Davis Alexander is relishing the opportunity to face – and defeat – the Hamilton Tiger-Cats for a second straight week.
However, the Montreal Alouettes quarterback knows full well that the Tiger-Cats will try to take him by surprise.
Alexander threw a touchdown pass, an interception and passed for 262 yards in his first CFL start last Friday to help the Alouettes (7-1) beat the Tiger-Cats (2-6) 33-16 at Tim Hortons Field.
With Cody Fajardo’s name still on the injured list, Alexander will once again be the starter Saturday when the Alouettes host their East Division rivals at Percival Molson Stadium.
“Obviously we’ll be looking at the video footage more than we normally would,” Alexander told reporters this week. “But they could come out with something completely different, so we’ll have to be able to adjust.”
PHOTO FRANK GUNN, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Cody Fajardo
The 25-year-old credited his receivers for making important plays throughout last week’s game that helped him secure the victory.
“We always thought we could move the ball, but they played good coverage the whole game,” Alexander said. “We made a big push, with Charleston Rambo, Reggie White Jr. and Tyson Philpot making big catches. We got into the rhythm of the game.”
For their part, the Tiger-Cats are looking to get back to winning ways, having only had two since the start of the season.
Tiger-Cats starting quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell struggled last week with two interceptions. He credited the Alouettes’ solid defence, which limited long plays.
“You saw last week they’re trying not to give anything away,” Mitchell told the media in Hamilton. “You just have to be smart and make sure you take care of the ball.”
Tiger-Cats head coach Scott Milanovich echoed his quarterback’s comments, saying his team will need to better manage its offence if it hopes to score points against the CFL’s second-best defence.
“It’s a game where you can’t make mistakes,” Milanovich said. “There are times when you have to be aggressive, but you have to make good decisions and not put the ball in danger.”
A new insurance policy
Alexander is the Alouettes’ third different starting quarterback this season, but Maas and his team have managed to keep things going as Montreal leads the East Division and tries to extend its winning streak to four.
This will be Alexander’s first start in front of his fans.
While Fajardo is still out with a hamstring injury, his backup, Caleb Evans, will miss the remainder of the season with a knee injury.
PHOTO CHRISTOPHER KATSAROV, CANADIAN PRESS ARCHIVES
Caleb Evans
To make up for the loss, the Alouettes brought back Dominique Davis, who scored 13 touchdowns for Montreal in 2022. Davis spent last season with the BC Lions.
“I feel like I left Montreal on very good terms. Things happen for a reason. I’m going to take advantage of this opportunity and do the best I can to help the team.”