Alexander, defence lead Alouettes past Argonauts 28-10 to open CFL season
MONTREAL - Davis Alexander threw for one touchdown and 205 yards as the Montreal Alouettes defeated the Toronto Argonauts 28-10 to open their Canadian Football League season on Friday.
Montreal (1-0) 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.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
CTV News
6 hours ago
- CTV News
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
Ottawa Citizen
15 hours ago
- Ottawa Citizen
Davis Alexander era off to a good start for Alouettes
Now that Davis Alexander has reached a certain status level as the Alouettes' starting quarterback, he might want to eschew having to play exhibition games next season. Article content Alexander in general, and the Als' offence in particular, struggled mightily in the first half against Ottawa on May 24 in the teams' first exhibition game. Montreal failed to score a touchdown over the opening 30 minutes and even had trouble generating first downs that afternoon. Based on two weeks' of training camp workouts to that point, there was a modicum of reason to wonder — especially since Alexander and the starters didn't play the following week on the road against the Redblacks. Article content Wonder no more. Article content Article content While one game does not a season make, the early reviews on Alexander are positive. Despite starting only four games last season — all wins — the 26-year-old fourth-year veteran showed the moment wasn't too big for him on Friday night. Article content Alexander and his teammates delivered a beat-down on the Toronto Argonauts, handling the visitors with ease during this complete 28-10 victory at Molson Stadium in their regular-season opener before 21,480 Molson Stadium spectators. Article content The Argos might be the defending Grey Cup champions, but on this night they looked like chumps. Article content 'His mental toughness,' said receiver Tyson Philpot, who scored Montreal's first offensive touchdown on a 26-yard pass from Alexander late in the first quarter. 'He raises the level of competition. He demands excellence from all of us. As a receiving corps we know we have to show up for him. Article content Article content 'I think that's the start of the D.A. era right now.' Article content Article content Simply based on statistics, there was nothing spectacular about Alexander. He completed 19 of 26 passes for 205 yards along with the touchdown to Philpot, who suffered a freak season-ending foot injury last August against Hamilton. Alexander also was intercepted once in the third quarter, while underthrowing Philpot on a long attempt that was as good as a punt. Article content In the process, Alexander showed a quarterback need not throw for 300 yards to be effective. He was accurate with his passes and was able to find receivers while moving the pocket. Austin Mack was Montreal's leading receiver, catching five passes for 51 yards. Philpot had four receptions for 48 yards. Article content Alexander utilized seven different receivers. Article content 'I'm not going to say the pre-season doesn't mean anything to me,' Alexander said. 'You know I go out there and compete every single time. Maybe it was knocking a littler bit of rust off? Or just a different type of competitive juice. We've got playmakers everywhere. We had guys making crucial second-down conversions, and our run game was spectacular.
Montreal Gazette
15 hours ago
- Montreal Gazette
Davis Alexander era off to a good start for Alouettes
By Now that Davis Alexander has reached a certain status level as the Alouettes' starting quarterback, he might want to eschew having to play exhibition games next season. Alexander in general, and the Als' offence in particular, struggled mightily in the first half against Ottawa on May 24 in the teams' first exhibition game. Montreal failed to score a touchdown over the opening 30 minutes and even had trouble generating first downs that afternoon. Based on two weeks' of training camp workouts to that point, there was a modicum of reason to wonder — especially since Alexander and the starters didn't play the following week on the road against the Redblacks. Wonder no more. While one game does not a season make, the early reviews on Alexander are positive. Despite starting only four games last season — all wins — the 26-year-old fourth-year veteran showed the moment wasn't too big for him on Friday night. Alexander and his teammates delivered a beat-down on the Toronto Argonauts, handling the visitors with ease during this complete 28-10 victory at Molson Stadium in their regular-season opener before 21,480 Molson Stadium spectators. The Argos might be the defending Grey Cup champions, but on this night they looked like chumps. 'His mental toughness,' said receiver Tyson Philpot, who scored Montreal's first offensive touchdown on a 26-yard pass from Alexander late in the first quarter. 'He raises the level of competition. He demands excellence from all of us. As a receiving corps we know we have to show up for him. 'I think that's the start of the D.A. era right now.' Simply based on statistics, there was nothing spectacular about Alexander. He completed 19 of 26 passes for 205 yards along with the touchdown to Philpot, who suffered a freak season-ending foot injury last August against Hamilton. Alexander also was intercepted once in the third quarter, while underthrowing Philpot on a long attempt that was as good as a punt. In the process, Alexander showed a quarterback need not throw for 300 yards to be effective. He was accurate with his passes and was able to find receivers while moving the pocket. Austin Mack was Montreal's leading receiver, catching five passes for 51 yards. Philpot had four receptions for 48 yards. Alexander utilized seven different receivers. 'I'm not going to say the pre-season doesn't mean anything to me,' Alexander said. 'You know I go out there and compete every single time. Maybe it was knocking a littler bit of rust off? Or just a different type of competitive juice. We've got playmakers everywhere. We had guys making crucial second-down conversions, and our run game was spectacular. 'I refer to it as cowboy football,' he added. 'If things break down it's on me as a quarterback to make something happen.' This might have been the Alouettes' most-balanced offensive attack since Jason Maas became head coach in 2023. Canadian tailback Sean Thomas-Erlington gained 86 yards on 17 carries. Alexander had four carries for 50 yards, while American rookie Travis Theis chipped in with three carries for 22 yards. The Als had 163 yards rushing. Montreal generated 22 first downs along with 354 yards' net offence while running 55 plays and controlling the ball for 34 minutes. 'He (Alexander) showed me a little bit of everything,' Maas said. 'He did some really good things throwing the ball down the field, did a lot of great things with his legs. Some toughness and leading us on offence. I thought he did a tremendous job of making really good decisions and didn't put the ball in harm's way. 'We still have to look at the film and get better; I know that.' The teams were meeting for the first time since last November's East Division final, when the Alouettes committed six turnovers and lost 30-28 at home, denying themselves the opportunity of defending their CFL title. If Montreal was seeking revenge on Friday night, it succeeded. 'I'd be lying if I didn't say that a big part of that came from that sour taste we had in our mouth from that game,' said linebacker Tyrice Beverette, last season's division finalist as outstanding defensive player. 'We know we left something on the field. We know we were the better team that (day), but didn't come out to play. We wanted to show the world tonight who was the better team.' Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle might have been the Grey Cup's most valuable player last season, but Montreal's' defence made his life miserable. While Arbuckle passed for 273 yards and a touchdown, he also was intercepted twice — a trademark that has dogged him throughout his inconsistent career. Arbuckle also fumbled just before halftime when under duress from defensive-tackle Shawn Oakman. Rush-end Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund recovered the ball, returning it 17 yards for a touchdown. Short-yardage quarterback Caleb Evans scored the Alouettes' other touchdown on a one-yard run in the third quarter after James Letcher Jr. returned the opening second-half kickoff 67 yards. Jose Maltos added two field goals and a single. Montreal's next three games are on the road beginning next Friday at Ottawa.
