MONTREAL — The Montreal Alouettes reminded everybody in Week 1 why they finished with the top record in last year’s regular season.
The Als took down the current defending champions Toronto Argonauts in convincing fashion, winning 28-10 as both sides of the ball showed up ready to play.
Head coach Jason Maas has had nothing but success as the lead man for Montreal. Entering his third year at the helm, Maas led the Als to winning the 110th Grey Cup win in 2023 and helped them finish atop the East Division in 2024, albeit with an Eastern Final loss to the Argos.
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Maas knows it’s only Week 1, but starting off the season with a win can pave the way for yet another successful season in Montreal.
“Are there are things to correct that we can be better at? Absolutely, but when we talk about three phases setting the tone for the year, starting off on the right foot, I thought It was a very good job by our team,” said Maas.
“One hour of great effort, toughness and showing their ability,” added the head coach.
The Alouettes’ success isn’t a coincidence though. It starts with a strong leadership group in every phase, including special teams captain Alexandre Gagné, who tied a record for most special teams tackles with seven on his way to stopping Toronto’s return game.
“Whenever your captains of your team are leading by example I think that’s a great thing,” said Maas. “And obviously Gagné has done that since I’ve gotten here. He’s been our ST captain the whole time. Any time he’s going out and producing like that. It takes everybody else doing their jobs for him to go in and do his but he was hunting like hell that night.”
Another key element in the Alouettes’ success was quarterback Davis Alexander, who took over as the full time starter in the off-season. The pivot knows there are a lot of expectations on him to continue Montreal’s recent run of success.
“It was awesome, there’s a lot of buzz, this whole six months, this off-season,” said Alexander. “It’s obviously great to get the first one out of the way but we know we have a lot more work to do and we’re excited.”
A big part of the Als’ win in Week 1 was the running game. Sean Thomas Erlington, who earned the start in Week 1 after the team released Walter Fletcher, led the way with 17 catches for 86 yards. Overall, the Alouettes rushed 26 times for 163 yards, good for 6.3 yards per carry.
“I think we showed just how physical our offensive line was and even our perimeter blocking was amazing,” said Alexander. “Guys came out and they were ready to go. I think we were averaging six, seven yards per carry. If you can do that you’re gonna be pretty successful on offence.”
The next challenge for Montreal is a trip to Ottawa to face the REDBLACKS on Friday, June 13. Kickoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Canadian viewers can watch on TSN/RDS.ET. International and U.S. audiences can catch the action on CFL+.
