Alouettes backup Davis Alexander stole the show as Montreal scored 17 straight points to beat the Roughriders
After building up a 16-3 lead in the first half against the Montreal Alouettes, the Riders were outscored 17-0 in the second half and ultimately lost 20-16 in their Week 8 matchup.
The Riders, meanwhile, failed to score in the second half as they dropped to 5-2 in the CFL’s West Division standings while the Alouettes improved to 6-1 to remain atop the East Division.
Saskatchewan’s defence had a strong first half against the Alouettes, as Evans completed just 9-of-17 for 91 yards with a fumble but the second half was a different story as the Roughriders had no answer for Alexander, who connected with Reggie White for back-to-back touchdowns in the third quarter.
Shea Patterson — making his fourth start of the season in place of the injured Trevor Harris — completed 21-of-33 passes for 222 yards while Alexander completed 15-of-18 passes for 178 yards with two touchdowns. The Riders held Montreal running back Walter Fletcher to just 16 yards on five carries.
Saskatchewan opened the scoring with a 22-yard field goal by Brett Lauther after an 11-play, 62-yard drive before the Alouettes responded with a field goal of their own to make it 3-3.
The Riders then forced the first turnover of the game as defensive lineman Miles Brown stripped the ball from Evans while Lake Korte-Moore recovered the fumble as Saskatchewan took over on Montreal’s 29-yard line.
A few plays later, Hickson sprinted 20 yards into the end zone as the Riders went up 10-3 after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, Lauther kicked a 43-yard field goal to put Saskatchewan on top 13-3 before.
A fumble on a punt return by Saskatchewan’s Mario Alford gave the Alouettes great field position, however a sack by Bryan Cox Jr. followed by a blocked field goal by Anthony Lanier II kept Montreal from adding any points.
Before the half was up, Lauther kicked a 22-yard field goal to give the Riders a 16-3 lead at half.
In the second half, Alexander came into the game at quarterback and provided an immediate spark for Montreal.
After connecting with White for a three-yard touchdown pass on their first series to cut the lead to 16-10, Alexander went back to White on the next drive for a 31-yard touchdown pass as the Alouettes took a 17-16 lead.
The 25-year-old Alexander completed all 12 of his passes for 147 yards in two drives in the third quarter.
After hitting the crossbar on a 57-yard field goal attempt in the first half, Lauther hit the left upright from 53 yards out early in the fourth quarter as the Alouettes continued to hold a one-point lead.
Montreal kicked a 21-yard field goal on their next drive to go up 20-16 before Saskatchewan was forced to punt on their next series with three minutes left.
Following a punt by the Alouettes with 1:28 remaining, Patterson drove down to the Montreal 30-yard line before turning it over on downs to end the game.
The Riders — who committed eight penalties for 105 yards in the loss — will now get set to host the Edmonton Elks on Aug. 3 at Mosaic Stadium in Week 9.
Note:Prior to the game, the CFL announced it has fined Winnipeg Blue Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill for unnecessary roughness after driving Patterson into the ground on the final play of last week’s matchup in Regina. The amount of the fine wasn’t disclosed.
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