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Undefeated QB leads Montreal to a hard-fought 19-16 win over the Tiger-Cats in the division final.
Published Nov 08, 2025 • 5 minute read
Quarterback celebrates with teammates after a win.
Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander (10) celebrates with teammates after defeating the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the CFL East Final football game in Hamilton on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. Photo by Peter Power /The Canadian Press
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Like a great heavyweight title bout the two best teams in the East Division — the Alouettes and Hamilton — went back and forth in a defensive battle for 60 minutes Saturday afternoon.
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It felt like the team that had the ball last would ultimately prevail — and that team proved to be Montreal.
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History will remember it took a 45-yard Jose Maltos field goal — his fourth — on the game’s final play to carry the Alouettes to a hard-fought 19-16 victory over the Tiger-Cats in the division final before a capacity crowd of 25,399 at Hamilton Stadium. The visitors now advance to next Sunday’s Grey Cup championship game in Winnipeg, where they’ll attempt to win the ninth CFL championship in franchise history, along with their second in three seasons.
While Maltos gets the accolades after making a clutch, game-winning kick, none of this would have been possible without the heroics — yet again and as always — from quarterback Davis Alexander, who improved his record to 13-0, including 9-0 this season.
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With the score tied 16-16 and 1:41 remaining — and with overtime seemingly looming — a hobbling Alexander led the Alouettes from their 37 to the Hamilton 36 on six plays, albeit only two passes. Both were to Charleston Rambo, the latter a 19-yard completion that put Montreal in field goal range.
Following two more short runs by Stevie Scott III, Montreal called a timeout, leaving only two seconds remaining in regulation. Maltos, who set a regular-season franchise record with 58 field goals, would make the kick or extra time would be required. And the result never was in doubt.
Football kicker puts the ball through the uprights to win the game.
Alouettes’ Jose Maltos Diaz (19) kicks the game-winning field goal during second half CFL eastern final football action against the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. Photo by Frank Gunn /THE CANADIAN PRESS
“It was an incredible victory,” Alexander told The Gazette by telephone from Hamilton. “Our defence picked me up and what we’ve done all year — we found a way. That last drive meant everything to me. It doesn’t matter how you play the whole game, as long as you find a way to come out the other end. That’s the art of playing the quarterback position. Of course, it’s a team effort, but as long as you find a way to lead your team to victory and give us a chance to win, it’s special.
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“This is everything you live for. This is why you play the game of football.”
Alexander wasn’t at his best on this day — not by a long shot. He completed 19 of 26 passes for a modest 210 yards and only one touchdown — a 28-yard pass to Tyler Snead early in the second half on Montreal’s opening possession. Alexander was intercepted once and should have been picked off a second time, by Reggie Stubblefield.
But Alexander, who twice missed time this season with a left hamstring injury, was also playing hurt.
It was almost six minutes into the fourth quarter and the Als had second down at the Hamilton four-yard line when Alexander was sacked for a five-yard loss by middle-linebacker Devin Veresuk, setting up a short Maltos field goal. Alexander clearly re-injured his hamstring on the play and could be seen limping.
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While he remained in the game, the effects of the hit were evident — the Alouettes went two-and-out on their next possession. Alexander predictably told head coach Jason Maas there was no way he was coming out of the game. But he also ran more than anticipated in the game and was Montreal’s leading rusher, gaining 64 yards on seven carries.
Quarterback throws the ball.
Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander (10) throws a pass during first half CFL East Final football game action against the Tiger-Cats, in Hamilton on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. Photo by Peter Power /THE CANADIAN PRESS
It’s never a good sign when a quarterback is a team’s leading rusher — especially when that player has battled through hamstring injuries.
“I’ll be good to go for next week,” Alexander said. “It’s not the same type of pull I had after the Toronto game or else I wouldn’t have been able to go back out there. We’re going to find a way next week. I know we lie about (injuries) a lot, but I truly feel this was just a tweak. It doesn’t matter. This (could have been) the final game of the year.
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“I wasn’t seeing the field clearly,” Alexander said about his propensity to run. “And there wasn’t anyone really responsible for me until the end of the game.”
If few were expecting a defensive struggle — there was no scoring in the first quarter and the Alouettes had a 6-3 lead at the intermission — Maas wasn’t surprised.
“I knew it would be a hard-fought game,” Maas told The Gazette by telephone from Hamilton. “I believed it would come down to the end. I knew we’d compete on every single play. It didn’t matter if it went to overtime. We were ready for everything. Obviously, the belief was there the whole time that we’d go in and get the victory. We didn’t care how it happened or what it was going to look like.
“The guy (Alexander) is a competitor. That’s what it comes down to,” Maas continued. “He gives you everything he’s got. He believes. The guys believe in him. He’ll lay it all on the line. He told me he wasn’t coming out of the game. That tells you everything you need to know. He was going to fight until the very end for his guys. He was going to lay it all out there, and he did that. And did that very well when it mattered the most.”
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Football player rams for a first down.
Alouettes’ Shea Patterson (7) goes for the needed yard for a first down during first half CFL East Final football game action against the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton on Saturday, Nov. 8, 2025. Photo by Peter Power /THE CANADIAN PRESS
Hamilton has been a house of horrors for the Als, but they may have finally exorcised the ghosts, defeating the Ticats as the visiting team in a division final playoff encounter for the first time since 1970. Hamilton becomes the third successive division team to finish first and fail to advance to the Grey Cup. Montreal, meanwhile, has won seven of its last eight games now.
Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was valiant in defeat, completing 29 of 36 passes for 269 yards. But he also was intercepted once and got his team into the end zone only once, late in the third quarter, on a three-yard pass to Shemar Bridges. That play was Mitchell’s 13th straight completion.
Instead, a team that averaged 29.2 points this season was virtually held in check by the Montreal’s defence. And the Ticats’ Grey Cup drought will continue with the team not having won the CFL title since 1999.
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com
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