Argos score last-second win
TORONTO — Lirim Hajrullahu’s 34-yard field goal gave the Toronto Argonauts a wild 27-24 home win over the Ottawa Redblacks on Monday night.
Hajrullahu’s field goal on the game’s final play capped an eight-play, 52-yard drive after Ottawa rallied to tie the score 24-24 on Trevor Harris’s 31-yard TD strike with 2:17 remaining. Ottawa’s equalizer came after Toronto’s Cody Fajardo was stopped on a third-down gamble, to the dismay of the season-high BMO Field gathering of 15,801.
Toronto quarterback Ricky Ray, who completed 40-of-55 passes for 367 yards, hit Anthony Coombs on a nine-yard TD strike at 6:56 of the fourth to snap a 17-17 tie. It was set up by Marcus Ball’s interception.
Declan Cross also had a touchdown for Toronto, while Brad Sinopoli had a TD and two-point convert for Ottawa.
The win was a costly one, as Toronto (3-2) played the second half without linebacker Bear Woods and defensive linemen Victor Butler and Cleyong Laing.
Before the game, the Argos added former quarterback Doug Flutie to its all-time team. Flutie played his final two CFL seasons in Toronto, leading the franchise to their Grey Cup titles in 1996-97 before joining the NFL’s Buffalo Bills.
LULAY ROLLS ALONG: Another game, another win for Travis Lulay.
The veteran quarterback threw for 404 yards and two TDs in rallying B.C. to a 45-42 home win over Winnipeg on Friday night. The Lions outscored the Blue Bombers 18-0 in the fourth quarter to improve to 4-1 and sit tied for first with Edmonton (4-0) in the West Division standings.
Lulay replaced injured starter Jonathon Jennings and threw for a record 436 yards and three TDs in leading B.C. past the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 41-26 on July 15.
Lulay’s performance was a CFL record for a player coming off the bench and also earned the Lions a sweep of three straight road games versus East Division teams.
Jennings suffered an upper-body injury versus Hamilton, pressing Lulay into service. The Lions are hopeful Jennings can resume throwing this week as they prepare to face Edmonton on Friday night.
If Jennings is healthy enough to go, then head coach/GM Wally Buono has a very nice problem to address regarding who’ll start against the Eskimos.