A rouge was the difference Thursday as the Toronto Argonauts edged the Saskatchewan Roughriders 20-19 at BMO Field.
With the game tied 19-19, Lirim Hajrullahu lined up for a 40-yard field-goal attempt.
The kick sailed wide left, but also went through the end zone for a game-winning single.
“That’s the beauty of the CFL, I guess,” Head Coach Corey Mace said.
“It’s just tough. I feel like the last few weeks, we’re finding new ways to end the game like that and it just crushes me for the guys because they’re working pretty danged hard. I know they’re going to find a way to work even harder.”
The defeat left Saskatchewan with a 5-5-1 record and on a five-game winless streak (0-4-1).
The Roughriders have been outscored by only four points over their past three games but have only a tie to show for their past 180 minutes of CFL action.
Toronto (6-4-0) rallied from a 13-point second-quarter deficit in quarterback Chad Kelly’s return from a nine-game, league-issued suspension.
“Chad started to find a little bit of a rhythm,” Mace noted. “There were some penalties we took defensively that cost us some field position and the we kind of never got into the field position that you’d like.”
Brett Lauther had a bounce-back game, hitting all four of his field-goal attempts and converting a 13-yard touchdown pass from Trevor Harris to KeeSean Johnson.
Harris completed 18 of 29 passes for 190 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Frankie Hickson led Saskatchewan’s ground game with 79 yards on 16 carries.
Samuel Emilus had a team-high eight receptions for 66 yards.
Roughriders linebacker C.J. Reavis stood out, registering 10 defensive tackles and a sack.
THREE GOAL-LINE STANDS
The Roughriders’ defence kept it close by stuffing the Argos on three different possessions and holding them without a point in those situations.
(1) In the final minute of the first half, Reavis stopped Toronto short-yardage quarterback Cameron Dukes for no gain on third-and-goal from the one-yard line.
(2) With 3:16 left in the third quarter, Deontai Williams broke up a pass to thwart Toronto’s third-and-goal gamble from the three.
(3) Four minutes into the fourth quarter, Toronto was stuffed on another third-and-goal gamble — with Reavis stopping Ka’Deem Carey for no gain on the one-yard line.
“The gift and the curse of having all those goal-line stops is that you’re starting backed up,” Mace noted. “You’re taking points off the board, but you’re putting the offence in a tough position.
“It’s a gift, but it’s hard to get out of that situation.”
LAUTHER LEAPFROG
Lauther moved ahead of Jack Abendschan into third place on the Roughriders’ all-time scoring list.
A 43-yard field goal at 6:12 of the second quarter gave Lauther 864 points — one more than Abendschan.
Dave Ridgway leads the way with 2,374 points. Paul McCallum is second at 1,615. Lauther finished Thursday’s game with 870.
NEXT UP
The Roughriders are idle until Sept. 1, when they will face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the Labour Day Classic.
Kickoff is set for 5 p.m., at Mosaic Stadium.
SUMMARY
FIRST QUARTER
Sask — FG Lauther 43 7:48
Roughriders moved 58 yards in seven plays
Sask — TD Johnson 13 pass from Harris (Lauther convert) 13:04
Harris was 5-for-5 for 51 yards
SECOND QUARTER
Sask — FG Lauther 43 6:12
Lauther became Roughriders’ third-leading scorer, all-time
Tor — TD Dukes 1 run (Hajrullahu convert) 8:58
Amos returned Harris interception 25 yards to the one-yard line
Tor — FG Hajrullahu 36 14:33
Toronto turned a second Harris pick into three points
THIRD QUARTER
Sask — FG Lauther 40 7:32
Sack by Reavis forced Toronto to punt from deep in its territory
FOURTH QUARTER
Tor — FG Hajrullahu 30 0:08
Kelly to Coxie for 53 was the big play
Tor — FG Hajrullahu 35 9:54
Johnson stopped Carey for a two-yard loss on second-and-one
Sask — FG Lauther 37 12:15
Harris to Emilus for 41 yards put Riders in field-goal range
Tor — FG Hajrullahu 50 13:58
Kelly hit Ungerer for 17 on third-and-15
Tor — Single Hajrullahu 57 15:00
Hajrullahu missed a 40-yard field-goal attempt but the rouge won the game.
