Expect a classic in 112th Grey Cup

The CFL’s top two teams are competing in the best football city in the country, with the ultimate prize in the three-down game on the line.

It doesn’t get much better than this.

The 112th Grey Cup kicks off Sunday as the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Montreal Alouettes square off in front of a sold-out crowd at Princess Auto Stadium.

To get you ready for kickoff (5 p.m. CT), here’s a special Grey Cup edition of 5 Storylines.

ALEXANDER WATCH

Davis Alexander is a superstar in the making.

He’s extremely talented, confident (borderline arrogant), and isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers with smack talk.

Most importantly, he’s a perfect 13-0 in his career (including playoffs) as a starter and determined to keep his record spotless heading into 2026.

“I would die for this team. I would die for a Grey Cup,” Alexander said Friday.

“I’ll do whatever it takes to make sure we go home and celebrate in our beautiful city.”

He also has a bad left hamstring.

It’s been a lingering issue since April and the reason why he played just eight games this season. He aggravated it in last week’s 19-16 Eastern final win in Hamilton and has been doing four to five recovery sessions per day to get as close as possible to 100 per cent on Sunday.

He’s starting no matter what, but it remains to be seen if he’ll be able to play at his usual level, or if he can finish the game.

If the Als are concerned, they’re hiding it well. They went 2-8 without him this year.

“To go out there, watch the last two practices, watch him throw it, watch him move — I don’t know that you’d be able to tell anything’s wrong with him,” said head coach Jason Maas on Thursday.

HARRIS UNDER CENTRE

Alexander is 27 and hasn’t even hit his prime yet. Chances are he’ll make it back to championship Sunday.

The same can’t be said about 39-year-old Riders quarterback Trevor Harris. This could be his final shot at Grey Cup glory.

He won a pair as a backup, but he has gone on record to say those don’t count and he wants one as a starter. His only Grey Cup start came back in 2018 with Ottawa who lost 27-16 to Calgary at Commonwealth Stadium.

If recent history indicates anything, the Riders should be in good hands with their experienced pivot. Six of the last nine Grey Cups have seen the winner come back after trailing in the fourth, and Harris has already proved to be clutch. He successfully marched the team 76 yards down the field in the final minute of the Western final to score the game-winning touchdown against B.C.

He’s with his fifth CFL team and has had a roller-coaster journey that has seen him bounce back from several backup stints and injuries, and now he’s just four quarters away from a career-defining moment.

“To finish the job is what motivates me, not anything to do with my career,” said Harris earlier in the week.

This one is also a classic mentor versus mentee story. Harris started for Montreal in 2022 when Alexander was a rookie.

DOMINANT DEFENCE

The quarterbacks have dominated the headlines this week, but let’s not forget this is a battle of the No. 1 and No. 2 defences in the league.

Montreal took the top spot and has been especially stout against the pass, limiting their opponents to 256.9 air yards per game and the fewest amount of ‘big plays’ with 37.

Meanwhile, Saskatchewan’s bread and butter has been stopping the run. They’ve held the opposition to a measly 76 rushing yards per game which is a new all-time club record.

The last 10 Grey Cups have had 51.5 points scored on average. It wouldn’t be a shock for this year’s edition to fall short of that.

TRUSTING LAUTHER

If it comes down to a kick, Riderville is likely to be on edge — and not because of trauma from their 13th man debacle in the 2009 Grey Cup.

Veteran kicker Brett Lauther has had a dismal season.

He’s made 39-of-54 attempts for a 72.2 per cent conversion rate which is the lowest in the CFL.

It was reported on Thursday by 3DownNation that at one point the Riders reached out to the Toronto Argonauts about acquiring kicker Lirim Hajrullahu, only to be turned down.

Lauther, however, gave everyone a reason to be encouraged with his showing in the Western final. The 35-year-old was a perfect three-for-three on field goals and knocked down a pair of extra points.

With that said, the longest make of the night for the Novia Scotia product was from just 34 yards out.

Lauther is 21-for-23 (91 per cent) in his playoff career.

Montreal kicker José Maltos Díaz has connected on 58-of-65 field goals (89.2 per cent) this year.

TRAVELLING FANS

Will Riderville paint Princess Auto Stadium green on Sunday?

Saskatchewan only has four Grey Cup titles to their name in franchise history, and the last time they made it this far Weston Dressler was catching touchdowns from Darian Durant (2013).

This could be the first time since 1966 that the Riders finished a regular season in first and went on to win it all.

With Regina being a six-hour drive away, the stage is set for this to feel like a home game for the West Division champs.

It’s also the first time the West will be represented by someone other than Calgary (2016-18) or Winnipeg (2019-25) in a decade.

The Bombers boast the best fans in the league, but the watermelon heads can make a statement.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Taylor Allen
Reporter

Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor.

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