Focus on quarterbacks as Mace and Maas prepare for 112th Grey Cup

Saskatchewan Roughriders head coach Corey Mace answers a question with Montreal Alouettes head coach Jason Maas during a CFL news conference on Tuesday, Nov. 11, 2025 in Winnipeg, Man. (Source: cfl.ca)

Head coaches Corey Mace and Jason Maas spoke with reporters in Winnipeg on Tuesday as both the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes prepare to face off in the 112th Grey Cup on Sunday.

A myriad of subjects were discussed over the course of the hour-long news conference. However, the discussion always circled back to the topic of quarterbacks.

Despite tweaking his hamstring during the East Division final, Alouettes’ pivot Davis Alexander will start for the team on Sunday.

“Obviously, the main focus is going to be with Davis, and we will see what he can and cannot do,” Maas said. “I know this. He’s going to go and he’s going to play, and we’ll be prepared for him to play.”

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts sent to your device

Mace told reporters his team will be preparing for Davis in whatever condition he may be in, as well as the Alouettes’ backup QBs.

“We go into it looking for the best version of everybody … I’m expecting the best version of Davis, and that’s the only way we can approach it from that standpoint,” he explained. “But you know, like [Maas is] saying, [you] got to be prepared for all three [quarterbacks] defensively, we got to be prepared for anything as well."

In contrast to Alexander, who made is first CFL start in Week 9 of the 2024 season in place of the injured Cody Fajardo, Riders’ pivot Trevor Harris presents a threat of experience thanks to the 39-year-old’s long tenure in the CFL, which began in 2012.

“He’s done it for such a long-time man. Super efficient. He sees it well. He can get you out of a jam because he’s getting to his fourth read, you know what I mean? And some quarterbacks, they can’t stand back there and do that,” Mace explained.

“He’s running more, which I don’t know if I’d like a ton, but he’s showing a little bit of mobility, like guys that get on him about that," Mace chuckled. “But I can’t say enough great things about Trevor.”

Maas admitted that Harris will present quite the challenge for Montreal’s defense.

“It’s the same old thing you talk about experienced quarterbacks. You got to affect him some way, whether that’s pressure in the pocket, giving them different looks, just slowing them down a little bit,” he said.

“He’s been doing it for a long time, and he, like you said, he’s about as accurate a passer in the league … When the moments come, you got to make them happen. But you need a lot of things to slow him down, and it’s very difficult.”

Crossover connections

With only nine teams in the league, the Roughriders and Alouettes share a lot of collective DNA when it comes coaches and players.

Prior to his stint in Montreal, Maas served as offensive coordinator for the Green and White before being sacked at the end of the 2022 season. Maas was asked if meeting his former team in the Grey Cup offered any additional motivation. He said no.

“I’m long past that. I have found a home, very appreciative of the home where I currently am, and thankful for the people I work with every single day … and sometimes things happen for reasons, and if this was something I had to go through the land where I have, I’m very grateful and thankful for it,” he said.

Other connections are a bit more positive. Offensive lineman Alexandre Gagné got his start in the land of the living skies in 2017.

“Of course I played with guys who were on the other side. It’s fun because it makes me rethink of how everything started,” he explained. “I was undrafted. Sask. gave me a chance on special teams. I was on the [punt return]. Nine years later I’m representing the Alouettes for my hometown team. It’s special to rethink it’s fun for them and that we’re going to be fighting for the Grey Cup.”

According to Gagné, one of the highlights during his time in Saskatchewan were the fans, and the level of involvement and support they give the team.

“I was in Toronto, and we were eating breakfast, dressed normal. When we got the bill, some fans paid the bill for us and said ‘It’s on us.’ We were just special team guys and they recognized us,” Gagné recounted.

“That was special for me. They really know everything about the game and they’re passionate about their game. It’s gonna be passionate for sure.”

Another former Rider, Darnell Sankey, also spoke about the franchises fanbase.

“Nothing bad to say about organization, treated me well, die-hard fans and the city bleeds green,” he said. “That’s all I’m going to say about that. I’ll give them their credit. They’re die-hard Roughriders fans, when they’re cursing us and calling us names, that’s what you’re suppose to do.”

When asked if it’s special to play against a former team for the title, Sankey dismissed the idea.

“Football is business,” he added. “We’re pro athletes and I feel like that’s a thing that you have to chalk it up to, it’s in the past and I gotta do what I gotta do to you now.”

Gagné’s career path from the open prairies to the heart of Quebec, also ensured he got both perspectives of the infamous “13th man” incident from the 2009 Grey Cup – which saw the Alouettes beat the Riders 28-27 with a field goal in the dying seconds of the game.

“It’s funny because I was in Sask. for three years and heard about the 13th man. Then I went back to Montreal and they spoke about their side of the story,” he said.

“It’s super important to be in sync. In a Grey Cup you can’t have those errors. The team that has the fewest errors wins.”