4 things that stood out in preseason opener

The Montreal Alouettes opened their preseason with a 27 – 12 loss to the Ottawa Redblacks at Percival Molson Stadium on Friday night. The result doesn’t really matter, but the health of quarterback Davis Alexander does.

Everything is fine

Alexander suffered a knee injury near the end of the first quarter of Friday’s game after an opponent fell on him. The Als starting pivot left the stadium to undergo testing, but the results of those tests all came back negative.

“I’m good,” Alexander said after the game. “I got x-rays that came back 100 percent clean. It was just precautionary. If it was a regular season game, I would’ve stayed in the game.

“I’ve never been landed on like that before. My leg was kind of straight and a big boy kind of fell on top. It was interesting, but it’s all good.”

Based on what happened in the preseason last year, Alexander likely wouldn’t have played next week’s exhibition contest in Ottawa anyway. So, don’t expect him to suit up in that one.

He seems to be on track to play Week 1 in Hamilton.

The running backs can run

The Als offence wasn’t going to give away any secrets in this game, but the performance of their running backs and their run-blockers was very impressive.

Stevie Scott III, who got the start in this game, showed off his combination of power and speed.

Travis Theis continued where he left off last season. He was able to run inside, outside and he managed to secure two catches for 15 yards.

Canadian rookie Liam Talbot (#30) also had an explosive 18-yard run in the second half. Talbot can play an important role on this team in 2026. Having a capable Canadian to back up your American tailback could provide additional ratio flexibility every week.

American rookie Shomari Lawrence didn’t look out of place when he entered the game either. Lawrence scored the only touchdown of the game for the Als. He finished with an impressive 31 yards on just five carries.

In fact, all four running backs averaged at least 6.2 yards per carry.

“You’ve got to love it,” Scott III said of the rushing performance the team put together. “When you play football, you’ve got to start with the run. I feel like the running game gets everybody going. It’s a tone-setter. When you’re able to run the ball, it can take you a long way as an offence.”

The Quebec-born pivot shines

Rookie quarterback Arnaud Desjardins was the fourth and final quarterback to enter the game for the Alouettes, and he played well.

The two-time Vanier Cup Champion with the Laval Rouge et Or led the Alouettes on their only touchdown drive of the game with a handful of minutes remaining.

After a quick first drive, Desjardins showed calm and poise during that final sequence that ended up with a Lawrence rushing touchdown.

Desjardins finished the game seven-for-eight for 71 yards.

“All the receivers made big plays (on that drive) and the protection held up,” Desjardins said.

What made this performance impressive is that he was only signed by the Als on Monday morning. He barely threw any passes during that first practice and got a few reps against a full defence on Tuesday and Wednesday. Thursday’s practice was a short walkthrough, and he managed to play on Friday.

Penetration along the interior

As linebacker Geoffrey Cantin-Arku mentioned after the game, the Alouettes barely showed anything on defence. They didn’t run very many plays that they’ll use during the regular season, so it’s a little harder to evaluate defensive play.

But one thing that stood out on that side of the ball was the pressure that they seemed to be getting from the interior. Newcomers like Daniel Wise, Bryce Garious and Decarius Hawthorne seemed to be in the Redblacks backfield a lot. They didn’t make a big play every time they got there, but getting penetration from the defensive tackle position is huge in modern football.

Veteran defensive tackle Mustafa Johnson didn’t play on Friday, which opened up the door for the younger players at that position to get a few more snaps. Assuming Johnson is healthy for Week 1 and second-year defensive lineman Kori Roberson sticks, there could be room for one more American at that position on the active roster.

The battle for that roster spot will continue to training camp next week and it will come to an end next Friday night at TD Place in Ottawa.