THE CANADIAN PRESS/ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
MONTREAL — Rookie RB Cory Boyd ran for over 140 yards and one touchdown as the Argos closed out the pre-season with a 31-23 loss to the Montreal Alouettes. The Argos finished the pre-season with a 1-1 record.
Anthony Calvillo hit his favourite target, Ben Cahoon, with a 13-yard strike at 8:02 of the opening quarter. He then handed the ball to backup Adrian McPherson as the Alouettes won their first game in the newly expanded Percival Molson Stadium before a crowd of 23,112 in the now 25,012-seat facility.
McPherson found Danny Desriveaux for a TD pass and third-stringer Chris Leak fired a 24-yard touchdown toss to newcomer Tim Maypray.
Damon Duval connected on three-of-five field goals and added a single for Montreal, which lost 34-10 in exhibition play last week in Winnipeg with most of their veterans not in the lineup.
Toronto starter Cleo Lemon played the entire first half and was 7-for-16 passing for 58 yards, with one interception. Lemon was more effective running the ball 45 yards on five carries.
His half-time replacement Dalton Bell capped a 75-yard drive with a 15-yard TD toss to Brandon Rideau.
The Argos added two points on a fourth-quarter safety, then got seven more on a bizarre play in the rain in which a McPherson pass went off his receiver into defensive lineman Ejiro Kuale‘s hands. He flipped to Evan McCollough for a 64-yard scoring scamper down the sideline.
Boyd scored on a two-yard run with 2:04 left to play.
Calvillo, the CFL’s outstanding player the last two seasons, was good on eight-of-10 passes for 81 yards. He also played only briefly in one pre-season game last season. McPherson was 7-for-18 and 64 yards.
On the first play of the second quarter, Alex Chadler picked off a Lemon pass and returned it 78 yards to the Toronto eight-yard line. Gambling on third and goal from the five-yard line, McPherson hit Desriveaux for a 14-0 lead.
A 26-yard punt return by Chad Owens set up Duval’s 45-yard field goal at 6:21 and a fumbled punt by Toronto’s Denatay Heard allowed Duval to hit another from 22 yards out to end the first half.
Bell opened the second half under centre for Toronto and was picked off by the uniquely named Sir Snowdon, which led to a 43-yard Duval boot at 8:54 of the third.
Leak hit Maypray with a 24-yard scoring toss 2:56 into the fourth.
The Argos came straight back and were at the Montreal 10-yard line, but Bell’s pass was picked off by Paul Woldu.
Boyd solidified his bid for the Argos’ starting running back job with 63 yards on six first-half carries.