Alouettes jump out to early 15-0 lead, tame Tiger-Cats 33-23

Montreal Alouettes' Sean Thomas Erlington gets away from a diving Hamilton Tiger-Cats' Brandon Barlow during second half CFL action in Montreal on Saturday, August 10, 2024. (Peter McCabe, The Canadian Press)

Two early turnovers set the tone for another strong showing by the Montreal Alouettes' defence on Saturday night.

The Alouettes jumped out to an early lead, then held off the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' late rally in a 33-23 win at Percival Molson Stadium, overcoming their East Division rivals for a second consecutive week.

Linebacker Darnell Sankey, who caught an interception in the first quarter, felt the defence had to come out and make a statement to start the game.

"We want to go out there and establish the fact that we're the best defence in the league," Sankey said. "As a leader on the defence, I just want to go out there and show my guys that I'm all-in."

Als head coach Jason Maas recognized the importance of setting the tone early against a desperate Tiger-Cats team that was looking to avenge last week's loss.

"Our defence came to play, right from the get-go," Maas said. "In a game where we know they're hungry, they know they gotta get this one, but when you come out like that, it's a good indication of what's in store for the rest of the game."

In his second straight start, Als quarterback Davis Alexander connected on 17 of his 24 passing attempts for 247 yards and two touchdowns.

"He does a good job of working and grinding, just forgets the last play and does his job the best he can," Maas said about his de facto starter. "He protected the ball pretty well tonight, and gave us a chance every single series."

Alouettes wide receiver Charleston Rambo connected with Alexander on a number of big plays, making six catches for 124 yards and two touchdowns in the win.

Rambo stepped up after star receiver Tyson Philpot went down with a leg injury in the first half, but the 25-year-old says he's always ready to make an impact, no matter the circumstances.

"I'm the same guy everywhere I go, whether I step on the field here or in practice," Rambo said after the win. "I'm gonna be open no matter what quarterback is in, just make routes and bring it home."

Rambo is just the latest Alouettes wideout to have a big game in a season littered with memorable performances from the receiving corps.

"The amount of catches they've made this year, they're tremendous," Maas told reporters. "They have a very good knack for coming down with the ball -- my hat is off to them all the time."

Third string QB Dominique Davis -- signed earlier this week following a season-ending injury to backup Caleb Evans -- snuck into the end zone from the one-yard line to give Montreal a commanding 26-9 lead with 13:35 left in the contest.

Ticats starting quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was pulled from the game in the first quarter after throwing an early interception.

Taylor Powell came on in relief, completing 30 passes for 319 yards and two touchdowns, while also leading Hamilton in rushing with 52 yards on the ground.

Shemar Bridges' 103 yards led all Ticats' receivers in their seventh loss of the campaign.

Hamilton scored their first touchdown of the night when Powell connected with Luther Hakunavanhu on a 16-yard pass to make it 26-16 with 9:35 remaining in the fourth frame.

The Alouettes padded their lead with a 10-yard touchdown pass to Rambo with 3:39 left in the game, bringing the score to 33-16.

Steven Dunbar Jr. caught an 11-yard touchdown pass with 1:30 left on the clock to bring Hamilton within 10 points.

Jose Maltos nailed a field goal to put Montreal up 3-0 at the 12:26 mark in the first quarter, after the Alouettes forced a fumble on the Tiger-Cats' second play of the game.

The Als' defence continued their hot start by forcing a safety to extend their lead to 5-0 four minutes later.

Rambo scored the first touchdown of the game with a 51-yard catch to make it 15-0 for Montreal after 15 minutes of play.

Als win four in a row

Montreal notched its fourth consecutive win on Saturday, and league-leading eighth victory of the 2024 CFL season. The Als are 4-1 on home turf, suffering their only loss of the year against Toronto on July 11.

Up next

Tiger-Cats: Host the Edmonton Elks (1-7) next Saturday.

Alouettes: Visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-3-1) on Friday.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 10, 2024.