Bethel-Thompson, Philpot lead Alouettes to 48-31 win over Riders, snap five-game skid

REGINA — McLeod Bethel-Thompson returned to the lineup with a vengeance Saturday, throwing for 369 yards and two touchdowns as the Montreal Alouettes snapped a five-game losing streak with a 48-31 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Bethel-Thompson, who joined the Als in an off-season trade from the Edmonton Elks, spent the previous four weeks on the sideline with an injured elbow. His work at practice this week convinced Montreal head coach Jason Maas to insert the 37-year-old veteran in the starting lineup despite his lack of recent game action.

Bethel-Thompson responded with the performance that Maas was expecting.

“He had a hell of a game. He did. And honestly, what we saw in practice was exactly what we saw in the game,” Maas said. “He was calm, he was decisive in practice, and it was kind of like what I’ve seen before with veteran quarterbacks that go to new teams.

“There’s a learning period, there’s an adjustment period, and sometimes it doesn’t go all your way.”

The Alouettes dominated the first half, outscoring the Riders 28-10 while rolling up 324 yards of net offence.

Montreal attacked Saskatchewan cornerbacks Kerfalla-Emmanuel Exume and Benny Sapp III, who were replacing injured starters Marcus Sayles and Tevaughn Campbell. Exume, who entered the contest with 88 CFL games played, was making his first start and had his hands full covering Philpot.

Philpot had touchdown catches of 59 and 16 yards, along with a 39-yard reception, with Exume in coverage in the opening 30 minutes. Exume’s struggles continued in the fourth quarter when he was beat by Philpot for a 77-yard reception that led to another Montreal touchdown.

While it appeared Montreal was targeting Exume, Bethel-Thompson said that wasn’t the case.

“We’re targeting our good receivers,” said Bethel-Thompson, who completed 21 of his 27 passes. “They’re good players. Everyone gets paid to play, and we’re targeting our receivers more than somebody. Obviously, their coverage rotates one way or the other. It wasn’t about one person, it’s about the whole team.”

Philpot’s big plays were more than the Riders could handle as the Canadian wide receiver finished with 238 yards on nine catches.

“There were too many explosive plays given up on defence. We talked about it early in the game too, after the first one. We’ve got to limit the explosions. If not, it always gets bad for us, and we weren’t able to do it,” said Saskatchewan defensive back Rolan Milligan.

“(Philpot) didn’t do anything crazy, he just ran his routes, and we weren’t covering well, weren’t in the right spots, and he was just making plays.”

The Alouettes finished with 530 yards of net offence with running back Stevie Scott III providing balance to the attack with 125 yards rushing on 19 carries. It wasn’t a bad night for someone who started the game as a backup.

“Our starter (Travis Theis) went down the first play (with an injury), and Stevie had to go in there and take every carry and he did a tremendous job,” Maas said. “He’s another guy that’s fought back this year. He’s in the lineup, out of the lineup for us, but kept working and was ready tonight for us, and stepped up big.”

The Als, who started the season 5-2, improved to 6-7 with the victory and are hoping to use the win as a starting point for a late season run to the playoffs.

“We’re a team to be reckoned with, right? CFL football gets fun when you start getting into September, October and into November,” Bethel-Thompson said. “So, we’re just chopping wood.

“We knew that that wasn’t who we were, showing up the way did, and we just got to keep getting better. There are things to get better at, and that’s what it’s all about — who can be at their best at the end the season.”

In addition to Philpot’s two touchdowns, quarterback Shea Patterson scored a couple of majors on one-yard sneaks. Patterson spent the previous two seasons with the Riders.

Montreal offensive lineman Donald Ventrelli also got on the scoresheet, recovering an Austin Mack goal-line fumble for a touchdown late in the fourth quarter.

Despite the defeat, the Riders (10-3) clinched a post-season berth thanks to Edmonton’s loss earlier Saturday to Toronto and Winnipeg falling to Hamilton on Friday.

KeeSean Johnson, on a 38-yard reception from Trevor Harris, Dohnte Meyers, on a 47-yard pass from Jake Maier, Tommy Stevens, on a one-yard run, and A.J. Ouellette, on a one-yard run, scored touchdowns for the Riders.

Harris finished 23-of-32 passing for 251 yards with one touchdown and one interception. The touchdown throw was the 200th of Harris’s CFL career.

Montreal kicker Jose Maltos connected on four field goals and one single. Saskatchewan’s Brett Lauther had one field goal.

UP NEXT

Montreal: Travels to Toronto to play the Argos on Friday.

Saskatchewan: Heads into a bye week before returning to action on Sept. 27 against the Elks in Edmonton.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 13, 2025.