Calgary Stampeders pull off record-tying comeback win over Toronto Argonauts, even as Bo Levi Mitchell and Charleston Hughes suffer injuries

For 30 minutes the Calgary Stampeders offered a reminder even the best can be sporadic. Then they affirmed they are the CFL's best even as the injury cart was getting as much TV time as Jon Cornish, whose career-long 79-yard touchdown run in the third quarter turned the tide.

The Stampeders, who trailed by as much as 26 points in the first half at the end of week where their practice routine was disrupted by by Southern Alberta summer snowstorm, absolutely flipped the script in a 40-33 comeback win at McMahon Stadium on Saturday. It did so despite having veteran defensive end Charleston Hughes and defensive tackle Demonte' Bolden go out with injuries in the third quarter before quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell hurt his left leg in the third quarter, forcing Drew Tate to complete the comeback.

Coming back from 26 down to win tied a 27-year-old club record.

Few would have been too put out if the Stampeders (10-1) had simply played out the string after Toronto (4-8) stretched the scoreline 32-10 in the third quarter. Every team in the CFL lays an egg at some point. The Argos, coming off a bye week wel-spent at their long, long-awaited new practice facility at Toronto's Downsview Park, looked crisp and focused while Ricky Ray (31-for-38, 321 yards) tossed four first-half touchdowns, including one to the returning Andre Durie.

Cornish though, flipped the script with 8:50 left in the third. The reigning Lou Marsh Award winner slalomed through a highway-wide hole opened by centre Brett Jones and guard Shane Bergman before breaking outside and outracing Argos safety Jermaine Gabriel (a Calgary native). That, and the league's first successful two-point convert all year on an inside give to Matt Walter, pared the spread to two touchdowns, 32-18.

At about the same point, the Stampeders lost Hughes and Bolden. It got within seven points when Mitchell (19-of-29, 128 yards, one TD, two interceptions) connected with Brad Sinopoli.

The margin was 33-25 when Mitchell was injured after he was bent awkwardly from a hit from Argonauts linebacker Shea Emry after running out of the pocket. Tate (6-of-6 for 74 yards, two touchdowns), the former starter, coolly came in and found Jabari Arthur on a corner route for 15-yard TD with 5:03 left; Cornish then made a juggling catch for the tying two-pointer.

Cornish (11 carries for 174 yards, plus four catches for 35 and the winning TD),  was the difference maker, truly. Calgary's momentum seemed irrefutable by the time the running back took a swing pass and ran behind a Sinopoli downfield block for a 25-yard pass-and-run TD that snapped the tie with 1:49 left.

Shawn Lemon, one of the defensive linemen getting extra work due to the absence of Bolden and Hughes, intercepted a disrupted Ray delivery to seal the result with 40 seconds left.

The only other time the Stampeders franchise had overcome a 26-point deficit was in a 39-38 win at Ottawa on Aug. 9, 1987.

The Mitchell, Hughes and Bolden injuries will likely be the morning-after Stampeders story. Tate, of course, was the Stampeders starter in 2011 and before losing the spot, first to Glenn and then to Mitchell.

Toronto simply could not stanch the bleeding once the Stampeders, to quote from defensive back Keon Raymond's halftime interview with TSN, "hit them in the mouth." The Argos' ball-security bugaboos came to fore again with two lost fumbles from wideout-kick returner LaVon Brazill, including a cough-up that set Calgary up for its game-tying drive. Minutes later, running back Steve Slaton was ejected for kicking a Stampeder after a play; the ensuing 25-yard penalty led to Toronto stalling and punting to Calgary, which promptly went on a winning drive.

Neate Sager is a writer for Yahoo! Canada Sports. Follow him on Twitter @neatebuzzthenet.