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QB passes for season-high 370 yards, while Canadian receiver records 238 yards and two TDs as Montreal beat the Roughriders in Regina.
Author of the article:
Montreal Gazette
Montreal Gazette
Herb Zurkowsky
Published Sep 14, 2025 • Last updated 10 minutes ago • 4 minute read
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Alouettes quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson throws the football against the Roughriders during first-half action in Regina, on Sat., Sept. 13, 2025. Heywood Yu/The Canadian Press
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And that’s why they play the games.
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Were the Alouettes simply a desperate team following five consecutive losses? Were the Saskatchewan Roughriders too lackadaisical, knowing before taking the field that they were the first CFL team to clinch a playoff berth?
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Perhaps it was a combination of both. And it certainly didn’t hurt Montreal’s cause that Saskatchewan was missing its two starting cornerbacks — Tevaughn Campbell and Marcus Sayles — due to injuries. Campbell has a league-leading six interceptions this season.
Regardless, the Als produced their finest effort this season Saturday night at Mosaic Stadium, outscoring the Riders 48-31 before 26,951 rain-drenched spectators.
A Montreal team that couldn’t score a touchdown last Saturday against Hamilton, and one that has struggled mightily on offence since losing starting quarterback Davis Alexander to a hamstring injury, produced five touchdowns and its most points this season.
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Two came on short-yardage runs by third-string quarterback Shea Patterson, a former Rider. Two more were caught by Canadian receiver Tyson Philpot, while guard Donny Ventrilli recovered a Tyler Snead fumble for the fifth score — and the first of Ventrilli’s career.
It was that kind of a night for the visitors. Seemingly everything went their way.
Much-maligned veteran quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, playing his first game in over a month since sustaining an elbow injury, completed 20 of 26 passes for a season-high 370 yards. The two touchdowns to Philpot were the 100th of Bethel-Thompson’s career in his 100th regular-season game.
Bethel-Thompson, acquired in a trade last December from Edmonton for fellow quarterback Cody Fajardo, improved to 2-4 with Montreal. He wasn’t sacked and didn’t throw an interception.
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“What we saw in practice is exactly what we saw in the game. He was calm and decisive,” head coach Jason Maas told reporters in Regina. “That’s what I’ve seen with veteran quarterbacks going to new teams. There’s a learning period and adjustment period, and sometimes it doesn’t always go your way. When he came back … you could see he wanted to play and wanted it again. That’s all I needed to see.”
Bethel-Thompson had the veteran savvy to quickly understand he could exploit Saskatchewan’s cornerbacks — Kerfalla Exumé and Benny Sapp III — both making their first starts for the Riders. Exumé, who started his CFL career with Winnipeg in 2019 and spent two seasons with the Als, was repeatedly beaten like a rented mule. Sapp, a rookie, didn’t sign with Saskatchewan until Aug. 18.
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Alouettes receiver Tyson Philpot, left, victimizes Kerfalla Exumé for a long completion Saturday, Sept. 13, 2025 in Regina.
The major beneficiary was Philpot, who produced a career game, catching nine passes for 238 yards, including a 77-yarder that set up Patterson’s final touchdown.
It was the second-highest single-game output by a Montreal receiver in franchise history. The record is held by the incomparable Hal Patterson, who had a 338-yard game in 1956.
“We were targeting our good receivers,” Bethel-Thompson said in Regina. “We’re a team to be reckoned with. The CFL gets fun when you get into September and October. We have to keep getting better and be at our best at the end of the season. That’s what the CFL’s all about. Who gets hot late and is rolling at the end.”
Second-year Montreal tailback Stevie Scott III gained 125 yards on 19 carries. He replaced the injured Travis Theis following the opening play and became the first Als player to rush for 100 yards this season. Saskatchewan was the league’s top-ranked defence against the run, allowing an average of 75.3 yards.
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Scott was so effective, one wonders why Maas has been so reluctant to play him.
Despite running only 53 offensive plays and controlling the ball for 29:10, the Als had 25 first downs and 521 yards of net offence. It was the Als’ first win since July 24 in Calgary.
Montreal was so dominant on offence, it only had to punt once all game. Placekicker Jose Maltos added four field goals, the longest from 52 yards, and a single. A 54-yard attempt struck the upright.
Montreal avoided its first six-game losing streak since 2018 and improved to 6-7 with the win, solidifying its hold on second place in the East Division. The defending Grey Cup champion Argonauts defeated Edmonton earlier in the day to move their record to 5-8 and sit in third place.
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The Als’ next game is at Toronto on Friday night, and while it appears only two teams from the East Division will make the playoffs, Montreal has already defeated the Argonauts twice this season and holds the tiebreaker should the teams end the season with the same won-loss record.
While Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris passed for 252 yards and a touchdown — the 200th of his career — he was intercepted by Wesley Sutton and was replaced by Jake Maier late in the fourth quarter. Maier was intercepted by Kabion Ento, while safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy recovered a Tommy Stevens fumble. Riders tailback A.J. Ouellette gained 90 yards on 16 carries and scored once.
“Tonight it was like a perfect storm for it all to come together,” Maas said in Regina. “It doesn’t happen overnight. I know we’re healthier. When you have injuries you become a much better team. Now everyone on your team gets experience. We were a 5-2 team before everybody started to get hurt. I think we were a pretty damned good team at that point.”
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