MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes took care of business out of the bye, overpowering the Ottawa REDBLACKS in a 46-16 victory on Thursday night at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium.
Quarterback Davis Alexander kept his perfect home record intact, finishing with 260 yards and two touchdowns on 20-for-23 passing to help Montreal earn its seventh consecutive win and improve to 9-1. Cole Spieker had a game-high 89 receiving yards while Tyson Philpot added 75 more and two receiving majors. Travis Theis went over 100 total yards for the fifth time in his last six games, and Montreal’s defence came away with five takeaways.
The REDBLACKS opened with possession after winning the coin toss and made the most of it, grinding out an eight-minute, 14-play marathon to the end zone. Bryson Barnes was denied twice at the goal line before a third-down pass interference penalty gave Ottawa another chance, and the quarterback punched it in to open the scoring.
Ottawa looked to build momentum after forcing Montreal’s high-powered offence into a rare two-and-out, but its second trip to the red zone ended when Nate Beauchemin ripped down Maier’s pass intended for Ayden Eberhardt. Alexander responded to the takeaway by racing downfield and firing a bullet to Philpot for the receiver’s league-leading eighth touchdown catch of the year.
In the second quarter, Montreal capitalized on a botched field-goal attempt when Noah Gettman couldn’t handle the snap. With an armada of blockers around him, Kabion Ento ripped the ball from the holder’s arms and raced 49 yards to the red zone before Terry Wilson powered in to give Montreal a 14-7 lead.
Ento struck again on Ottawa’s next possession, baiting Maier into a tight-window throw before using his quickness to close the gap, pick off the pass in stride and race it back for six.
The Als got back to the red zone, threatening to run away with it before Wilson mishandled a snap and Alonzo Addae scooped up the loose ball for a 57-yard return. Ottawa turned the turnover into three points, but Jose Maltos answered before halftime to send the Alouettes into the break with a 25-10 lead.
Montreal picked up where it left off after halftime, leaning on Travis Theis for a nine-play march before the running back cashed in with his seventh touchdown in eight games. Ottawa punched back, benefiting from a handful of Alouettes penalties before Barnes dove in for his second touchdown of the game. The REDBLACKS stayed aggressive, trying a two-point conversion and an onside kick, but neither went their way.
The Als kept up the pressure, as Wilson and Philpot both found the end zone for the second time to make it a 30-point game. Both head coaches turned to their backups to close it out, with former Alouette McLeod Bethel-Thompson taking over for Maier and former REDBLACK Dustin Crum subbing in for Alexander.
Maier finished with 126 yards as Ottawa fell to 0-10.
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SCORING PLAYS
- Bryson Barnes one-yard rushing touchdown (7:13, Q1) | OTT 7 MTL 0
- Davis Alexander four-yard passing touchdown to Tyson Philpot (0:02, Q1) | MTL 7 OTT7
- Terry Wilson one-yard rushing touchdown (11:14, Q2) | MTL 14 OTT 7
- Kabion Ento 29-yard interception return touchdown (9:05, Q2) | MTL 21 OTT 7
- Jose Maltos 92-yard kickoff single (8:48, Q2) | MTL 22 OTT 7
- Brett Lauther 36-yard field goal (1:52, Q2) | MTL 22 OTT 10
- Jose Maltos 33-yard field goal (0:18, Q2) | MTL 25 OTT 10
- Travis Theis three-yard rushing touchdown (9:36, Q3) | MTL 32 OTT 10
- Bryson Barnes one-yard rushing touchdown (4:49, Q3) | MTL 32 OTT 16
- Terry Wilson one-yard rushing touchdown (0:33, Q3) | MTL 39 OTT 16
- Davis Alexander five-yard passing touchdown to Tyson Philpot (13:15, Q4) | MTL 46 OTT 16
NEXT UP
The Ottawa REDBLACKS return home in Week 13 to host the BC Lions on Sunday, August 30. It will be the first of two meetings between the teams this season, with the series wrapping up in Vancouver in Week 19. Ottawa has won the Lions’ last two visits to the nation’s capital. REDBLACKS receiver Ayden Eberhardt will face his former team for the first time.
The Montreal Alouettes begin a stretch of six West Division opponents in seven weeks in Week 13, visiting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday, August 28. It will be the first meeting between the teams since Montreal eliminated Winnipeg with a 42-33 victory in the 2025 Eastern Semi-Final. The Bombers won both regular-season meetings last season.