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Montreal Alouettes\u2019 Najee Murray (12) chases down Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Tre Ford (5) during second half CFL football action in Montreal, on Sunday, July 26, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Graham Hughes<\/p>\nThe Montreal\u00a0Alouettes\u00a0extended their CFL winning streak to four games with a 31-18 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Sunday, but head coach Jason Maas wasn\u2019t entirely satisfied with his squad\u2019s performance.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe had too many negative plays tonight,\u201d said Maas. \u201cWe needed to hang on to the ball better. If we do, maybe it\u2019s a different score there at the end. But, at the end of the day, a win is a win. I loved the fight from all the guys.\u201d<\/p>\n
Montreal (6-1) trailed 18-17 with less than three minutes remaining before pulling away. Jose Maltos Diaz converted two field goals and added a single, before running back Travis Theis sealed the win with an eight-yard touchdown run with just 24 seconds left.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s a great football team (Tiger-Cats) over there,\u201d said\u00a0Alouettes\u00a0quarterback Davis Alexander. \u201cWe knew it was going to be tough.\u201d<\/p>\n
Alexander completed 21 of 29 passes for 187 yards, marking the first time this season he failed to eclipse 300 passing yards. The 27-year-old also threw his first interception of the year, ending a CFL-record streak of 356 regular-season pass attempts without a pick.<\/p>\n
With the passing game held in check, Montreal leaned on Theis, who rushed for 156 yards and a touchdown for his second straight 100-yard performance.<\/p>\n
Montreal Alouettes\u2019 Najee Murray (12) chases down Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Tre Ford (5) during second half CFL football action in Montreal, on Sunday, July 26, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Graham Hughes<\/p>\n
Both the\u00a0Alouettes\u00a0pivot and head coach were proud of the running back\u2019s play of late.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe\u2019s a stud,\u201d said Alexander. \u201cHe comes ready to work every single day. He wants the football in his hands, which is super important. He doesn\u2019t go down on first contact and he just keeps battling. He fits the mould of this team perfectly.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was great at just breaking through things and creating an extra explosion here and there,\u201d added Maas. \u201cHe\u2019s been doing that for us all year and the last two games, he\u2019s just been spectacular.\u201d<\/p>\n
Short-yardage quarterback Terry Wilson scored twice from the one-yard line in his\u00a0Alouettes\u00a0debut after signing with the club on July 6 following two seasons spent with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.<\/p>\n
Fellow newcomer DeVonte Dedmon also made an immediate impact, totalling 100 kick-return yards in his first game with Montreal, much to Alexander\u2019s delight.<\/p>\n
\u201cHe was very eager,\u201d said Alexander. \u201cHe has talked about how much he loves the culture here and how he\u2019s just super thankful to be here. We love him and are just super proud of him.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamilton quarterback Tre Ford completed 15 of 23 passes for 164 yards and a touchdown while throwing one interception. He was sacked three times in his second straight start for the injured Bo Levi Mitchell.<\/p>\n
\u201cI thought we played well defensively for three quarters,\u201d said Tiger-Cats head coach Scott Milanovich. \u201cWe\u2019ve got to play better offensively. It\u2019s my responsibility. We didn\u2019t run the ball well. We didn\u2019t protect well. We didn\u2019t throw it well.\u201d<\/p>\n
Montreal opened the scoring with a 17-yard Maltos Diaz field goal after Dedmon\u2019s 33-yard kickoff return and consecutive 20-plus-yard runs by Theis set up the drive.<\/p>\n
Hamilton (3-4) answered immediately on special teams, as Isaiah Wooden Sr. returned a Joseph Zema punt 100 yards for his first touchdown of the season. It was the first punt-return touchdown allowed by Montreal since Aug. 4, 2022.<\/p>\n
The\u00a0Alouettes\u00a0regained the lead early in the second quarter on an 11-play drive capped by Wilson\u2019s one-yard touchdown run.<\/p>\n
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Montreal Alouettes\u2019 Jose Maltos Diaz kicks a field goal during second half CFL football action against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, in Montreal, on Sunday, July 26, 2026. THE CANADIAN PRESS\/Graham Hughes<\/p>\n
Ford put Hamilton back in front to open the second half, connecting with Kenny Lawler on a 33-yard touchdown pass.<\/p>\n
The momentum quickly swung back in Montreal\u2019s favour after Hamilton was flagged for back-to-back penalties totalling 31 yards, including a 21-yard roughing penalty that resulted in linebacker Wynton McManis\u2019 ejection. Wilson capitalized moments later with his second one-yard touchdown.<\/p>\n
McManis\u2019 ejection opened up opportunities for others on the Hamilton defence to take charge.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhenever you lose somebody like Wynn, he\u2019s the vocal guy, the energy guy,\u201d said Hamilton linebacker Jordan Crook. \u201cHe makes it go for us on defence. With him going down, I just kind of looked at it as an opportunity to go out there and be able to use my voice a little more.\u201d<\/p>\n
Maas sympathized with the loss of Hamilton\u2019s defensive leader.<\/p>\n
\u201cI don\u2019t like to see anybody in our league kicked out, particularly a player of his stature and what he means to their team,\u201d said Maas. \u201cRules are rules and, obviously, they ruled on that and you just got to live with that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made his lone field goal attempt from 46 yards late in the third quarter before Montreal\u2019s 14 unanswered points in the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n
The victory moved the\u00a0Alouettes\u00a0six points clear of both Hamilton and Toronto atop the East Division while also securing the season series and tiebreaker over the Tiger-Cats.<\/p>\n
UP NEXT<\/p>\n
Tiger-Cats: Host the Calgary Stampeders (3-4) on Saturday.<\/p>\n
Alouettes: Visit the Ottawa Redblacks (0-6) on Friday.<\/p>\n
\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n
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