Fired-up Argos fail to get revenge
Tiger-Cats victorious as Toronto’s attempt to avenge Labour Day loss falls short
Toronto Argonaut rookie receiver Tori Gurley caught a touchdown pass in the third quarter and immediately sprinted off the field with fire in his eyes.
He headed directly toward head coach Scott Milanovich, Gurley’s head bobbing up and down as he closed within inches of Milanovich’s face.
The look suggested anger, but this was only an exaggerated celebration — a message that he had come to play.
This week, Milanovich had challenged his players to bring emotion to the rematch with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats after the Labour Day embarrassment.
They certainly did, even if it didn’t go Toronto’s way on the scoreboard as Hamilton won 35-27 at the Rogers Centre before an announced crowd of 17,694.
Milanovich brought his own brand of aggressiveness in his play-calling. In the first half, the normally conservative Milanovich even tried a gadget play.
Just prior to the Gurley touchdown, he had gambled on thirdand-9 and it paid off with a catch by Gurley to keep the drive alive.
Late in the third quarter, down 2213 to Hamilton, the Argos coach gambled on third down and won again, allowing quarterback Trevor Harris to keep the drive going, which he finished with with an 11-yard TD pass to Anthony Coombs.
Suddenly, the Argos were down only 22-20 with a full quarter of football to play.
However, their comeback fell short as Hamilton backup QB Jeff Matthews scored on a one-yard run and Justin Medlock added two field goals to finish 4-for-4 on the day. Toronto also conceded a safety for two points.
Argos running back Brandon Whitaker scored his second touchdown of the game in the fourth to make the game close after the Ticats were called for pass interference on Gurley in the end zone on a critical thirdand-long gamble.
The Argos may have lost more than the game as kicker Swayze Waters, who had only recently returned to the lineup, was injured in the second half.
Dave Stala came on as a replacement, and the Ticats managed to block a Stala punt with 11:38 left in the game.
It was the Ticats’ second punt block in two games.
With the victory, the Ticats extended their first-place lead in the East to 8-3 while the Argos fell to 6-5 to remain in second place.
Toronto doesn’t play again until Sept. 26 in Ottawa against the Redblacks.
Hamilton quarterback Zach Collaros, following up on his four TD, 400yard game on Monday, threw two touchdown passes, one to Matt Coates and the other to Luke Tasker, as he rolled up more than 200 yards through the air, including one interception.
Meanwhile, Harris threw touchdown passes to Gurley and Coombs, along with two interceptions, while Whitaker scored Toronto’s other touchdown as the Argos looked for redemption after getting flattened 42-12 four days earlier in Hamilton on Labour Day.
The strangest play of the game occurred late in the first half on a double fumble. A mental error by Argo defensive lineman Martin Wright cost Toronto three points as the Tiger-Cats took a 19-7 into the dressing room.