The Montreal Alouettes are back to being McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s show following a three-week absence.
The 37-year-old quarterback will make his sixth start of the season on Saturday in Regina after his early removal from the six-game injured list. He has posted a 1-4 record and completed 65.4 percent of his passes for 957 yards, four touchdowns, and five interceptions.
The native of San Francisco, Calif., joined the Alouettes this offseason after being acquired via trade from the Edmonton Elks. The seven-year veteran has thrown for 17,966 yards, 98 touchdowns, and 65 interceptions over 99 career regular-season CFL games as a member of the Toronto Argonauts, Elks, and Alouettes.
Franchise quarterback Davis Alexander has missed the team’s last six games due to a hamstring injury, while third-stringer Caleb Evans suffered a torn ACL in his lone start. James Morgan, the team’s fourth-string passer, started the team’s two most recent games and threw for 336 yards, one touchdown, and three interceptions. He’ll now back up Bethel-Thompson alongside Shea Patterson, while fellow QB Cameron Dukes has been demoted to the practice roster.
Among the other roster changes, the Alouettes have placed receiver Cole Spieker, defensive end Shawn Lemon, and defensive tackle Shawn Oakman on the one-game injured list, despite none of the three being limited in practice. Canadian receivers Hakeem Harris and Kaseem Ferdinand step in on offence, while Kori Roberson will dress as depth behind Mustafa Johnson and Dylan Wynn along the defensive interior.
The most impactful return to the lineup is centre Justin Lawrence, who makes fellow Canadian offensive lineman Cyrille Hogan-Saindon a healthy scratch. However, Canadian running back Sean Thomas-Erlington (neck) has been placed on the six-game injured list and backup Canadian safety Arthur Hamlin (calf) has been ruled out for the week. American ball carrier Stevie Scott III and defensive back Robert Kennedy III will dress in backup roles.
The Montreal Alouettes (5-7) will visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-2) on Saturday, September 13 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Alouettes lost 26-9 at home to the Tiger-Cats last week, while the Roughriders beat the Blue Bombers in the Banjo Bowl by a score of 21-13.
The weather forecast in Regina calls for a high of 19 degrees with rain and a chance of thunderstorms. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on TSN 690 in Montreal and 620 CKRM in Regina.
Graphic courtesy: Montreal Alouettes
