Argonauts record 17-point fourth-quarter comeback to down Ticats 34-33 thanks to Ray

For three quarters Friday night, things went the Hamilton Tiger-Cats' way. They were in control in a crucial game with playoff implications, leading 30-13 on the road heading into the final frame. Ricky Ray and the Toronto Argonauts woke up after that, though, outscoring Hamilton 21-3 down the stretch to win 34-33, with a 69-yard bomb to Chad Owens sealing the deal. It was a massive win for the Argonauts, and one that substantially improves their chances of finishing first in the East.

This was a victory largely catalyzed by Ray, who finished with 431 passing yards, three touchdowns against one interception and a stellar 73.9 per cent completion rate, and made some absolutely spectacular throws, including the picture-perfect one to Owens (which was aided by a coverage mismatch that saw Hamilton LB Erik Harris trying to cover him alone.) The Argos' receivers turned in a great showing too, though; John Chiles led the way with eight catches for 123 yards, Owens added six for 109 and a touchdown, Jason Barnes had seven for 83, and Curtis Steele and Steve Slaton were effective options out of the backfield, collecting 48 and 18 receiving yards respectively. The Toronto ground game was far from perfect, as Slaton and Steele combined for just 37 rushing yards on 11 carries, and their defence struggled until making some key stops down the stretch, but the passing offence did enough to carry them to a critical triumph.

This was also a brutal loss for Hamilton. The Tiger-Cats looked to be thoroughly in control here until the fourth quarter, and quarterback Zach Collaros had an incredible night of his own, throwing for 302 yards and two touchdowns (with a 71.9 per cent completion rate) and adding a team-high 65 rushing yards and a touchdown on seven carries. An injury to Mossis Madu partway through took away their only running back (and their leading receiver on the night), and that didn't help, but the Hamilton offence still should have done more down the stretch. Instead, they wound up making some remarkable blunders, including a fumble on a botched reverse and a horrible snap on their final offensive play on 3rd and 15.

The win means the Argonauts improve to 6-8 and move into a tie with Hamilton for first place. It also evened the season series between the clubs after the Ticats' 13-12 home win on Labour Day. That's crucial, as head-to-head record is the first tiebreaker. There's one game left between the clubs on Oct. 25 in Toronto, and that will really settle things, but the Argos held serve here and kept themselves in contention for the top East playoff berth. That first spot may wind up being critical, as it comes with a bye week that not only allows a club to get healthy, but also means they avoid an elimination game. Hamilton could well still claim it with a good stretch run, but Friday's miraculous Toronto comeback means the Argos remain very much in contention as well. For that, they have Ray, Owens and some blown coverage to thank.