Winning this second preseason game in Ottawa was always going to be a tough task for the Alouettes, who left most of their veterans at home in Montreal on Friday night. Yes, the final score was lopsided at 27-3 in favour of the Redblacks, but there were some positives.
The Redblacks didn’t generate a first down with starter Jake Maier at quarterback. In fact, their first first down came with just over nine minutes remaining in the second quarter.
That’s impressive on its own, but it stands out even more when you consider that Ottawa dressed most of their regulars.
“At the beginning of the game, we were dominating on first down,” safety Jonathan Sutherland said. “We just didn’t come up with enough turnovers on defence. Looking at everything from a bird’s-eye view, we’ve just played our second game, and a lot of guys — myself included — were making their first CFL starts. It was good to get that experience under our belt.”
The Als only scored one touchdown over two exhibition games, but one major positive from those outings was the way they were able to run the ball.
Give running back Shomari Lawrence credit. He finished the game with 71 yards on 18 carries, and it looks like he has a bright future ahead of him. He runs hard, fast and he showed that he can block for his quarterback, which is something head coach Jason Maas considers to be the most important attribute for a tailback in his offence.
“He’s a really good player,” offensive lineman Cyrille Hogan-Saindon said of Lawrence after the game. “He hits the holes with a lot of speed and with good intentions. He’s a player who deserves to have a spot in our organization. He showed that he knew what he was going with his assignments – when we ran the ball and when we passed.”
With Stevie Scott III and Travis Theis already penciled into the Als backfield, Lawrence may have to start on the practice squad, but that isn’t uncommon for talented players. Just look at Scott III’s journey to being an important part of the squad. He was on the practice squad for more than a year before getting an opportunity to start. That’s the reality for American skill position players in the CFL sometimes.
There are a few interesting decisions to be made. All nine teams are going to be making their final roster cuts this weekend. Most of the spots available on the Alouettes’ roster will come in the form of a practice squad opportunity, but as we’ve seen in previous years, most of those guys eventually get an opportunity to play.
So, for example, even though the five starting receivers appear to be set already, there’s a good chance that a practice squad player gets in the lineup at some point due to injury.
The receivers that stood out tonight were Zakhari Franklin (nine receptions, 68 yards), DeMeer Blankumsee (four receptions, 44 yards) and Austin Watkins Jr. (three receptions, 37 yards).
Assuming Tyson Philpot, Tyler Snead, Cole Spieker, Jerreth Sterns and Alexander Hollins have locked up the starting spots (and their backups will likely be Canadian), how many more Americans can be kept on PR?
It will likely depend on how many players they want to keep at other positions. Do they want an extra offensive lineman? Do they feel the need to roster one more defensive tackle? There isn’t room for everyone, but it’ll be fascinating to see how many guys at similar positions – like receiver – will be kept.
Those decisions will be made as soon as Saturday.
After they’ve picked their team for 2026, the Als will put their focus on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who they’ll play at Hamilton Stadium next Thursday night. Maas’ squad will play their home opener on June 12th against the Toronto Argonauts.
