Perfect as starter, Davis Alexander leads Als vs. Riders in Grey Cup

Montreal Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander is unbeaten as a CFL starter heading into Sunday night's 112th Grey Cup battle with the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Winnipeg.

Alexander is 13-0, a streak that officially began the week after he came off the bench to beat the Roughriders in Week 8 of last season.

Both teams are making their 20th Grey Cup appearance, with Montreal looking for its ninth title and second in three years and Saskatchewan seeking its fifth title and first since 2013.

The teams split their meetings during the regular season, with each winning on the road. Saskatchewan won 34-6 in Montreal on Aug. 2, and Montreal won 48-31 in Regina on Sept. 13.

Alexander missed both of those meetings against the Roughriders due to injuries but is 9-0 this season (including 2-0 in the playoffs) following his 4-0 run in 2024.

The last time Alexander faced Saskatchewan on July 25, 2024, he rallied the Alouettes with 17 unanswered points in the second half for a 20-16 win. He completed 15 of 18 passes for 178 yards and two touchdowns.

"Even with the success, he doesn't stop working and stop trying to be better and stop trying to be prepared for his team," Montreal coach Jason Maas told the Regina Leader-Post on Wednesday. "He is a great guy with preparation, and so those are the things I saw from him. But yeah, he needed an opportunity. He absolutely made the most of it and he still is."

Roughriders quarterback Trevor Harris also knows all about the value of opportunity. He has won two Grey Cups as a backup -- with the Toronto Argonauts in 2012 and the Ottawa Redblacks in 2016 -- and was the starting QB in Ottawa's 2018 Grey Cup loss to the Calgary Stampeders.

As a two-time All-Star and two-time CFL passing touchdowns leader, the 39-year-old Harris said he doesn't feel any pressure to cement his league legacy by winning the championship as a starter.

"I kind of just go with the moment, play football, do what I'm supposed to do. I don't feel like I've ever had a moment that's gotten too big for me," Harris told the media on Monday. "Pressure's what you put in tires, I guess. I kind of just go out there and play ball."

--Field Level Media