The numbers don’t lie. And if Tyson Philpot remains healthy, he could obliterate numerous CFL records.
Through five games, the with 45 catches for 719 yards. He also has four touchdowns and 240 more yards than Saskatchewan’s KeeSean Johnson, who sits second in the CFL.
In , Philpot caught nine passes for 132 yards and had a TD on a halfback option from receiver Tyler Snead. The performance marked Philpot’s fourth consecutive 100-yard game. And he has come close to reaching 200 yards twice — against Toronto (193 yards) and Ottawa (198).
“The team has trust in me,” Philpot said. “Davis (Alexander) has trust in me. A.C. (offensive coordinator Anthony Calvillo) has trust in me. When I hear my number called, all I think about is making a play for these guys. As long as I keep doing that, I’ll continue having my number called.
“It’s in my DNA,” he continued. “I’ve done this since I was a young kid. In my mind, the guy across from me can’t guard me. That’s how I attack it.”
Philpot’s blistering early-season statistics put him on pace for an astronomical 2,641 receiving yards. Calgary’s Allen Pitts established the CFL record in 1994, with 2,036 yards. Philpot is also on track to surpass the record 160 receptions Derrell Mitchell had for Toronto in 1998.
Pitts and Mitchell played as imports, while Philpot is Canadian.
Calgary’s Terry Evanshen — who also played for Montreal — had 1,662 yards in 1967, while Ottawa’s Brad Sinopoli had 116 catches in 2016 to set the marks by Canadians. Those records could fall as well.
Alouettes’ Tyson Philpot celebrates a catch during first half against the Toronto Argonauts in Montreal on June 12. Evan Buhler / Montreal Gazette
“I see what the media posts, of course, but that’s not something I’m looking at,” said Philpot, who was selected ninth overall by the Als in 2022. “I’m looking to go 1-0 every week.”
Philpot’s early-season heroics have attracted the attention of Milt Stegall, one of the CFL’s all-time leading receivers who is a TSN studio analyst.
“His body of work has been amazing,” Stegall said. “Tyson Philpot is in that zone. He’s that man. He’s making it happen. You can’t stop him. You can’t slow him down. There’s nothing you can do. His only nemesis is injury. If he stays healthy, he’ll break records like no other. He’ll have a historical season.”
Philpot’s role has taken on added significance this season, given injuries to other receivers. The Als have been without (ankle) since the opening game and are missing (hand), while Alexander Hollins sustained an injury against the Stampeders and might not be available for Saturday’s rematch at McMahon Stadium.
Spieker has been practising and could be removed early from the six-game injured list.
While the Als are tied with Saskatchewan and Edmonton for the CFL’s best record, they have a relatively modest plus-16 point differential. Montreal has allowed an average of 30.8 points, and its games have been too close for comfort.
The Als’ largest margin of victory was seven points, twice, and they’ve seemed incapable of padding leads and putting teams away.
Montreal held a 24-10 lead over Calgary in the second quarter and carried a 34-20 advantage into the final period, when it was outscored 10-3. Despite leading 37-23 more than eight minutes into the quarter after a Jose Maltos-Diaz field goal, the game again came down to the wire.
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The visitors drove to the Montreal 15 with 25 seconds left in regulation time, but were denied on third down after defensive-end David Perales, playing his first CFL game, knocked down a pass.
“When we look at the film … we won’t be happy,” Philpot said after the game. “It’s not the win we wanted. A win is a win, but when you’re up 14 or 17 points, you’ve got to put the team away.”
If it’s any consolation to the Als, it appears to be an early league-wide trend. Of 22 games played throughout the CFL, the average margin of victory is 9.3 points. Seven games, nearly one-third, have been decided by one to four points.
“I thought we got things clocking early (against Calgary) and we were pretty consistent,” quarterback Alexander said. “We’ve just got to keep the foot on the gas a little bit more. We had a couple of tough breaks at the end of the fourth quarter. That’s the most two-and-outs we’ve had in a game this year.”
hzurkowsky@postmedia.com