The Montreal Alouettes spoiled the regular season opener for the Toronto Argonauts and their new head coach, securing a 37-30 victory on Friday night.
Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander threw for 441 yards and two touchdowns, connecting with receiver Tyson Philpot nine times for 193 yards.
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Jerreth Sterns added 114 receiving yards for the Alouettes.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly completed 28 of 46 passes for 445 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
The interception was caught by Montreal defensive back Bubba Bolden, who returned from a leg injury.
Argonauts head coach Mike Miller made his career debut and successfully challenged a fumble recovery, but Toronto fell short due to special teams mistakes and coverage errors.
A late fourth-quarter punt by Toronto's John Haggerty was blocked by Micah Awe and recovered by Arthur Hamlin in the end zone, securing the victory for Montreal.
Argonauts receiver Kevin Mital, who signed a contract extension through 2027 before the game, led Toronto with seven catches for 109 yards and a touchdown.
Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu missed two field goal attempts.
Veteran linebacker Adarius Pickett praised the team's poise and execution.
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"We pretty much pushed the game to the fourth quarter, and us finishing in the fourth quarter, we did that," Pickett said.
Pickett noted the competitive nature of the matchup. "We were up for a good portion of the game.
It was a fight against a good football team, and they happened to make a play towards the end of the game," he added.
Miller acknowledged the challenge of containing Philpot.
"Philpot is a special receiver, and those guys are going to get their place; you've got to do your best to minimize them," Miller said.
Miller also discussed using cover zero against Montreal's passing attack.
"I think you have to press him," he said, emphasizing the need to stay aggressive and dictate the game's tempo.
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"We had this game right down to the wire, but we'll get a chance to make those corrections and move forward," Miller added.
