THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO – Dahrran Diedrick’s touchdown on the game’s final play earned the Montreal Alouettes a wild 37-30 victory over the Toronto Argonauts on Friday night.
Argos receiver and return specialist Chad Owens was once again a one-man wrecking crew versus the Als, recording a touchdown and generating 234 return yards.
The play was set up by Damon Duval’s 36-yard field goal attempt to win the game that sailed wide right. Toronto’s Mike Bradwell booted the ball out of the end zone but Duval kicked it back in, looking to score a single point.
Argo Grant Shaw tried to kick the bouncing ball out again, but couldn’t and in a mad scramble, Diedrick managed to register the recovery, much to the disdain of the 22,427 gathered at Rogers Centre.
Even the officials seemed unsure as the play went to the replay booth for a final consultation before it was ruled the result would stand.
Duval’s boot was set up by Etienne Boulay’s interception off a James Robinson deflection with 1:04 remaining. And it ended an amazing fourth for the Als, who mounted two 90-plus yard scoring drives to pull into a 30-30 tie.
Duval capped a 16-play, 99-yard drive with an 11-yard field goal at 9:42 before Calvillo hit Kerry Watkins on a 54-yard TD strike with 1:42 remaining to end a six-play, 94-yard march.
With the loss, Toronto (8-9) can finish no higher than third in the East Division. So the Argos will travel to Hamilton to face the arch-rival Tiger-Cats in the conference semifinal Nov. 14.
The winner will face Montreal (12-5) in the East Division final Nov. 21. The Alouettes got back on the winning track following an embarrassing 40-3 thumping in Hamilton last week and initially looked like they were going to easily handle the Argos, surging into a 14-0 first-quarter lead.
But Toronto managed to hang around and stay close, in part due to a stellar performance by special-teams ace Chad Owens, whose brilliant returns consistently gave the Argos solid field position. However, a costly fumble in the first that led to a Montreal TD took some of the lustre off Owens’ night.
The exciting first-year Argo put the home team ahead 23-20 with a 14-yard TD grab at 10:17 of the third. He brought fans to their feet again with a 70-yard punt return TD but it was called back due to an illegal block with 3:06 left in the quarter.
It didn’t matter, though, as CFL rushing leader Cory Boyd scored on a 33-yard run at 13:30 to give Toronto a 30-20 lead.
Toronto had a glorious chance to cement the win late in the third when Evan McCollough’s 42-yard fumble return put the home team at the Montreal nine-yard line. But on second-and-goal from the five, Lemon forced a ill-advised throw to Reggie McNeal that Mark Estelle intercepted in the end zone as the quarter ended.
And that came back to haunt Toronto as Montreal countered with the 99-yard drive to pull to within a TD.
Ben Cahoon and Avon Cobourne had Montreal’s touchdowns. Duval booted four converts and three field goals.
Bradwell had Toronto’s other touchdown. Noel Prefontaine had three converts and three field goals.
Lemon’s 10-yard TD strike to Bradwell at 13:39 of the second cut Montreal’s half-time lead to 17-16. It was set up by a 63-yard return off a missed field goal by Owens, who had a hand in three of the Argos’ biggest first-half plays.
It was Owens’ fumble on a punt return, recovered by Montreal’s Kerry Carter, that set up the Als’ first TD. Calvillo hit Cahoon on a 15-yard pass on the first play after the turnover at 3:46.
Calvillo’s 61-yard completion to Jamel Richardson set up his second TD strike, a four-yard toss to Cobourne at 8:41 to put Montreal ahead 14-0. Owens registered a 62-yard punt return in the second, with only a brilliant effort by Chip Cox saving the TD.
Cox’s play took special significance as all Toronto could muster was Prefontaine’s 27-yard field goal at 5:03 that cut Montreal’s lead to 17-9.
Notes: Owens surpassed 1,000 yards in punt returns with his 62-yard effort. He’s just the fifth player in CFL history to have more than 1,000 yards in both kickoff and punt returns in a season. … Montreal’s lineup was bolstered by the return of Duval and Watkins from injury and kick-returner Larry Taylor from the NFL’s New York Jets, although Taylor seemed to suffer a leg injury after returning the opening kickoff. … The Argos went with the same lineup that won in Winnipeg last week.