The Montreal Alouettes (9-1) visited Mosaic Stadium on Friday night against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-4-1). Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris and running back A.J. Ouellette made their returns from injury. This was the final meeting of the season for these two teams.
They last met in Week 8 in Montreal when the Alouettes won the game 20-16. Like their last matchup, this one came down to the wire.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense started the game on a five-play drive for 44 yards before stalling on the Alouettes’ 25-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther attempted a 30-yard field goal but he missed it wide right but did come away with a single point. It was 1-0 Saskatchewan with 11:59 left.
On Montreal’s first possession of the game, they went on a three-play drive for 24 yards before stalling and punting the ball back to Saskatchewan. Both offenses struggled to move the ball in the first quarter. With 5:36 left, Saskatchewan defensive lineman Malik Carney sacked Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander for an 8-yard loss to the Alouettes’ 42-yard line forcing third down.
Saskatchewan’s offense had the ball for the final 4:34 of the first quarter. Saskatchewan then moved the ball to the Alouettes’ 30-yard line where kicker Brett Lauther attempted a 43-yard field goal but he missed it wide left. Montreal returner James Letcher Jr. returned the ball out of the end zone for 28 yards preventing the single point to their 13-yard line as the first quarter ended down 1-0.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette started the drive with two carries for 19 yards. Next, quarterback Trevor Harris completed two passes for 40 yards to the Alouettes’ 4-yard line. Afterward, the drive stalled and kicker Brett Lauther made a 13-yard field goal extending the Roughriders lead 4-0 with 9:38 left.
Saskatchewan’s defense came up big on Montreal’s second possession of the second quarter. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed a pass to Walter Fletcher. Fletcher was met by three Saskatchewan players where Amari Henderson tackled the ball off of Fletcher’s arm and C.J. Reavis recovered it on the Alouettes’ 52-yard line.
Saskatchewan’s offense went on a two-play drive for 25 yards before kicker Brett Lauther made a 35-yard field goal for a 7-0 lead with 6:55 left of the second quarter.
Montreal’s offense got off to a slow start on their next drive. However, they caught a big break after a failed flea-flicker play when quarterback Davis Alexander was sacked by Bryan Cox Jr. for a 12-yard loss. However, a horse collar penalty on Bryan Cox Jr. gave Montreal a fresh set of downs on their 54-yard line.
Two plays later, Alexander spotted a broken coverage on Saskatchewan’s part and threw a 46-yard pass to a wide-open Cole Spieker. Spieker made it to the Roughriders’ 5-yard line. On the next play, Alexander threw a short pass to a wide-open Walter Fletcher to score a 5-yard touchdown. The game was tied 7-7 with 3:23 left before halftime.
Montreal’s defense gave up three plays for 16 yards before forcing the Roughriders to punt the ball. Montreal’s offense had the ball for the final 1:47 left of the second quarter. Quarterback Davis Alexander and running back Walter Fletcher led the team to an 8-play drive for 63 yards before Jose Carlos Maltos kicked a 40-yard field goal and the Alouettes led the Roughriders 10-7 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Montreal had 172 yards on offense (154 yards passing, 26 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 9 first downs, and 1 for 1 in the red zone. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 11 of 15 passes (73%) for 154 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for 9 yards. Running back Walter Fletcher had 6 carries for 14 yards, 5 catches for 45 yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Cole Spieker made two catches for 58 yards, while Charleston Rambo made two catches for 37 yards. The defense made two tackles for loss. They were penalized two times for 25 yards.
Saskatchewan had 189 yards on offense (147 yards passing, 43 yards rushing), 11 first downs, and 0 for 1 in the red zone. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 13 of 19 passes (68.4%) for 147 yards. Running back A.J. Ouellette had 8 carries for 41 yards.
Wide receiver Dhonte Meyers made four catches for 59 yards, while Shawn Bane Jr. made three catches for 33 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made one sack, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery. They were penalized two times for 20 yards.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette caught an 8-yard pass from Trevor Harris. He tried to leap over a Montreal player and got shoved out of bounds landing on his left arm hard. He was shaken up after the play but managed to stay in the game. The Roughriders went on a six-play drive for 43 yards before kicker Brett Lauther made a 42-yard field goal and the game was tied 10-10 with 9:32 left of the third quarter.
In one of the most unusual plays, Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander attempted to complete a pass to Reggie White Jr. Saskatchewan defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr. was all over him and deflected the ball up in the air. Both men tried to get the ball until Montreal wide receiver Charleston Rambo made the catch for a gain of 9 yards to their 50-yard line.
Montreal’s offense made it to the Roughriders’ 51-yard line facing third down. On third down, Montreal quarterback Dominique Davis could not find an opening and was sacked by Jameer Thurman. The Roughriders took over on downs at the Alouettes’ 45-yard line.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw two passes for 31 yards, and running back A.J. Ouellette had two carries for 15 yards setting them up on the Alouettes’ 12-yard line. On the next play, Saskatchewan wide receiver KeeSean Johnson separated himself from Wesley Sutton and Harris threw to Johnson for a 12-yard touchdown. The Roughriders led 17-10 with 3:42 left of the third quarter to cap off a five-play drive for 58 yards.
Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander completed four passes for 66 yards to the Roughriders’ 13-yard line. Two plays later, Alexander got the wind knocked out of him when he was sacked by C.J. Reavis for a four-yard loss. Kicker Jose Carlos Maltos kicked a 25-yard field goal and the Alouettes trailed the Roughriders 17-13 with 15 seconds left on a five-play drive for 62 yards.
On the final play of the third quarter, Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for a gain of three yards to their 43-yard line. The Roughriders led the Alouettes 17-13.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense ran four plays for 15 yards to the Alouettes’ 30-yard line setting up a 38-yard field goal attempt by Brett Lauther. Lauther missed the field goal wide right and Montreal returner James Letcher Jr. returned it for a 128-yard touchdown. The Alouettes took a 20-17 lead with 11:13 left of the game.
On the kickoff, Montreal kicker Jose Carlos Maltos kicked the ball 70 yards into the endzone where Saskatchewan returner Mario Alford conceded the single point. It was now 21-17 with 11:04 left of the fourth quarter.
Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette ran the ball for six yards and quarterback Trevor Harris threw four passes for 31 yards to the Alouettes’ 33-yard line. On the next play, Trevor Harris threw a 33-yard touchdown pass to Mitchell Picton.
Montreal defensive back Nafees Lyon was covering Picton. He stumbled after attempting to turn his hips toward Picton and tripped which allowed Picton to get wide-open. The Roughriders led 24-21 with 7:19 left of the game to cap off a six-play drive for 70 yards.
Saskatchewan’s defense shut down Montreal’s offense on the next two series including Malik Carney sacking Davis Alexander for a 5-yard loss with 6:09 left of the game.
Montreal’s offense was back on the field with 2:26 left. On the third play, quarterback Davis Alexander attempted to complete a pass to Charleston Rambo but it was incomplete.
A defensive pass interference penalty was called on Saskatchewan’s Marcus Sayles. Head Coach Corey Mace challenged the play that there was no defensive pass interference but the call stood and he lost the challenge.
Montreal’s offense got to the Roughriders’ 15-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Davis Alexander was looking to throw the ball but decided to scramble. In real-time, it looked like Alexander stepped out of bounds on his way to scoring a 15-yard touchdown.
The command center reviewed the play and Alexander came within inches of stepping out of bounds and the touchdown was good. Jose Carlos Maltos missed the extra point and the Alouettes led 27-24 with 30 seconds left to cap off a 9-play drive for 91 yards.
Saskatchewan’s offense had one last shot to either win the game or force overtime. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw a 5-yard pass to Samuel Emilus and they got an extra 15 yards on a face mask penalty by Nafees Lyons. Next, Trevor Harris threw an 11-yard pass to Dhonte Meyers, and running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for a gain of four yards to the Alouettes’ 40-yard line.
Kicker Brett Lauther attempted a 48-yard field to send the game to overtime. He missed the field goal wide left and the Montreal Alouettes defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 27-24. Montreal are now 5-0 on the road this year.
Final Stats:
Montreal had 318 yards on offense (285 yards passing, 51 yards rushing, 18 yards lost), 2 for 3 in the red zone, and 18 first downs. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 22 of 33 passes (66%) for 285 yards, one touchdown, four carries for 33 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Walter Fletcher had 6 carries for 14 yards, 8 catches for 65 yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Charleston Rambo made 7 catches for 94 yards, and Cole Spieker made three catches for 92 yards. Kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made 2 of 2 field goals with a long of 40 yards. Montreal’s defense made 48 tackles, three tackles for loss, and seven tackles on special teams. They were penalized 5 times for 65 yards.
Saskatchewan had 433 yards on offense (355 yards passing, 78 yards rushing), 1 for 2 in the red zone, and 22 first downs. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 31 of 39 passes (79.4%) for 355 yards, and two touchdowns. Running back A.J. Ouellette had 18 carries for 77 yards and three catches for 34 yards.
Wide receiver Dhonte Meyers made 8 catches for 101 yards, while KeeSean Johnson made 5 catches for 90 yards and one touchdown, and Mitchell Picton made four catches for 53 yards, and one touchdown. Kicker Brett Lauther made 3 of 7 field goals with a long of 42 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made 36 tackles, four sacks, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and eight tackles for loss.
Final Thoughts:
This was an entertaining football game and possibly a game-of-the-year candidate. However, there were some flaws in the game. Saskatchewan’s offense struggled for the majority of the game getting into the red zone. While many will blame Brett Lauther for missing four field goals, they should be blaming the offense for not getting the job done.
Trevor Harris did not play a bad game. The offensive line for the most part did a nice job protecting him. The Roughriders should have gotten the running game more involved and that would have tired out Montreal’s defense. They need to use both Ouellette and Hickson more often.
Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander is now 3-0 since taking over at quarterback. He too did not play a bad game but like Saskatchewan, I wish the Alouettes would’ve gotten the running game more involved. Montreal remains undefeated on the road this year.
Next week, the Saskatchewan Roughriders visit the Toronto Argonauts on Thursday at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Montreal Alouettes host the Edmonton Elks on Sunday 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.
