WINNIPEG — The Montreal Alouettes faced a heartbreaking defeat in the Grey Cup, losing 25-17 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders and marking the end of quarterback Davis Alexander“s perfect record. Entering the championship game with a 13-0 record as a starter, Alexander was unable to secure a victory in front of a packed crowd of 32,343 at Princess Auto Stadium.
“Our guys battled out there, our guys battled for me,” Alexander said in a subdued locker room filled with teammates offering support. “They kept me in it, they gave us chances. Ultimately, I have to be better for this organization in the biggest moment of my life and the biggest game of my life.”
Despite playing through a hamstring injury, Alexander completed 22 of 34 passes for 284 yards but suffered three interceptions without throwing a touchdown. This marked the first time he had thrown three interceptions in a game, having only done so three times in the entire season prior.
“I did a couple things that I didn”t do during the year, you know, turn the ball over three times,” Alexander reflected. “When you get outplayed in the quarterback position, you put your team at a deficit right away.” He held a perfect 7-0 record this season and an overall CFL regular-season mark of 11-0 from the previous year.
With less than a minute left in the game, Alexander was seen limping after a run out of bounds. Although he continued to play, he mentioned he would undergo another MRI on his left leg but was hopeful that surgery would not be necessary for the injury that had sidelined him for 11 games during the season.
Receiver Tyson Philpot, who led the Alouettes with five receptions for 87 yards, encouraged Alexander not to be too hard on himself. “He played with something that zero percent of the population could play with, so that just shows you the heart that he has, the dog that”s within him,” Philpot said. “There was no question that he was going to give his all for 60 minutes. Just sucks that we came up short for him. Couldn”t make enough plays.”
Head coach Jason Maas praised Alexander for his determination, noting that he had received multiple treatments daily leading up to the game following a tweak to his hamstring during the East Division final win over Hamilton. “He battled, I”ll tell you that much,” Maas stated. “He gave everything he had until the very end and that”s what I”m very proud of for him.”
In a pivotal moment, the Alouettes reached the Roughriders” three-yard line with under three minutes remaining. However, backup quarterback Shea Patterson fumbled the ball, which was recovered in the end zone by Marcus Sayles of Saskatchewan. “It”s not just that turnover. That”s not the defining moment of the game,” Philpot assessed. “Everyone could have been assignment correct. They had too much penetration, that”s what caused the fumble. I wouldn”t say it”s just that play, but we turned the ball over too many times to win.”
Philpot expressed disappointment that the game did not conclude like the 2023 Grey Cup, where he caught the game-winning touchdown from Cody Fajardo. “It”s gut-wrenching. We”re on the opposite side of what happened last time,” he said. “Close game, we had a chance to tie it up at the minimum and didn”t capitalize. It sucks right now, but it”s never as bad as it looks.”
Linebacker Darnell Sankey acknowledged that the defense also fell short in their performance against Saskatchewan. “We didn”t play assignment-sound football. Too many missed tackles,” he noted. “We just didn”t bring it as a defense today. I”m the (middle) linebacker, it starts with me. Since I”m the leader of the defense, I”ll take the blame.”
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris was named the game”s most valuable player, completing 23 of 27 passes for 302 yards without any touchdowns or interceptions. Riders receiver Sam Emilus, originally from Montreal, was recognized as the top Canadian with 10 catches for 108 yards.
