The Montreal Alouettes are firing on all cylinders, and carry a 25-6 lead into half time of the East Division Semi-Final against the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
Davis Alexander has 246 passing yards with a touchdown as well as a rushing major, as the Alouettes offence has been unstoppable. Tyson Philpot has a pair of touchdowns for the host Als – one receiving and one rushing – and has 89 yards from scrimmage.
Montreal is also winning the turnover battle 1-0 after recovering a Zach Collaros fumble.
The Blue Bombers have come out flat and appear to be a long shot to snap the ‘crossover curse’ – in which none of the previous 12 teams to qualify for the playoffs as a crossover have ever advanced to the Grey Cup.
Collaros has completed 10-of-12 passes for 112 yards, and Brady Oliveira has four carries for 15 yards as the Blue Bombers have struggled to mount any momentum on offence.
Alexander set up the third touchdown of the game for Montreal with yet another deep pass, hitting Austin Mack over the middle for a 37-yard completion before the quarterback ran it in himself for the major, increasing Montreal’s lead to 24-3.
Winnipeg got on the board with a Sergio Castillo field goal early in the second quarter.
Before the end of the first quarter, Montreal had established firm control of the action. With 30 seconds remaining in the opening frame, the Alouettes had run 17 plays versus just seven for the Blue Bombers, and the Alouettes held a 17-0 lead after just one quarter.
The Alouettes got their second touchdown on an impressive throw from Alexander, who hit Philpot deep down the middle for a 45-yard touchdown.
Winnipeg’s first possession of the game resulted in a quick two-and-out and a punt, and the Alouettes took control on their ensuing drive, a long 89-yard march that was capped off by a Philpot rushing touchdown that increased the lead to two scores for Montreal.
Alexander got the game started on the right foot for the Alouettes, leading the host team down the field on a drive that ended with a Jose Carlos Maltos field goal to open the scoring at 3-0.
The highlight of the drive was a 41-yard strike down the right sideline on a perfect throw to Charleston Rambo.
The Alouettes are undefeated with Alexander at quarterback this season, while the Blue Bombers will need a huge effort in the second half to snap the crossover curse.