MONTREAL — After two collegiate and three professional football coaching stops, Scott Milanovich has found a home — for now.

Milanovich, 35, is the quarterbacks coach and offensive coordinator for the Montreal Alouettes, a Canadian Football League team averaging 36 points in its last seven games.

"It's not easy getting coaching jobs,"the Butler graduate said. "(Montreal head coach)Marc Trestman was a 17-year NFLcoaching veteran, been to a Super Bowl, and he's been all over the place.

"I've been around football my whole life. I grew up on the game with my dad (former coach Gary Milanovich) at Butler High School. Everything I am started with Butler football."

Trestman was named head coach of the Alouettes this season after serving as offensive coordinator for Cleveland, San Francisco, Arizona and Oakland in the NFL and North Carolina State last season.

Montreal finished 8-10 last season, lost in the first round of the CFLplayoffs and the coaching staff was overhauled. Milanovich, the team's quarterbacks coach last season, was the lone assistant retained and was promoted to offensive coordinator.

Before coming to Montreal, Milanovich was an assistant coach at Alfred (N.Y.)University and Mansfield, served as quarterbacks coach for Calgary in the CFL, and was offensive coordinator for the Rhein Fire and Cologne Centurions in NFLEurope.

"I actually went to Calgary in 2002 as a player,"Milanovich said. "That's when I found out I couldn't play anymore.

"I went up there as the third-string quarterback, then, after two weeks, there were injuries and I was starting. I didn't know what was going on ... I was done."

But the Stampeders kept him on as a quarterbacks coach and one job led to another.

While with NFLEurope, Milanovich scouted the Pittsburgh Steelers camp for three years and came into contact with Alouettes general manager Jim Popp.

"He was always visiting their camp and we got to know each other pretty well. When they had a coaching opening in December of 2006, he called me,"Milanovich said.

Now Milanovich is calling plays for quarterback Anthony Calvillo, the CFL's No. 2 all-time leading passer with more than 50,000 career yards.

"The guy is an unbelievable player,"Milanovich said. "It's a big adjustment, coming from American football to the CFL, and I was fortunate to become coordinator for a team that had a 15-year veteran at quarterback. I've picked up a lot from Anthony.

"We didn't have him for a few games last year and we weren't operating on all cylinders. This year?It's been fun."

The Alouettes enter this weekend with a 7-3 record and a four-game lead on second-place Toronto in the CFL's East Division.

While Montreal has scored 343 points, division foes Toronto, Hamilton and Winnipeg have scored 228, 244 and 210, respectively.

"This is a fun league to coach in because you can be so creative,"Milanovich said. "You run five-receiver sets and everyone can be in motion.

"Because you only get two downs to make a first down, you have to be more aggressive, too."

CFLfields are wider than American football fields and teams get three downs instead of four.

"We're a pass-first team, but we probably run 30 percent of the time,"Milanovich said.

West Virginia University product Avon Cobourne is Montreal's prime running back and leads the CFLin rushing this season.

Milanovich isn't ready to gauge his team's chances of making the Grey Cup, the Canadian version of the Super Bowl.

"We've got eight regular season games left," he said. "It's way too early to even think about that."

But it's not too early to think about his coaching future.

"I know I want to be a head coach some day," Milanovich said. "But I've learned through others that it has to be the right situation.

"I'm not in any hurry. I've got plenty of time. I'm just thankful to still be in this game."