Alexander, defence lead Alouettes past Argonauts 28-10 to open CFL season
Davis Alexander is off to a winning start as the face of the Montreal Alouettes.
Davis Alexander is off to a winning start as the face of the Montreal Alouettes.
Alexander threw for one touchdown and 205 yards in a steady outing as Montreal defeated the Toronto Argonauts 28-10 to open its CFL season Friday.
'That's the start of the DA era right now,' receiver Tyson Philpot said.
The Alouettes chose a younger Alexander over 2023 Grey Cup MVP Cody Fajardo in a bold move this past off-season.
Alexander began last year as a third-stringer but led the Alouettes to five wins — including four as a starter — while Fajardo missed time.
Now Fajardo is in Edmonton, and Alexander is still winning.
The 26-year-old quarterback, who also threw an interception, completed 19 of 26 passing attempts and totalled 50 yards on four rushes to improve to 5-0 as a starter in the CFL.
'There's no pressure on this,' he said. 'We got the best defence in the league. I got playmakers all around me. Offensive line was amazing. Our run game was amazing. There's no pressure.'
Montreal earned its revenge after the visiting Argonauts defeated the Alouettes 30-28 in last year's East Division final en route to their 19th Grey Cup title.
Philpot caught one touchdown pass, Issac Adeyemi-Berglund returned a fumble into the end zone, and Caleb Evans rushed for a major on a warm, hazy night as prairie wildfire smoke drifted into Quebec.
The Alouettes' defence held the Argos to just 34 rushing yards, and Alexandre Gagné tied a CFL single-game record with seven special teams tackles before 21,480 at Molson Stadium.
'We talked about setting the tone in all three phases tonight,' Alouettes head coach Jason Maas said. 'I love the way our defence played all night, physical, and they do what they do.
'Gagne had seven special teams tackles, so any time you got a guy doing that, you know you're doing some really good things.'
Veteran QB Nick Arbuckle, last year's unexpected Grey Cup MVP, threw for one touchdown, two interceptions and 273 yards on 20-for-32 completions for Toronto (0-1).
The Argonauts lineup featured 13 different starters compared to last year's championship game.
'It was a sloppy game, felt like a pre-season game,' Argos coach Ryan Dinwiddie said. 'We made some decent plays, did some decent things, but we didn't execute at a high level.'
Toronto also kicked off a second consecutive season without starting QB Chad Kelly, who broke his tibia and fibula late in last year's East final.
Montreal kicker Jose Maltos went 2-for-3 with a rouge. Toronto's Lirim Hajrullahu went 1-for-1 on a 45-yard field goal.
Montreal took a 15-3 lead heading into halftime when Adeyemi-Berglund returned a fumble 17 yards into the end zone after Shawn Oakman laid out Arbuckle with 32 seconds left in the second quarter.
The play stood after review — instead of being ruled an incomplete pass — despite the fact Arbuckle released the ball before Oakman's hit. The league ruled that Arbuckle did not have a throwing motion before the ball left his hands.
'I don't know how that wasn't an incomplete pass,' Dinwiddie said.
Things only got worse for the Argos as James Letcher Jr. returned a kickoff 67 yards to open the second half.
Alexander then ran 12 yards and completed three passes to set up Evans' one-yard QB sneak into the end zone as the Alouettes took a 22-3 lead 4:29 into the third quarter.
The Alouettes' starter appeared to injure himself when a Toronto defensive lineman fell on his legs. He rolled around on the field, holding his left knee in pain, but ultimately stood up on his own and returned to play on the next drive.
'He did some really good things throwing the ball down the field,' Maas said of Alexander. 'Did a lot of great things with his legs, some toughness, getting a little bit of a knee issue … but getting back up and then leading us.'
Toronto finally scored a touchdown with 10:47 remaining when D'Verick Daniels fought his way into the end zone after catching a pass for 11 yards to cut Montreal's lead to 22-10.
The Alouettes went ahead 25-10 after Alexander led a drive to Toronto's 23, leading to a Maltos field goal from 31 yards out.
Tyrice Beverette, a nominee for defensive player of the year last season, intercepted Arbuckle's throw with 2:33 left to all but seal the result.
'They're real aggressive, and that's their strength,' Argos receiver Damonte Coxie said. 'Those guys played some good ball today. Good thing it was early in the season, so it's a learning moment and we're going back to the drawing board.'
UP NEXT
Alouettes: Visit the Ottawa Redblacks next Friday.
Argonauts: Host the Calgary Stampeders on June 14.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 6, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
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