Lions put winning streak on the line vs. CFL-best Alouettes

The BC Lions have overcome a shaky start and look to notch their sixth consecutive victory when they visit the Montreal Alouettes on Friday night.

It marks the first of two straight matchups between BC (6-5) and Montreal (9-2). The return engagement is Sept. 12 in Vancouver.

The East Division-leading Alouettes were even hotter than the Lions with seven straight victories before falling 44-28 to the host Winnipeg Blue Bombers last Friday.

Lions coach Buck Pierce expects to run into a feisty crew of Alouettes.

“They are who they are for a lot of reasons,” Pierce said. “They are a physical group that is very well-coached. They execute at an extremely high level.

“It’s two good football teams. The atmosphere at Montreal is always great.”

BC faced a short week after rolling to a 45-24 victory over the host Ottawa Redblacks on Sunday.

Star quarterback Nathan Rourke passed for 355 yards and two touchdowns while completing 88% percent of his throws (22 of 25), but Zander Horvath stole the show for the Lions.

Horvath joined Larry Key (1981) and Sean Millington (2002) as the only players in BC history to rush for four touchdowns. He rushed for 164 yards on 24 carries while also tying the franchise single-game mark for touchdowns.

“Our coach says it always comes down to grit and who wants it more,” Horvath said. “At that game, we wanted it more.”

Horvath leads the CFL with 16 total touchdowns (13 rushing, three receiving). He’s seven behind the league record set by Winnipeg’s Milt Stegall in 2002.

Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander is enjoying his own outstanding season. He leads the CFL with 3,657 passing yards, is tied for the touchdown lead of 24 with Toronto Argonauts star Chad Kelly and has thrown just two interceptions in 357 attempts.

Alexander has completed 72.5% of his passes and topped 400 yards three times.

There is speculation the 27-year-old Alexander, who went undrafted after playing at Portland State from 2017-21, could be of interest to some NFL teams.

“I’m content and happy to be here,” Alexander said, according to the Montreal Gazette. “The people in Montreal have been amazing to me and my family. I don’t have any intention of leaving and have a lot more on my mind than the NFL. We know what our end goal is.”

Alexander matched his career high of four touchdowns during the loss to the Blue Bombers. His accuracy has been so good all season, his 64.5% completion rate was his worst of the season.

Montreal wideouts Tyson Philpot and Tyler Snead are having dynamic campaigns. Philpot leads the CFL in receptions (90), receiving yardage (1,316) and touchdown receptions (10) while Snead ranks second in yardage (1,089) and scoring catches (nine) and third in catches (64).

–Field Level Media