‘We can literally take a slant to the house every single time’: Elks receiver Austin Mack sees favourable matchup against Alouettes

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Edmonton Elks’ receiver Austin Mack is not hiding his eagerness to face the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday.

“I can’t wait. Super fired up,” he told 880 CHED this week. “It’s going to be a lot of emotions for me, but I’m just excited to get out there and play football again.”

Mack spent parts of three seasons with the Alouettes, rising to prominence during their magical 2023 season. After an unsuccessful stint with the Atlanta Falcons, the 28-year-old signed a massive four-year contract to re-join the CFL franchise the next year and made Montreal his family’s permanent home.

However, that commitment wasn’t repaid in kind. After a down year in 2025 that was marred by injuries, the Alouettes elected to release the one-time All-CFL receiver ahead of an offseason bonus, deeming his long-term contract no longer worthwhile.

“Won a Grey Cup, got to meet some great guys, played great football. The rest is behind me now,” Mack said of his time in Montreal. “I’m excited to be an Elk and kick some Als a** this weekend.”

The native of Fort Wayne, Ind., will reunite with his former team for the first time on Saturday afternoon in Edmonton, when the Alouettes arrive at Commonwealth Stadium with two wins already under their belt. It is an unlikely matchup of unbeatens, as the Elks won their season opener for the first time since 2019, though the visitors remain decided favourites.

Mack doesn’t seem to see it that way. When asked what his new team had to be aware of when facing Montreal defensive coordinator Noel Thorpe, his longtime practice adversary let slip a confident chuckle.

“They bring a lot of sting (pressure), which in my eyes, as a receiver, I love it, because it’s one-on-one, zero coverage, no help. We’ve just got to beat one person; we can literally take a slant to the house every single time,” he said.

“(The key is) being able to maximize when those plays come up. We can’t take as many sacks, you can’t take negative plays, we need to be able to maximize first down, and be able to play fast. Noel calls the plays as he’s looking at the offence as they go out, so they’re getting their call pretty late. If we play fast, get up on them pretty early, I feel good about it.”

The Elks’ passing attack was limited in their season-opening win over the Redblacks, with their numbers inflated due to the screen game production of Justin Rankin. Mack caught just three passes for 26 yards, but scored his first touchdown with the Green and Gold in the second quarter.

That pass came courtesy of quarterback Cody Fajardo, who was himself cast aside by Montreal in 2025. With the dynamic pair from the Alouettes’ Grey Cup run reunited and especially motivated, big things could be in store.

“It was great. Wish we would have scored a few more; we had a couple of opportunities, but it was pissing rain that day,” Mack said of the debut. “We’re gonna get the same thing here Saturday, but ultimately it’s just great to be able to be back with my guy. We’re clicking at a good level now; it’s just keep building throughout this season. You guys will see more plays.”

The Edmonton Elks (1-0) will host the Montreal Alouettes (2-0) at Commonwealth Stadium on Saturday, June 20, with kickoff scheduled for 4:00 p.m. EDT.