MONTREAL — Davis Alexander will try to do what he’s done all season when he starts at quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes on Monday: win.
Alexander starts under centre for the first time since Aug. 17 with Grey Cup MVP Cody Fajardo absent for Montreal’s Thanksgiving clash against the Ottawa Redblacks at Molson Stadium. Fajardo missed practice all week after his wife gave birth to their second son, Cian, back home in Nevada on Wednesday.
The Alouettes have triumphed in all four of Alexander’s appearances this season. Despite going long stretches without game action, the 25-year-old American said he always prepares like he’s “one play away” from stepping on the field.
"I just go out there and I try and treat everything the same,” Alexander said at practice this week. “I try and treat these practices really like game reps. I'm gonna continue to do that, I've always kind of been like that.
“We're here for a reason. You got to perform every single day, or else you're cheating yourself, you're cheating the team, you're not getting yourself better in anything.”
Alexander, who began the season as Montreal’s third-string QB, seized his opportunity when Fajardo missed time with an injured hamstring in July and August.
On July 25 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders, he came off the bench to replace QB Caleb Evans in the second half before leading the Alouettes to a 20-16 comeback victory.
Alexander then started in three consecutive wins. He has 972 passing yards on 73-for-102 completions with six touchdowns and one interception this season. He has also rushed for 89 yards and a TD on 11 carries.
Montreal (11-3-1) has already clinched first place in the East Division with three weeks left in the regular season. But the Alouettes have gone 1-2-1 in their last four games, including a 37-31 loss to the Toronto Argonauts before their bye week.
General manager Danny Maciocia identified establishing the run, defending the run and pinning opponents deeper downfield on special teams as key areas for the Alouettes to improve.
Montreal ranked second last in average rushing yards (81.5) and opponent rushing yards (120.3) entering this week.
“There's certain facets of our game that we need to get better,” Maciocia said. “That's where the focus is going to be here over the next three weeks — find those areas of concern, get better, and hopefully we can get into the playoffs with a little bit of momentum behind us."
Also coming off a bye week, Ottawa (8-6-1) is playoff-bound for the first time since 2018 but ranks third in the division behind Toronto (9-7) after the Argonauts snapped the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ eight-game win streak with a 14-11 victory on Friday.
The Redblacks are also on a three-game losing skid and don’t want the opportunity to host the East semifinal slip out of their grasp.
“Everybody knows what's on the table,” defensive end Lorenzo Mauldin IV said. “Everybody knows what it takes to get us to the position where we need to be. All we just need to do is go out and execute everything that we learned throughout this week."
Key injuries have been at the centre of Ottawa’s slide. The Redblacks lost defensive back Adarius Pickett to a season-ending Achilles injury in Week 15, while starting QB Dru Brown, who’s listed as the third-stringer for Monday, is expected to miss his second straight game with an ankle injury.
That means veteran QB Jeremiah Masoli starts after throwing three picks in a 29-16 defeat to Saskatchewan two weeks ago. Despite that, head coach Bob Dyce was confident Masoli would bounce back on Monday.
"I'm excited to see Jeremiah play. He's been an outstanding quarterback in this league for a long time, and he's going to continue to do that,” Dyce said. “I know he's really looking forward to this opportunity against Montreal. I really expect him to have an outstanding day."
OTTAWA REDBLACKS (8-6-1) AT MONTREAL ALOUETTES (11-3-1)
Monday, Molson Stadium
MACK IS BACK: The Alouettes’ offence, which has dropped in production over the last four games, will get a big boost to its receiving corps with the return of star wideout Austin Mack. The 27-year-old Mack rejoined the Alouettes in August after a stint with the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, but only played one game before injuring his ankle in practice.
HARDY OUT: Meanwhile, top Redblacks receiver Justin Hardy is out with an ankle injury. Hardy is second in the CFL with 1,241 yards on 90 receptions this season.
GOT YOUR NUMBER: The Alouettes swept the Redblacks last season and could do it again with a win on Monday. Montreal has won seven straight against Ottawa, including a 47-21 blowout in Week 2 and a 24-12 victory in Week 16.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 13, 2024.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
