Maltos Diaz sends Alouettes to Grey Cup with game-winning kick over Ticats

There's no way Davis Alexander is going to miss the Grey Cup.

Jose Maltos Diaz's 45-yard field goal on the game's final play gave Montreal an exciting 19-16 East Division final win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Saturday. Alouettes starter Davis Alexander improved to 13-0 (11-0 in regular season, 2-0 in playoffs) as a CFL starter.

But Alexander tweaked his left hamstring in the second half. As Hamilton drove toward Marc Liegghio's 23-yard field goal that tied the game 13-13 at 13:13 of the fourth, Alexander rode a stationary bike on the sideline and rubbed his leg.

Alexander didn't run during Montreal's seven-play, 36-yard final drive. Twice this season he missed time with the hamstring injury, limiting him to just seven regular-season games in his first campaign as the Alouettes starter.

"I told Maas [Als head coach Jason Maas] right away that I might've tweaked it a little bit," Alexander said. "I think he said he was going to get McLeod [backup McLeod Bethel-Thompson] ready and I just said, 'There's no way that you're taking me out of the game,' and that was that conversation.

"There is no way I'm not playing [in Grey Cup]. It's unreal, it's an unbelievable feeling but there's one more job to be done."

Montreal will meet Saskatchewan in the Grey Cup on Nov. 16 in Winnipeg after the Roughriders defeated the B.C. Lions 24-21 in the West semifinal. The Alouettes will chase a second league title after winning it all in 2023.

When Alexander emphatically said he was remaining in the game, Maas challenged his young starter.

"I said, 'Alright, then be smarter out there,"' Maas said. "The other thing I told Davis was to trust, trust everybody and don't do it yourself be smart about things and I think he did that."

Alexander completed 19-of-26 passes for 210 yards with a TD and interception while running seven times for a team-high 64 yards. More importantly, Alexander has an opportunity to continue his magical run by winning a championship in his first season as Montreal's starter.

Alexander's 11-0 regular-season record is the best start to a career in CFL history, something he says he could see happening.

"I can because I know how hard I work, how hard I want this," he said. "When a team gives you the keys and shows that confidence, you better do everything in your power to make sure that you're not going to let them down.

"I can believe it because I care more about football probably more than anything in this world besides my family and they know that because they're the same way. It's special, but I think it would make it even more special if we got one more."

Montreal's win was its first this season against Hamilton, which had won both regular-season contests with Alexander sidelined. After finishing atop the East Division with an 11-7 record — just ahead of the Alouettes (10-8) — the Ticats hosted their first East Division final since 2019.