The Montreal Alouettes beat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 44-24 in the CFL Thanksgiving Day Classic on Monday at Percival Molson Stadium.
The sharpest detail is the milestone inside the win, as Davis Alexander passed for 403 yards and five touchdowns and moved past 5,000 passing yards for the season.
Five Touchdowns And A Place Beside Calvillo
Alexander completed 26 of 33 passes for 403 yards, with five touchdowns and one interception, and he rushed for 40 yards on three carries. By passing 5,000 yards for the season, he joined Anthony Calvillo as the only quarterbacks in Alouettes history to reach that mark. In Montreal, Calvillo comparisons are not handed out lightly, and Alexander reached this one in a holiday game, at home, in front of a sellout crowd of 23,035.
Alexander described the feeling of running this offence in terms that explain the score:
“It feels kind of like having a cheat sheet to the test. Most of the time we have an answer for everything within our one play.” Davis Alexander, The Canadian Press via TSN
That confidence showed in how the touchdowns were shared. Charleston Rambo and Tyler Snead caught two touchdowns apiece, Jerreth Sterns had eight catches for 124 yards, and Tyson Philpot scored on a 46 yard catch in the third quarter. Saskatchewan had to defend the whole field and the whole receiving group at once, and Alexander kept choosing the matchup the defence had left open.
Trevor Harris Answers, But Saskatchewan Fades
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris also passed 5,000 yards for the second time in his career, throwing for 243 yards and two touchdowns to Kian Schaffer-Baker. On most Thanksgiving weekends, that line would headline the game. On this one, it was the second best quarterback performance on the field, because Alexander had already turned the afternoon into a showcase with five touchdown passes.
The Roughriders, now 8-8, lost their fourth straight game, in a rematch of last year’s Grey Cup. Montreal, already first in the East at 13-3, had position secured before kickoff, which makes the sharpness of the performance the real takeaway. For the previous CFL game in this launch, see Whyte Boots Lions Past Argonauts, and for Montreal’s other dramatic sports finish this weekend, read Toronto FC Stuns Montreal With Stoppage Comeback, where Montreal was on the other end of the late goals.
By The Numbers
- Final score: Montreal Alouettes 44, Saskatchewan Roughriders 24, Thanksgiving Day Classic on Oct. 12
- Crowd: sellout of 23,035 at Percival Molson Stadium in Montreal
- Davis Alexander: 26 of 33 for 403 yards, five touchdowns, one interception, plus 40 rushing yards
- Alexander passed 5,000 yards for the season, joining Anthony Calvillo in Alouettes history
- Charleston Rambo and Tyler Snead caught two touchdowns each; Jerreth Sterns had eight catches for 124 yards
- Trevor Harris passed for 243 yards and two touchdowns for Saskatchewan
The holiday stage adds something to this result as well. Thanksgiving football is a CFL tradition, and with the Argonauts idle this week ahead of their next game on Oct. 16, Montreal carried the league’s holiday spotlight on its own. The Alouettes filled it completely: a sellout crowd, 44 points, a quarterback reaching a franchise milestone shared only with Calvillo, and a Grey Cup rematch won by 20 points. Saskatchewan’s season did not end on Monday, and Trevor Harris reaching 5,000 yards for the second time in his career is a real achievement in its own right, but the Roughriders leave Montreal having lost four straight, while the home team gave its crowd the complete holiday performance.
A Perfect Home Record Into November
Montreal finished undefeated at home in the regular season for the third time in franchise history, and the Alouettes will host the Eastern Final on Nov. 7. That home record is more than a trivia line heading into the playoffs. Percival Molson Stadium was full on Thanksgiving, the offence scored 44 points, and the quarterback entered a category that only Calvillo had occupied before him.
Saskatchewan leaves with questions after a fourth straight loss, even with Trevor Harris reaching 5,000 yards again. Montreal leaves with certainty. At 13-3, first in the East, unbeaten at home and led by a quarterback playing the best football of his career at exactly the right time of year, the Alouettes turned a holiday showcase into a statement about the road to the Grey Cup running through their building in November.
