TORONTO (CP) – Anthony Calvillo threw four touchdown passes to boost his league-leading total to 42 as the Montreal Alouettes defeated a determined Toronto Argonauts squad 43-34 on Saturday afternoon.
It will mark the first time since 2001 that the Argos won’t participate in the CFL playoffs. Despite a spirited effort, Toronto also dropped to 0-6 under new coach Don Matthews before a 30,262 spectators in an entertaining, wide-open contest at the Rogers Centre.
The loss tarnished a plucky performance by Argos quarterback Kerry Joseph, who had three TD passes and ran for another. He scored on a four-yard run at 2:15 of the fourth, then hit Reggie McNeal on a 91-yard bomb to pull Toronto to within 36-34 at 6:44.
But Calvillo countered with a 36-yard TD strike to Brian Bratton at 10:05 to cement the win.
The game meant nothing in the standings for Montreal (11-5), which came in having already cemented first in the East and home-field advantage for the division final. The Alouettes continued their domination of Toronto, having won 20 of the past 27 regular-season matchups between the two clubs.
A big part of Montreal’s success has been its domination of East Division rivals this season. The Alouettes improved to 8-1 within its own conference while Toronto dropped to 3-7.
Calvillo has some personal accomplishments to play for. He’s just six TD passes short of tying Doug Flutie’s single-season record and closing in on his second career 6,000-yard campaign. Both are heady accomplishments indeed, considering Calvillo left the team late last season when his wife was diagnosed with a form of cancer and he wasn’t sure if he’d continue playing.
The 15-year veteran seemed to put Toronto on ice at 12:35 of the third with a 22-yard touchdown pass to Jamel Richardson – his second of the game and club-record 15th of the season – to give Montreal a 36-20 lead. The four-play, 80-yard drive came after Argos kicker Mike Vanderjagt missed a 46-yard field goal try.
Andre Talbot and Arland Bruce III had Toronto’s other touchdowns. Vanderjagt added the converts and two field goals.
Kerry Watkins scored Montreal’s other touchdown. Damon Duval booted the converts, four field goals and a single. The other points came on a safety.
Duval’s 32-yard field goal on the opening half’s final play staked Montreal to a 26-17 half-time lead. It came after Bruce’s 12-yard TD grab had pulled Toronto to within 23-16.
Toronto opened the game impressively by intercepting Calvillo’s first pass of the game. That set up Talbot’s 19-yard TD grab off a Bruce deflection at 2:14.
But Montreal rallied emphatically with Calvillo’s four-yard TD toss to Watkins at 4:41 to cap a five-play, 68-yard drive as the Als scored 20 straight points before Vanderjagt’s 46-yard field goal at 7:47 of the second.
NOTES – This game was Argos coach Don Matthews’ first against Montreal since returning to the CFL last month. Matthews spent parts of five seasons as the Als coach before resigning in October 2006 . . . Bruce went over the 1,000-yard plateau for the season with his TD grab…Former Argos LB Chris Gaines returned to Toronto for the first time since 1992 and was part of a first quarter jersey presentation.