THE CANADIAN PRESS
HAMILTON, Ont. — Markeith Knowlton blocked a punt, then recovered it in the end zone late in the first half to lead the Hamilton Tiger-Cats past the Toronto Argonauts 28-13 on Labour Day.
Wide receiver/kick returner Chad Owens led the way on offence for the Argos hauling in 7 catches for 82 yards. He also added 88 yards on kickoffs and punt returns.
Knowlton blocked Jamie Boreham’s attempt, then ran the bouncing ball down in the end zone with two seconds remaining before a raucous Ivor Wynne Stadium sellout of 30,319. Knowlton’s recovery staked Hamilton to a well-earned 20-6 half-time lead.
Toronto (5-4) countered with a Cory Boyd’s seven-yard TD run at 5:06 of the third. But Hamilton regained its 14-point lead after Kevin Glenn’s 15-yard touchdown strike to Dave Stala at 12:49.
Toronto was its own worst enemy Monday, turning the ball over five times and allowing three sacks.
Hamilton (5-4) moved into a second-place tie with Toronto in the East Division with its fourth straight win. More importantly, the Ticats clinched the season series with the Argos, meaning they’ll finish ahead of their rivals if the two teams end the regular campaign tied.
But Hamilton will host Montreal (6-3) on Saturday with a chance to move into a first-place tie with the defending Grey Cup champions in the East.
DeAndra’ Cobb had Hamilton’s other touchdown. Sandro DeAngelis booted three converts and two field goals while Eric Wilbur added a single.
Grant Shaw kicked a convert and two field goals for Toronto, which has lost its last two games, both to Hamilton.
Knowlton’s block and TD were the big plays of the opening half, but it was a staunch Hamilton defence that helped stake the Ticats to their half-time lead.
Three times Toronto drove into the red zone but could only manage a field goal. Quarterback Cleo Lemon drove the Argos to the Hamilton 14-yard line, but that drive was snuffed out by a Geoff Tisdale interception late in the first quarter to preserve a 7-3 Ticats’ advantage.
Then in the second, Lemon and Co. were on the Hamilton 10-yard line before Jerome Dennis’s interception in the end zone ended that threat to keep it a four-point contest.
Hamilton also executed a successful fake punt in the quarter. Wilbur went six yards on third-and-two as part of an 11-play, 53-yard drive that culminated in a 23-yard field goal at 13:54 for a Ticats’ 13-6 lead.
A successful challenge by coach Marcel Bellefeuille set up Hamilton’s first TD. A completion and fumble by Toronto’s Chad Lucas had originally been called an incompletion, but Bellefeuille’s challenge gave Hamilton the ball at Toronto’s 49-yard line.
Four plays later, Cobb’s one-yard run opened the scoring at 2:51 to cap a 61-yard, four-play drive that was helped mightily by unnecessary roughness and pass interference penalties that totalled 47 yards.
NOTES — The Ticats honoured recently retired safety Sandy Beveridge prior to the opening kickoff . . . Lemon is Toronto’s fifth different starting quarterback in as many Labour Day contests . . . Defensive back Michael Grant, offensive linemen Joe Eppele and Shannon Boatman and defensive tackle Adriano Belli didn’t dress for Toronto. Offensive linemen Brian Ramsay and Matt Morencie and defensive linemen Albert Smith and Khari Long were Hamilton’s scratches . . . Former Ticats offensive lineman Cedric Gagne-Marcoux suited up for Toronto.