MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes, led once again by quarterback Davis Alexander and star receiver Tyson Philpot, edged the Calgary Stampeders 37-30 in front of 18,046 fans at Percival Molson Stadium on Saturday night.
Alexander was 22-for-30, throwing for 301 yards and a touchdown in the win.
Philpot, meanwhile, hauled in nine passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. The 25-year-old, who leads the CFL in total yards on the season, surpassed the 100-yard mark for the fourth straight game.
Tyson got the better of twin brother Jalen for the third time in as many CFL outings. Jalen was limited to 66 yards on three receptions.
Travis Theis, Alexander Hollins and backup quarterback Dustin Crum also found their way into the end zone for the Alouettes, while Jose Maltos Diaz converted all three of his field goal attempts.
Stampeders quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 19 of his 34 pass attempts for 266 yards and three touchdowns. The former Alouette pivot was also sacked three times in the contest.
Calgary’s Dejon Brissett accounted for two Stampeders touchdowns in the losing effort, while Clark Barnes added another late in the fourth quarter.
Jude McAtamney made all three of his field goal attempts.
The Alouettes (4-1) improved their home record to 3-0. The home side also continued their dominance of the Stampeders, running their unbeaten streak against Calgary to seven games.
Calgary (2-3) had their two-game win streak halted. The Stampeders have failed to win a game in Montreal since October 2018.
With the Alouettes already up 3-0 on an early Maltos Diaz field goal, the Montreal defence quickly got to work in the opening quarter. Defensive lineman David Perales, making his first career CFL start, got to Adams on just Calgary’s second snap of the game as the 27-year-old sacked him for an eight-yard loss.
Adams’ struggles continued on the Stampeders’ second offensive drive as the 33-year-old fumbled the football at his own 37-yard line after a nine-yard individual run.
Alexander took full advantage of the prime field position, completing a 30-yard deep throw to Philpot. Moments later, a trick play allowed receiver Tyler Snead to connect with Philpot for a seven-yard touchdown pass that gave the Alouettes a 10-0 lead.
It marked the first touchdown pass thrown by a non-Alouette quarterback since July 2019.
Just under four minutes later, Calgary responded with a touchdown of its own as Adams found Brissett for a 20-yard touchdown grab that cut the deficit to three.
Calgary tied up the game on a 30-yard McAtamney field goal on the visitor’s opening possession of the second quarter.
It took all of two plays for the Alouettes to retake the lead. Alexander first found Philpot for a 21-yard gain at midfield. After a 15-yard Stampeders penalty for roughing the passer moved the chains to Calgary’s own 34-yard line, Alexander connected with Hollins for the go-ahead touchdown.
The Alouettes’ offence would strike again before the first half was up as Alexander led Montreal on an eight-play, 84-yard drive down the field. It all culminated in a seven-yard Theis rushing touchdown that gave the Alouettes a 14-point lead.
McAtamney would, however, kick a 54-yard field goal on the final play of the opening half to trim the deficit to 11.
A Calgary single opened the third quarter, followed shortly after by a Maltos Diaz 43-yard field goal. That was followed by Calgary’s best offensive sequence of the night, a 70-yard drive capped off by Brissett’s second touchdown of the game.
The Stampeders had to settle for just six points after McAtamney’s attempt at the extra point was no good.
Theis’s 46-yard rush on the opening play of the Alouettes’ next drive paved the way for backup quarterback Crum’s major from the one-yard line that moved Montreal back ahead by two touchdowns.
McAtamney and Maltos Diaz exchanged field goals in the fourth quarter before Barnes’ late-game score.
Stampeders: Host the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday, July 18.
Alouettes: Visit the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday, July 18.