Quarterback Davis Alexander is set to return from an eight-game absence on Friday when the Montreal Alouettes host the Calgary Stampeders.
Alexander has been sidelined by a hamstring injury he initially sustained in the second half of a 38-28 win at Edmonton on June 19. He returned just under one month later but aggravated the injury while scoring the winning touchdown in a 26-25 victory over Toronto.
Alexander will put his 8-0 record as a starter on the line Friday as the Alouettes (7-7) vie for their third straight win.
“It’s fun to be back out here. I love playing football,” Alexander said, per the Montreal Gazette. “It has been tough, but honestly, every single day, everyone in the organization kept me going. I saw the way those guys played every single game and practiced.
“There were some tough circumstances,” he continued. “I think at one point, nine or 10 starters were out, but they continued to battle. It inspired me. I did my part, and the medical staff was incredible to help guide me through and keep me motivated.”
Alexander was sidelined due to injury when his replacement, McLeod Bethel-Thompson, completed 30 of 40 passes for 280 yards and a touchdown in Montreal’s 23-21 victory in Calgary on July 24.
The opposing quarterback, Vernon Adams Jr., was limited to just 193 passing yards before exiting that game with an injury for the Stampeders (8-5), who have dropped two in a row.
Adams has been confirmed to start Friday’s game after injuring his back in Calgary’s 52-23 shellacking by the B.C. Lions last week.
“The key for me and as a team is you gotta learn from it, though there’s gotta be a reason,” Stampeders general manager/head coach Dave Dickenson said of his team’s loss to B.C. “There’s gotta be some things that we’re taking for granted. You didn’t put the time in or I didn’t have them prepared — that’s the bottom line.”
Calgary’s celebrated defense took it on the chin last week from Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke.
The Stampeders’ defense is averaging a CFL-low 22.8 points per game and league second-best 258.2 passing yards per contest.
Montreal is 4-0-1 in the last five meetings with Calgary.
–Field Level Media
