HAMILTON — McLeod Bethel-Thompson will lead the Montreal Alouettes’ offence for the first time Friday against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The two-time Grey Cup champion quarterback replaces starter Davis Alexander, who injured his hamstring in last week's 38-28 win over the Edmonton Elks.
Bethel-Thompson said earlier this week he’s adapting to the Alouettes' style of play and learning new things each practice.
Head coach Jason Maas expects the veteran QB to have little trouble filling the void when he hits the gridiron at Hamilton Stadium.
“He's done a tremendous job and I know he'll be prepared and ready to play,” Maas told reporters Wednesday in Montreal, a day before the Alouettes confirmed their starter. “And then he's just got to go out and be himself.
“That's all we ask of our guys. No one has to be a Superman on this team. Just do your job, do the best of your capabilities. We'll all have each other's backs.”
Alexander, 26, threw for three touchdowns and 254 yards on 20-of-24 completions before exiting against Edmonton.
Bethel-Thompson, who joined Montreal from Edmonton in a veteran quarterback swap with Cody Fajardo, stepped in and went 6-for-8 for 77 yards as Montreal (3-0) remained undefeated to begin the season.
The 36-year-old Bethel-Thompson, a two-time All-East Division player, has 93 regular-season games of CFL experience under his belt — including 17,086 passing yards and 94 touchdowns.
"He looks how we expect him to look as a veteran who's operated our offence for basically a month and a half now,” Maas said. “He's been in it, he understands it. It's getting back in the swing of things.”
Wide receiver Austin Mack (hamstring) and defensive tackle Dylan Wynn (foot) will also miss Friday’s game.
Bethel-Thompson said Wednesday the Alouettes need to have a “next man up” mentality.
“If you don't have a deep roster, you don't have a chance in the CFL,” he said. “Someone's going to go down at some point each week. We feel like we have a deep roster. We feel like we can have guys that can step up and that's the challenge this week.”
Hamilton (0-2) is coming off a bye after losses to the Calgary Stampeders and Saskatchewan Roughriders to open the season.
Alexander may be out, but Ticats head coach Scott Milanovich thinks the Alouettes are still “in good shape” with Bethel-Thompson behind centre.
“One of the better backups in the league for sure,” Milanovich told reporters Thursday. "Veteran drawback passer. Led his team to a Grey Cup. Gets hot. Can really light it up when he's feeling good.”
As for the Ticats lineup, running back Treshaun Ward was promoted from the practice roster and Canadian linebacker Devin Veresuk moved up to a starting role for Friday’s matchup.
Veresuk, a 23-year-old from Windsor, Ont., was drafted second overall in the 2025 CFL draft.
"He's got a great future,” Milanovich said. “Is he going to make some mistakes? Absolutely. But he's also going to make some plays and we'll live with a few mistakes as he's kind of rounding out his game and really getting to understand.
“Looking forward to seeing him get out there.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published June 26, 2025.
The Canadian Press
