Als finish 3-game road trip in Hamilton on Friday

The Montreal Alouettes will look to complete their three-game road trip with a perfect 3-0-0 record when they take on the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton on Friday night. The Als are in top spot in the CFL’s East Division with a 3-0-0 record to start 2025.

McLeod Bethel-Thompson makes first start:

Bethel-Thompson will be under centre as the starting quarterback for the Alouettes for the first time. Davis Alexander, who came out of last week’s game in Edmonton with a lower-body injury, won’t start.

Bethel-Thompson, who was acquired from the Edmonton Elks last winter, came off the bench and completed six-of-eight passes for 77 yards in relief of Alexander.

“I’m trying to adapt to the (Alouettes’) offence,” Bethel-Thompson said on Wednesday. “This is coach Maas’ offence, and I’m still learning it. I’m picking it up as we go. It’s so dynamic, it’s so multiple, there’s so many different looks, and it’s very verbiage-heavy. It’s such a fun challenge to pick it up each week.”

The 36-year-old finished second in the CFL in passing touchdowns, with 24. He also had 3,748 yards, which was fifth in the league.

The reps he received last week were important because the veteran only played a little more than one quarter during the preseason.

Jason Maas perfect in June:

Since Jason Maas took over, the Alouettes have never lost a game in the month of June. The Als are now 9-0-0 in June dating back to 2023.

It speaks about the work that Maas and his staff put in with their roster in training camp. If you get hot in June once, that’s one thing, but winning nine straight to start the year over three seasons in remarkable.

“We do a good job early in the season and in training camp, and translating that to the field,” Maas said. “What do you attribute that to? Guys doing their job and being ready early in the season. Obviously, we prepare to win every single week. The record is what it is. We’d like to keep that going. We’ve done a good job getting guys ready throughout training camp and that’s our whole team. We’re able to play fast right from the start.”

Austin Mack OUT:

All-Star receiver Austin Mack won’t play on Friday night. He left Monday’s practice with an injury, and did not take part in Tuesday or Wednesday’s sessions. He has been placed on the one-game injured list.

Expect Regis Cibasu, who was outstanding on special teams last week, and Daniel Oladejo to get some extra reps with the starters this week. This will be Oladejo’s first game as an Alouette.

The former second-round pick began his career with the Ottawa Redblacks but signed with the Als late last season.

Youth on the defensive line:

Dylan Wynn suffered a lower-body injury in the first half of last week’s game, and he didn’t return. The 32-year-old was off to a good start, as he has four defensive tackles and one sack through three games.

Wynn being out means that both starting defensive tackles from last year won’t be available, as Mustafa Johnson has been on the six-game injured list since the start of the year.

The Alouettes will adjust by adding two rookies to their roster. Defensive linemen M.J. Sherman and Kori Roberson Jr. will both make their CFL debuts on Friday night. Sherman steps in for Jalen Harris (released earlier this week) and Roberson will take Wynn’s spot. Expect Lwal Uguak to get more playing time at defensive tackle in Wynn’s absence.

Stats through Week 3:

Passing:
Davis Alexander: 62/82 (75.6 %), 803 yards, five touchdowns, two interceptions
McLeod Bethel-Thompson: 6/8 (75 %), 77 yards, no touchdowns, no interceptions

Rushing:
Sean Thomas Erlington: 34 carries, 169 yards, one touchdown
Travis Theis: 15 carries, 97 yards
Davis Alexander: six carries, 64 yards

Receiving:
Tyler Snead: 11 receptions, 215 yards, one touchdown
Tyson Philpot: 17 receptions, 186 yards, two touchdowns
Austin Mack: 12 receptions, 185 yards

Defensive Tackles:
Najee Murray: 15 tackles
Darnell Sankey: 15 tackles
Tyrice Beverette: 14 tackles

Quarterback sacks:
Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund: 3 sacks
Lwal Uguak: 2 sacks
Darnell Sankey, Tyrice Beverette, Shawn Oakman, Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, Dylan Wynn: 1 sack

Interceptions:
Lwal Uguak, Geoffrey Cantin-Arku, Tyrice Beverette, Lorenzo Burns, Kabion Ento, Wesley Sutton: 1 interception

Special Teams Tackles:
Alex Gagne: 9 tackles
Tyrell Richards: 4 tackles
Marc-Antoine Dequoy, Regis Cibasu: 3 tackles