The Montreal Alouettes (12-3-1) hosted the Ottawa Redblacks (8-7-1) on Thanksgiving Day from a rainy Percival Molson Memorial Stadium for the third and final meeting of the regular season.
Montreal was coming off a bye week, and the Redblacks came into this game on a three-game losing streak. Both teams made quarterback changes for this game. Montreal started Davis Alexander and Ottawa went with Jeremiah Masoli.
First Quarter:
Montreal got the ball to start the game from their 43-yard line. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed two passes for 18 yards then the drive stalled. Ottawa began its first drive from their 34-yard line. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed one pass to Dominique Rhymes for five yards but they were five yards short of the first down.
Montreal started its next drive from their 39-yard line. Running back Walter Fletcher rushed for a gain of nine yards and caught a 34-yard pass to reach the Redblacks’ 26-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Davis Alexander threw the ball to Kaion Julien-Grant into the end zone but he did not secure the catch and Ottawa defensive back Brandin Dandridge broke it up. Kicker Jose Carlos Maltos kicked a 32-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 6:57 left of the first quarter.
Ottawa started from their 40-yard line. Running back Khalan Laborn rushed for five yards to reach their 45-yard line. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed three passes for 15 yards, and Khalan Laborn had two more carries for 20 yards to reach the Alouettes’ 25-yard line.
On the next play, Montreal defensive lineman Antonio Moultrie sacked Masoli for a two-yard loss forcing third down. Kicker Lewis Ward attempted a 34-yard field goal but Moultrie blocked it and Ottawa came away with no points with 1:24 left of the first quarter.
Montreal running back Walter Fletcher had two carries for 10 yards, and quarterback Davis Alexander completed an 8-yard pass to Austin Mack to reach their 52-yard line. On the final play of the first quarter, quarterback Davis Alexander’s pass intended for Charleston Rambo was incomplete forcing third down. Montreal led Ottawa 3-0.
Montreal had 82 yards on offense (60 yards passing, 22 yards rushing), four first downs, no red zone opportunities, and the team was penalized two times for 15 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 4 of 8 passes for 60 yards.
Ottawa had 43 yards on offense (20 yards passing, 25 yards rushing, 2 yards lost), two first downs, no red zone opportunities, and the team did not get any penalties. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed 3 of 3 passes for 18 yards.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Montreal punter Joseph Zema punted the ball 35 yards to Tobais Hunter for a two-yard return but Zema was hit resulting in a penalty on Ottawa giving the Alouettes a fresh set of downs.
Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander completed a short pass to Austin Mack for 37 yards to reach the Redblacks’ 11-yard line plus a face mask penalty on Ottawa defensive back Money Hunter placed the ball on the Redblacks’ 5-yard line.
On the next play, Alexander faked a handoff to Walter Fletcher before taking off for a six-yard touchdown extending Montreal’s lead 10-0 with 13:38 left capping off a seven-play drive for 76 yards.
Moving ahead into the action, Montreal returner James Letcher Jr. returned a punt for 51 yards to reach the Redblacks’ 34-yard line with 5:29 left before halftime. In addition, an unnecessary roughness penalty on Ottawa linebacker Gary Johnson Jr. gave Montreal an additional 15 yards placing the ball on the Redblacks’ 19-yard line.
Quarterback Davis Alexander threw two incomplete passes and kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made a 26-yard field goal extending Montreal’s lead 13-0 with 4:14 left before halftime.
For the next three possessions, Ottawa gained five yards on two possessions, while Montreal had two yards. Montreal got the ball with 50 seconds left of the second quarter. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed two passes for 17 yards to reach the Redblacks’ 53-yard line.
On the next play, Alexander’s pass was intercepted by Damon Webb for a 28-yard return to reach the Alouettes’ 33-yard line. However, an objectional conduct penalty on Webb placed the ball on the Alouettes’ 43-yard line.
Ottawa quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed a six-yard pass to Andre Miller, and running back Khalan Laborn rushed for a gain of two yards to reach the Alouettes’ 35-yard line with one second left. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 42-yard field goal and the Redblacks trailed the Alouettes 13-3 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Montreal had 167 yards on offense (120 yards passing, 56 yards rushing, 17 yards lost), 12 first downs, 1 for 2 in the red zone, and the team was penalized four times for 40 yards.
Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 8 of 16 passes (50%) for 120 yards, one interception, four carries for 34 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Walter Fletcher had five carries for 23 yards and one catch for 34 yards.
Wide receiver Austin Mack made two catches for 34 yards, and Cole Spieker made two catches for 23 yards. Montreal’s defense made one sack and one tackle for loss.
Ottawa had 97 yards on offense (59 yards passing, 40 yards rushing, 2 yards lost), 5 first downs, no red zone opportunities, and the team was undisciplined with 9 penalties for 86 yards. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed 6 of 10 passes (60%) for 57 yards, and one carry for nine yards.
Backup quarterback Dustin Crum completed one pass for two yards. Running back Khalan Laborn had six carries for 20 yards and two catches for 19 yards. Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton made one catch for 17 yards, and Andre Miller made two catches for 15 yards. Ottawa’s defense made two sacks and one tackle for loss.
Third Quarter:
Ottawa got the ball to start the second half from their 40-yard line. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli began the drive by throwing two passes for 15 yards to reach their 55-yard line. Backup quarterback Dustin Crum rushed for a gain of three yards before Masoli threw a 25-yard pass to Andre Miller to reach the Alouettes’ 29-yard line.
Backup quarterback Dustin Crum came back into the game. He had one carry for five yards and completed a five-yard pass to Kalil Pimpleton to reach the Alouettes’ 19-yard line.
Ottawa also picked up nine yards after Montreal was called for too many men on the field penalty placing the ball on the Alouettes’ 10-yard line. They went two-and-out afterward before kicker Lewis Ward made a 17-yard field goal and the Redblacks trailed the Alouettes 13-6 with 10:40 left of the third quarter.
On Montreal’s first possession of the third quarter, running back Walter Fletcher did not pick up a yard, followed by quarterback Davis Alexander was sacked by Lorenzo Mauldin IV for a nine-yard loss forcing third down. Ottawa got the ball back on the Alouettes’ 51-yard line with 8:51 left.
Ottawa running back Khalan Laborn rushed for a gain of three yards, followed by quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completing two passes for 20 yards to reach the Alouettes’ 28-yard line. After backup quarterback Dustin Crum rushed for one yard, Masoli threw two more passes for 25 yards to reach the Alouettes’ two-yard line.
Once again, Ottawa’s disciplinary issues reared its ugly head when wide receiver Nick Mardner caught an 11-yard pass but threw the ball at a Montreal player resulting in an objectionable conduct penalty backing them up to the Alouettes’ 12-yard line with 5:25 left. Ottawa would go two-and-out afterward. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 14-yard field goal and the Redblacks trailed the Alouettes 13-9 with 4:05 left of the fourth quarter.
Montreal’s offense was back out on the field with 3:55 left. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed two passes for 17 yards to reach the Redblacks’ 53-yard line. Then, backup quarterback Dominique Davis and running back Sean Thomas-Erlington combined with three carries logging 11 yards to reach the Redblacks’ 41-yard line.
On the last play of the third quarter, quarterback Davis Alexander completed a two-yard pass to Cole Spieker to reach the Redblacks’ 39-yard line up 13-9 facing third down.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Montreal kicker Jose Carlos Maltos kicked a 47-yard field goal for a 16-9 lead with 14:40 left. On the third play for Ottawa, quarterback Jeremiah Masoli’s pass was intercepted by Wesley Sutton with 12:57 left of the game. Montreal’s offense started the drive from their 17-yard line.
Quarterback Davis Alexander and running back Walter Fletcher combined with three carries logging 14 yards to reach their 28-yard line. Next, Davis Alexander completed two passes to Austin Mack for 59 yards to reach the Redblacks’ 20-yard line.
Backup quarterback Dominique Davis rushed for two yards, and running back Walter Fletcher had two carries for eight yards to reach the Redblacks’ 10-yard line facing third down. Kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made an 18-yard field goal for a 19-9 lead with 6:02 left of the game.
Ottawa quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed two passes for 22 yards to reach the Alouettes’ 48-yard line, followed by running back Khalan Laborn rushing for two yards to the Alouettes’ 46-yard line. Then, Jeremiah Masoli completed a 33-yard pass to Jaelon Acklin to reach the Alouettes’ 13-yard line before going two-and-out. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 20-yard field goal and the Redblacks trailed the Alouettes 19-12 with 3:32 left of the game.
Montreal’s offense gained 13 yards on their next drive while taking time off the clock before punting the ball back to Ottawa with 2:01 left of the game. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed an 8-yard pass to Kalil Pimpleton, followed by a six-yard run by Khalan Laborn.
Next, Montreal defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund sacked Masoli for a five-yard loss backing them up to their 25-yard line. Masoli came back to throw a 15-yard pass to Kalil Pimpleton to reach their 40-yard line, followed by an offsides penalty by Dionte Ruffin moving the ball up to their 45-yard line.
Two plays later, Montreal defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund sacked Masoli again for a five-yard loss forcing third down. On third down, Masoli’s pass intended for Jaelon Acklin was incomplete. Montreal took three kneel-downs and the game was over. The Montreal Alouettes defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 19-12 to win the season series. The Ottawa Redblacks are now on a four-game losing streak.
Final Stats:
Montreal had 268 yards on offense (208 yards passing, 94 yards rushing, 34 yards lost), 17 first downs, 1 for 3 in the red zone, and the team was penalized seven times for 59 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 14 of 24 passes (58.3%) for 208 yards, one interception, six carries for 45 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Walter Fletcher had 10 carries for 37 yards and two catches for 45 yards.
Wide receiver Austin Mack made four catches for 42 yards, while Cole Spieker made three catches for 25 yards. Kicker Jose Carlos Maltos made 4 of 4 field goals with a long of 47 yards. Montreal’s defense made 39 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks, one interception, one turnover on down, and made four tackles on special teams.
Ottawa had 293 yards on offense (223 yards passing, 82 yards rushing, 12 yards lost), 17 first downs, 0 for 3 in the red zone, and the team was penalized 12 times for 122 yards. Quarterback Jeremiah Masoli completed 19 of 34 passes (56%) for 216 yards, one interception, and one carry for nine yards. Backup quarterback Dustin Crum completed 2 of 2 passes (100%) for seven yards, and four carries for 13 yards.
Running back Khalan Laborn had 10 carries for 55 yards and two catches for 19 yards. Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton made eight catches for 74 yards, and Jaelon Acklin made three catches for 40 yards. Kicker Lewis Ward made 4 of 5 field goals with a long of 42 yards. Ottawa’s defense made 40 tackles, one tackle for loss, four sacks, one interception, and six tackles on special teams.
Next week, the Ottawa Redblacks visit the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday at 3 pm on CTV and CFL+, while the Montreal Alouettes visit the B.C. Lions on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub.
