TORONTO (CP) — Darian Durant threw three touchdown passes to lead the Saskatchewan Roughriders to a 46-36 win over the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday afternoon.
Saskatchewan (2-0) blew the game open with a 30-point second-quarter outburst to erase a 13-7 deficit. Durant showed little affects of the badly bruised right thumb he sustained last week against B.C., completing 18-of-29 passes for 205 yards and an interception to improve to 6-0 as a CFL starter.
Toronto’s Kerry Joseph was 27-of-45 passing for 348 yards with three TDs and an interception.
The Riders had two turnovers after recording eight in last week’s win over B.C.
Hugh Charles, with two, Andy Fantuz, Weston Dressler and Jerrell Freeman scored Saskatchewan’s touchdowns. Luca Congi kicked the converts and three field goals. The other points came on a safety.
Reggie McNeal, Jamal Robertson, Tyler Scott and Mike Bradwell had Toronto’s touchdowns. Justin Medlock booted three converts and three field goals.
A 28-point outburst in the final 4:28 of the second gave Saskatchewan a commanding 37-13 half-time lead, thanks in large part to Toronto.
John Chick’s fumble recovery put the Riders at the Toronto 30-yard line and a facemask penalty on the home team moved Saskatchewan to the nine-yard line. Charles then hauled in Durant’s shovel pass and scampered in at 10:22.
Durant hit Dressler on a 33-yard touchdown pass at 14:20 before Freeman put an exclamation mark on Saskatchewan’s dominance, first blocking Medlock’s punt then recovering it in the end zone at 14:50.
Toronto also had a hand in Saskatchewan’s first TD, Durant’s 22-yard strike to Fantuz at 10:53 of the first, a drive that was aided by roughing the passer and unnecessary roughness calls against the Argos.
That spoiled another strong start by Toronto, which went ahead 10-0 on Joseph’s 30-yard TD pass to McNeal at 5:51 and Medlock’s 23-yard field goal that was set up by Jason Shivers’ blocked field goal. The Argos scored 20 first-quarter points en route to last week’s 30-17 win over Hamilton.
Both teams implemented the Wildcat, a formation that uses a direct snap to a halfback instead of the quarterback. Robertson gained the bulk of his 51 first-half yards the result of it. And Saskatchewan used a flanker reverse with Dressler (eight yards) and double reverse with receiver Robb Bagg (six-yard gain).
NOTES — There was a pre-game video tribute to former Argo Joe (King) Krol, Frank Morris and Grey Cup Garry, with club president Bob Nicolson making an on-field presentation to Peter Krol. Then at halftime, Nicholson made a cheque presentation of Wes Bauer, the son of Winnipeg president Lyle Bauer who is cycling across Canada to raise money for cancer research. Lyle Bauer is a cancer survivor . . . Matt O’Meara started at right tackle for Saskatchewan on Friday after joining the club Monday. O’Meara, 26, of Milton, Ont., was originally drafted third overall by the Riders in ’05 before being dealt to Winnipeg. He was released by the Bombers in training camp.