Jeremiah Masoli steps out of the shadows to lead Hamilton Tiger-Cats to CFL East final

It was a mismatch on paper going in and, with the end approaching, it looked like an even bigger mismatch in reality.

Ricky Ray, the Goliath and surefire Hall of Famer, had just completed a masterful drive to give his Toronto Argonauts an 18-6 lead in the CFL East semifinal Sunday in Hamilton. On the other side, the David, unproven and unheralded Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, had just been benched after a mediocre half and a near-disastrous interception.

But then, in the blink of an eye, it all change. Suddenly it was Masoli who was wearing the victor's mantle and Ray wondering about what could have been.

Masoli, a third-string quarterback who found himself on the practice roster recently, sparked a late-game comeback and piloted a last-minute drive that ended in Justin Medlock's 47-yard field goal and a 25-22 victory.

"It shows you the individual he is," Hamilton head coach Kent Austin said afterward of Masoli. "To respond like that, having not played, on the practice roster ... I can't say enough about the man. He handled it like a true pro. He's the kind of guy you want on your football team."

Frankly, for three quarters Masoli didn't look anything like that. Thrust into the starting role by injuries to Zack Collaros and backup Jeff Matthews, the fourth-year CFLer produced all of  six points and 26 yards passing in the first half.

If anything, he looked worse in the second, his first pass picked off by Akwasi Owusu-Ansah. That landed him back on the bench in favour of fourth-stringer Jacory Harris, who had started ahead of him the week before in Ottawa.

But after Harris faltered, Masoli re-entered the game two series with a mountain to climb. The Ticats trailed by only 12 points, but it might as well have been 100 the way the Hamilton offence was moving.

But this Masoli was a different man than the one who had been pulled. He hit Tiquan Underwood for 11 yards and then took advantage of one of those breaks that often decides games.

He sent receiver Bakari Grant on a go route down the left sidelines and looked up to see Grant a good 10 yards in behind a fallen Owusu-Ansah. Your grandmother probably could have made that pass, but the point is that Masoli did complete it for a 42-yard touchdown and a new game.

"I can't really put my finger on it right now," Masoli replied when asked what happened during his third-quarter hiatus. "Maybe I just used that to take a look at the defence from the back as to what they were doing spacing wise. They had a couple of minor adjustments that I was able to see."

Whatever he saw, it worked as the Ticats took a 22-19 lead midway through the fourth quarter, saw the Argos tie it with 49 seconds to go on Swayze Waters' 43-yard field goal, then won it as time expired.

Masoli got the ball at his own 31 with 43 seconds to play. He needed to get at least to midfield for Medlock to have a shot at winning the game.

Looking like vintage Ray, Masoli completed passes to Underwood and C.J. Gable before a roughing penalty got the Ticats within Medlock's range.

It's not as though Masoli was Hall of Fame material. He finished the day 12-of-18 for 141 yards with one TD pass. But he kept the damage to a minimum and produced when it mattered.

He did have some help.

Most of it came from Gable, who had 89 yards rushing -- 71 of it in the second half. That was a key factor in the third quarter when the Ticats were heading into a stiff wind that dictated a lot of what the offences could do Sunday.

He got help from the Hamilton defence, which despite the loss of star defensive end Eric Norwood, shut down the Argos for most of the fourth quarter.

He got help from Medlock, who kept the Argos pinned in their own end with his punting and was perfect on three field goal attempts, including one from 55 yards. ("I told (Austin) before the game I could hit from 62," said Medlock.)

He got help from tiny perfect returner Brandon Banks, whose 198 yards on returns gave Masoli pretty good field position.

But the greatest assistance came from the Argo defence, which committed costly penalties at the worst possible time. A facemasking penalty helped Hamilton score its second touchdown and a roughing-the-passer infraction led to the winning field goal.

Ray, who was solid but unspectacular with 220 yards passing, refused to entertain any excuses.

"We put ourselves in a position to win that game, but we just didn't make enough plays," he said. ``The wind affected the game for sure. It affected field position. All those things, but we didn't take advantage of when we had the wind to score enough points. I wish I could have played better. Just not good enough."

Masoli was good enough even though he was found wanting and ended up on the practice roster at one point. But he said the demotion didn't affect his confidence.

"I don't even have time to think about that kind of stuff, really," he said. "Honestly, we're just here working and being in the moment and trying to get better. It's the business, right. There are so many things that are out of my control, so it's nothing I could blame myself for or somebody else for, it is what it is."

For the Ticats, what it is is a trip to the Eastern final in Ottawa.

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