THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO – Darian Durant threw two touchdown passes and ran for another as the Saskatchewan Roughriders clinched a playoff berth with a 27-16 win over the Toronto Argonauts on Saturday afternoon.
Argos QB Dalton Bell made his first career start on Saturday. He completed 16 of 24 passes for 158 yards and ran for a touchdown.
Durant was 29-of-37 passing for 311 yards and cemented the win for Saskatchewan (9-4) with a 66-yard TD strike to Andy Fantuz just 2:03 into the second half, giving the Riders a 24-13 lead. The catch, before a Rogers Centre gathering of 23,873, also vaulted Fantuz, a native of Chatham, Ont., over the 1,000-yard receiving plateau for the first time in his five-year CFL career.
The Riders earned their fifth straight win over Toronto to remain two points behind first-place Calgary in the West Division. They’ll clinch a home playoff game should Winnipeg beat B.C. later Saturday night.
The loss tarnished the debut by Toronto quarterback Dalton Bell, who replaced the injured Cleo Lemon (concussion) to make his first-ever pro start. Bell, traded to the Argos in the off-season by Saskatchewan, did a nice job of managing the game in the first half but only mustered 158 passing yards and lost a key fumble in the fourth after being sacked by Saskatchewan’s Keith Shologan.
Marcus Adams recovered and rumbled five yards to the Toronto 22. That set up Luca Congi’s 22-yard field goal at 9:00 that put the Riders ahead 27-16.
Bell was also the beneficiary of the return of tailback Cory Boyd, who missed the last two games due to a concussion. Boyd ran for 145 yards — his fifth 100-yard game of the year — to boost his season total to 1,048 yards and regain the CFL rushing lead.
Toronto (6-7) remains tied for second in the East Division with Hamilton (6-6), which faces Edmonton (3-9) at Commonwealth Stadium on Sunday.
Toronto’s Justin Medlock added a convert and three field goals.
Chris Getzlaf had Saskatchewan’s other touchdown. Congi booted two field goals and three converts.
Durant capped his impressive opening half with a 16-yard TD strike to Getzlaf at 13:08 of the second quarter to stake Saskatchewan to a 17-13 halftime lead. Durant was 19-of-21 passing for 182 yards and also added 31 yards rushing on four carries in the opening two quarters.
But the combination of Bell and Boyd proved to be a formidable one for Toronto. Bell was impressive with his poise and pocket presence in the opening half, completing 7-of-10 passes for 64 yards. He also ran twice for 20 yards, including a 12-yard scamper to record the Argos’ lone TD of the game in the first.
More importantly, Bell did a great job of taking what Saskatchewan gave him and not forcing matters. And that was crucial as Durant and Co., also had no turnovers and keeping pace was a major reason why Toronto was able to stay within striking distance.
Boyd was an offensive force with 98 yards on 11 carries, surpassing the 1,000-yard rushing plateau in just his 11th game of the season. Boyd’s biggest play was a 49-yard run on a third-and-one gamble in the opening quarter that set up Bell’s TD.
And after Getzlaf’s TD put Saskatchewan ahead 17-10, Bell engineered a nice seven-play, 59-yard drive that culminated with Medlock’s 15-yard field goal on the half’s final play.