TORONTO — (CP) Henry Burris threw his 26th touchdown pass of the season as Calgary defeated Toronto 44-16 on Saturday night before a Rogers Centre gathering of 28,678. The Stampeders swept the home-and-home series after winning 34-4 at McMahon Stadium last week.
Calgary (9-4) took control in the second and third quarters, outscoring Toronto 31-10 en route to its third consecutive win. The Stampeders moved ahead of idle Saskatchewan (8-4) atop the West Division, with the Roughriders facing Montreal on Sunday.
Calgary snapped a seven-game winless streak at Rogers Centre with its first win here since 2000 to improve its CFL-best road record to 5-2. The Stampeders are also 5-1 versus East Division teams.
Burris finished 18-of-32 passing for 256 yards with a touchdown and interception. He also ran six times for 46 yards.
Toronto (4-9) suffered its fourth straight loss to remain third in the East Division, two points behind second-place Winnipeg (5-8).
And to boot, Toronto lost special-teams standout Dominique Dorsey, who had over 340 all-purpose yards last week in Calgary, to a leg injury late in the first. He didn’t return.
Sophomore Cody Pickett got his second straight start for Toronto, and showed flashes of brilliance as offensively the Argos displayed some imagination, involving the receivers in the rushing game and even executing a double reverse. But they couldn’t match Calgary’s offence as Pickett was sacked three times and the home team turned the ball over three times, which the Stamps converted into 17 points.
Toronto was also very undisciplined, taking four unnecessary roughness calls and an objectionable conduct penalty in the contest.
Toronto got a field goal courtesy of a bizarre call late in the third when given the ball after Calgary’s Derek Armstrong was penalized for preventing Argo Claude Harriott from recovering a fumble at the visitors’ 32-yard line. Instead of the Stamps punting, the home team took possession but mustered only a field goal to cut its deficit to 24-16.
But Calgary countered with a field goal before Burris hit Ryan Thelwell on a 32-yard TD strike at 14:32 to go ahead 34-16 and cement the win.
Keon Raymond, Joffrey Reynolds and Ben Sankey scored Calgary’s other touchdowns. Sando DeAngelis added four field goals and four converts. The other points came on two safeties.
Bryan Crawford scored Toronto’s touchdown. Mike Vanderjagt booted three field goals and a convert.
Jeremaine Copeland’s brilliant 60-yard catch late in the second half helped stake Calgary to a 21-13 half-time lead.
Copeland’s grab, made between defenders Willie Middlebrooks and Pete Hunter, put Calgary at the Toronto one-yard line. Reynolds ran in on the next play, capping a stellar 79-yard, nine-play march at 14:39 of the second. Reynolds’ TD came after two straight Argos safeties gave the Stamps a 14-13 advantage.
Vanderjagt certainly contributed to Calgary’s cause in the opening half.
Vanderjagt, surprisingly looking to pass on third down at Toronto’s 24-yard line, was tackled by Calgary’s Brandon Smith, who stripped the ball loose inside the five-yard line. Raymond recovered for the easy TD to put the Stampeders ahead 10-6 at 3:57.
Crawford countered with a strong nine-yard TD run at 7:44 to give Toronto a 13-10 advantage.