MONTREAL — Davis Alexander is in the history books.
The Montreal Alouettes quarterback threw for one touchdown pass and 350 yards in a 38-20 win over the Calgary Stampeders on Friday, setting a CFL record with nine straight wins as a starter to begin his career.
Alexander completed 26 of 36 pass attempts in his return from missing eight games with a hamstring injury.
Short-yardage QB Shea Patterson ran for three touchdowns while Charleston Rambo hauled down a TD catch for Montreal (8-7), which increased its winning streak to three in front of an announced 22,070 at Molson Stadium.
Stampeders receiver Jalen Philpot — facing off against twin brother Tyson Philpot of the Alouettes — caught one TD and quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. rushed for another as Calgary (8-6) lost its third straight.
Adams went 19 of 29 passing for 238 yards — exceeding 3,000 in a season for the third time — with one touchdown throw and one interception. He also rushed for 37 yards on three carries after starting despite the back injury suffered in last week’s loss to B.C.
Montreal kicker Jose Maltos Diaz went 3 for 5 on field goals. Calgary’s Rene Paredes was 2 for 2.
The 26-year-old Alexander previously matched Danny McManus’s 8-0 mark against Toronto on July 17, when he re-aggravated his hamstring on a game-winning TD run.
McManus accomplished the feat from 1991 to 1993, winning his first six starts with Winnipeg and his next two for B.C.
Alexander’s run began last year, when he won four starts while replacing Cody Fajardo after beginning the season as a third-string QB.
The Alouettes then handed Alexander the keys to the offence over the off-season, signing him to an extension and trading ‘23 Grey Cup MVP Fajardo to Edmonton.
And Alexander kept winning — when healthy.
Montreal has gone 3-7 without him this season, a record that looked far worse before back-to-back wins against Saskatchewan and Toronto with backup McLeod Bethel-Thompson.
On Friday, Montreal opened with a rouge and a field goal, with Alexander throwing some passes long.
Jalen Philpot caught the game’s first touchdown with 1:47 remaining in the first quarter. Adams found him open in the end zone on a 14-yard throw, and Calgary took a 7-4 lead.
Alexander, finding a rhythm, then put the Alouettes up 11-7 at 12:52 in the second quarter after unleashing a pinpoint 42-yard TD throw to Rambo, electrifying the crowd.
Patterson added to the lead with a four-yard rush up the middle, making it 18-7 with 7:25 left in the half. Cole Spieker bulldozed his way to a 46-yard catch-and-run to set up the score.
Adams got one back with 42 seconds left in the half, rushing for a 21-yard TD to complete a seven-play, 86-yard march. Montreal then missed a field goal as time ran out, but still led 18-14 after two quarters.
Patterson punched through on a one-yard gain for his second QB sneak touchdown at 8:45 in the third quarter, giving Montreal a 25-14 lead. Earlier in the drive, Alexander fumbled a snap but recovered to find Tyson Philpot on a 28-yard pass.
After Calgary took possession, Montreal linebacker Tyrice Beverette picked off Adams and returned the ball to the Calgary 30.
A Stampeders pass interference penalty then pushed Montreal to the goal line, and Patterson rushed in for another score and a 32-14 Alouettes lead.
In the fourth quarter, Adams made up for a poor snap by dodging multiple defenders in his end zone and finding Tevin Jones on a 29-yard pass for a spectacular play. The Stampeders later settled for another field goal, making it 32-20.
Trailing 38-20, Calgary’s Quincy Vaughn fumbled before goal the goal line and Alouettes safety Marc-Antoine Dequoy recovered.
UP NEXT
Alouettes: Host the Ottawa Redblacks on Oct. 13 after a bye week.
Stampeders: Visit the B.C. Lions on Oct. 4.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 26, 2025.
Daniel Rainbird, The Canadian Press
