Saskatchewan Roughriders defeat the Montreal Alouettes to capture fifth Grey Cup

The Saskatchewan Roughriders celebrate with the Grey Cup trophy after defeating the Montreal Alouettes 28-17. (Credit: CFL.ca)

Once again, the Canadian Football League (CFL) is ruled by the green and white.  

The 112th Grey Cup took place on Sunday, Nov. 16. The Montreal Alouettes took on the Saskatchewan Roughriders, marking the first time in 16 years that the two teams met in the Grey Cup.  

The game took place at Princess Auto Stadium in Manitoba’s capital. It was the first Grey Cup in five years to not feature the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.  

Saskatchewan began the game with a defensive play. Davis Alexander was intercepted by Marcus Sayles, not even five minutes into the ball game. 

He wanted to get the ball to Tyson Philpot in Saskatchewan territory.  

A few drives later, Saskatchewan’s punter put it through the end zone for a rouge.

Montreal responded with a one-yard touchdown run on the next drive by Shea Patterson. The score was set up by a pair of catches by Philpot, including one where he got past the Riders’ secondary for 37 yards. 

The score was 7-1 after the first quarter.  

Saskatchewan took control of the game in the second quarter, while the Riders scored 14 straight points, thanks to a pair of touchdown runs. 

The first of those runs was aided by a challenge from the Riders’ Coach Corey Mace. He challenged a third-down incompletion on the Montreal goal line for pass interference.  

Mace believed Montreal defensive back Kabion Ento interfered with Dohnte Meyers, a Riders receiver. The challenge was successful. 

Having the call reversed gave the Riders a fresh set of downs at the Montreal goal line. They gave the ball to Tommy Stevens. 

Stevens is arguably one of the best short-yardage quarterbacks in the CFL. He ran the ball in the end zone for a touchdown that gave the Riders an 8-7 lead.

AJ Ouelette added to the lead with a 4-yard touchdown, giving Saskatchewan a 15-7 lead heading into the locker room. 

Ouelette was a huge part of the Saskatchewan offence throughout the Grey Cup.  

The Riders continued their dominance after Machine Gun Kelly's halftime show. Mario Alford opened the third quarter with a 48-yard kickoff return into Alouettes territory.

His stellar play was followed by a 38-yard pass by Trevor Harris to Tommy Nield. Later, Nield was tackled at the one-yard line. 

Stevens scored a touchdown on the next play to stretch Saskatchewan's lead to two scores.  

Later in the quarter, Alexander threw his third interception of the game. He was picked off by Tevaughn Campbell near midfield. 

Saskatchewan used the perfect field position to set up Brett Lauther for a field goal. The Truro native added three more points to the Riders’ growing lead.  

Montreal ended the third quarter with a rushing touchdown by Stevie Scott III. They started the fourth with a field goal.  

While Montreal had momentum, Alexander was slinging the ball all over the field, finding Tyler Snead for a catch that ended in Saskatchewan territory.

A few plays later, Patterson was lined up on the three-yard line, aiming to tie the game, but fumbled on the Riders’ goal line. 

Campbell caused the fumble and Sayles scooped it up.  

Knocking the ball out of Patterson's hands all but iced the game of Saskatchewan. You could hear the collective groan from Alouettes fans in the stands coming through the television as the ball hit the turf.  

Saskatchewan got the better of Montreal. The Riders took the victory 25-17, their first in 12 years. To capture Canadian football’s holy grail in the home of their rivals made the victory even sweeter.  

Harris won the MVP and collected 302 yards, completing over 85 per cent of his passes. That number is the best since Doug Flutie in 1997.  

Harris last played in a Grey Cup game in 2018 with the Ottawa Redblacks. He lost the game and threw three interceptions. Fast forward six years, he won as a starter in the big game, going along with his two Grey Cup rings as a backup.  

Samuel Emilus was named the top Canadian. He reeled in 10 catches for 108 yards.  

"We had some big second-down conversions," said Harris. "I didn't throw any touchdowns, but we had some big-time second-down conversions through the air.  I'm just grateful for my teammates.”

The headlines during the entire Grey Cup week were dominated by the health of the Montreal quarterback. 

Alexander injured his hamstring on July 17 in a game against the Toronto Argonauts. 

He re-aggravated the injury in the East Division final against Hamilton, leading him to play the game on virtually one leg.

He did not move around very often during the Grey Cup. His only rush came in the last minute of the fourth quarter. After the play, Alexander was noticeably in pain and held his lower leg.  

His lack of movement could be seen as one of the reasons why Montreal came up short.  

Much ado was made by the media about Alexander’s record as a starter. The signal caller has played 13 career games for the Alouettes and is an 11-0 starter in the regular season. He also has two victories and no losses in the playoffs. Those numbers are the best for a quarterback who is starting their career.  

The Grey Cup marked Alexander’s first loss as a starter.  

“I didn't play well enough to win this game for us," Alexander told reporters after the game. "I did a couple of things that I didn't do during the year, you know, turn the ball over three times. When you get outplayed in the quarterback position, you put your team at a deficit right away." 

With the Grey Cup in the rearview mirror, all eyes are on next year. Calgary will play host to the 113th Grey Cup, making it the sixth time the city has hosted the event. 

If this season was any indication, next year's Grey Cup is sure to be just as big a party.