending Saskatchewan’s lead to 13-3 with 5:33 left of the second quarter.
Late in the second quarter, Montreal had a chance to add points but kicker Jose Carlos Maltos missed a 48-yard field goal. The Roughriders took the ball with 41 seconds left to march down the field for five plays logging 35 yards before kicker Brett Lauther made a 22-yard field goal. The Roughriders led the Alouettes 16-3 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Saskatchewan had 228 yards on offense (128 yards passing, 100 yards rushing). Quarterback Shea Patterson completed 13 of 17 passes (76.5%) for 128 yards, and two carries for two yards. Running back Frankie Hickson had 12 carries for 98 yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson made four catches for 48 yards, while Samuel Emilus made three catches for 26 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made two sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Montreal had 74 yards on offense (91 yards passing, 4 yards rushing, 21 yards lost). Quarterback Caleb Evans completed 9 of 17 passes (53%) for 91 yards, and one carry for one yard. Running back Walter Fletcher had one carry for three yards, and three catches for 36 yards.
Wide receiver Charleston Rambo made three catches for 39 yards, while Tyson Philpot made two catches for 11 yards. Montreal’s defense made one forced fumble and one fumble recovery.
Third Quarter:
Davis Alexander was the new quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes to begin the third quarter. Montreal got the ball to start the third quarter. Alexander led the team to a seven-play drive for 42 yards ending when Alexander threw a five-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Reggie White Jr.
The Alouettes trailed the Roughriders 16-10 with 10:17 left of the third quarter. Alexander was a perfect 5 for 5 for 54 yards. Montreal’s defense only allowed one first down during Saskatchewan’s drive before they punted the ball back to the Alouettes.
When Alexander and the Alouettes’ offense went back on the field, they went on an eight-play drive for 96 yards before Alexander spotted a coverage breakdown by Saskatchewan and threw a 31-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Reggie White Jr. The Alouettes took a 17-16 lead with 1:19 left of the third quarter.
Saskatchewan’s offense had the ball for the final 41 seconds of the third quarter. On the final play of the third quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Shea Patterson threw a six-yard pass to Clint Ratkovich on their 31-yard line. The Roughriders trailed the Alouettes 17-16 at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan moved the ball toward the Alouettes’ 40-yard line before the drive stalled. Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther had a chance to put the Roughriders up but he missed a 57-yard field goal hitting the left upright.
Montreal’s offense took the field for their next possession. They went on an 11-play drive for 63 yards before kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made a 21-yard field goal for a 20-16 lead with 4:21 left in the game.
Montreal’s defense took over the rest of the game forcing Saskatchewan to throw the ball. Late in the fourth quarter, the Roughriders were moving the ball and made it to the Alouettes’ 23-yard line. Montreal’s defense blitzed Shea Patterson on the next play. Patterson scrambled to his left before throwing a pass to Mitchell Picton.
It appeared Picton had the first down but on the second look, his right foot was out of bounds and he was called for an illegal participation penalty on third down and Montreal took over. A couple of knee-downs ended the game and the Alouettes defeated the Roughriders 20-16.
Final Stats:
Montreal had 256 yards on offense (269 yards passing, 33 yards rushing, 46 yards lost). Quarterback Davis Alexander had a nice debut completing 15 of 18 passes (83%) for 178 yards, two touchdowns, and two carries for 16 yards. Running back Walter Fletcher had five carries for 16 yards and five catches for 53 yards.
Wide receiver Tyson Philpot made 7 catches for 88 yards, while Reggie White Jr. made four catches for 50 yards and two touchdowns. Kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made 2 of 3 field goals with a long of 21 yards. Montreal’s defense made 42 tackles, two sacks by Avery Ellis, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and six tackles on special teams.
Saskatchewan had 325 yards on offense (222 yards passing, 119 yards rushing, 16 yards lost). Quarterback Shea Patterson completed 21 of 33 passes (64%) for 222 yards, and two carries for two yards. Running back Frankie Hickson had 16 carries for 117 yards, one touchdown, and one catch for 16 yards.
Wide receiver Samuel Emilus made six catches for 63 yards, while KeeSean Johnson made five catches for 60 yards. Kicker Brett Lauther made 3 of 5 field goals with a long of 43 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made 39 tackles, five sacks (2 by Bryan Cox Jr.), one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, three fumble recoveries, and four tackles on special teams.
Final Thoughts:
What a debut for Davis Alexander. This is his third year in the CFL and he got an opportunity to play quarterback and took advantage of it. His spark led the team to turn the game around after what it looked like the Alouettes would struggle the rest of the way. A good night for him.
My concern for Montreal was they could not establish a running game. They have three good running backs on this team and not even Walter Fletcher could get 20 yards. While Alexander had a good game, opponents will study Alexander and will eventually figure him out. That is why they need to figure out the running game so Alexander does not throw the ball too much.
Saskatchewan’s game plan was not good in the second half. They went away from the running game and should’ve stuck to it. Frankie Hickson had a nice night and he could’ve had more yards had they kept up with the running game and also used Thomas Bertrand-Hudon. Once they did away with the running game, they struggled to reach the red zone.
There will be fans out there who will criticize kicker Brett Lauther for missing two field goals that would’ve helped Saskatchewan beat Montreal. However, the offense did not help him get closer to field goal range. The blame should go to the offense, not Lauther.
Next week, the Montreal Alouettes visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday at 7:30 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Edmonton Elks on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
