Alouettes complete home-and-home sweep of Stampeders on Saturday
CFL football can be weird sometimes and that was the case on Saturday night in Calgary for the Montreal Alouettes.
The Als jumped out to a 22-0 lead, and they were ahead 29-11 heading into the fourth quarter. Give the Stamps credit, they made plays and battled back to tie the score, 32-32, with three minutes to go.
Jason Maas’ team could have folded at that moment, but they came together and got the best out of their offence and defence when it mattered most.
The Als started that critical drive at their own 14-yard line. As is always seemingly the case in crucial moments, Davis Alexander went to work. He finished the night with 402 passing yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. Alexander set the CFL record for most consecutive pass attempts without an interception, with 324.
He converted two critical second-and-long plays – one to Kaseem Ferdinand, who later scored his first career CFL touchdown on a 27-yard toss from Alexander.
Ferdinand, an undrafted Canadian receiver, has earned a lot of playing time this year with the injuries to Cole Spieker (he returned to the lineup and caught a touchdown on Saturday), Jerreth Sterns and Alexander Hollins.
The 24-year-old played in four games for the Als last season and wasn’t re-signed this winter. He didn’t attend training camp but was signed after the injuries his at receiver.
He didn’t have a target in the game before those two important grabs in the final moments of the game.
“Davis told me on Thursday that he had a dream that I scored on a post (route), and I scored on a post (laughs). Davis is never wrong,” Ferdinand said after the game.
“I’m locked in the whole time. Even when I’m not catching balls, I’m trying to block or trying to get someone else open with the route I’m running. My mindset is just that the ball can come my way at any time…Last drive is just another opportunity to get the ball and another opportunity to keep playing.”
Kaseem Ferdinand (CFL.ca)
Ferdinand’s first career score gave the Alouettes a six-point lead with just over one minute to go.
The Stamps got the ball back and were driving the field. They appeared to convert a third-and-10 when Vernon Adams Jr. completed a pass to Erik Brooks, but rookie corner Faion Hicks knocked the ball out of Brooks’ hand and Najee Murray recovered.
Hicks is also a great story.
He was out of football last year before signing with the Alouettes in 2026. He was cut after training camp but returned after injuries to Kabion Ento and Lorenzo Burns. Has been in the starting lineup in two of the last three games. He got the start on Saturday because Don Callis was placed on the six-game injured list before the game.
“We just kept fighting and doing our job,” Hicks said of the ending. “We knew that something was going to happen. The opportunity presented itself and the play was made.”
There’s a lesson in Hicks and Ferdinand’s stories. The CFL is long, and even if you aren’t with the team at training camp or at the start of the season, it doesn’t mean you can’t contribute.
The Alouettes have done an unbelievable job of building depth at every position, and it continues to pay dividends every week.
The scariest part about this team is that they appear to have another step or two they can take in 2026, but they have a 5-1-0 record.
What’s next?
The Alouettes will now return home on Sunday night when they host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Percival Molson Stadium. You can purchase your tickets by clicking here.
