Argos Fall To Rival Cats In Return Home

Coming home off a successful road trip was supposed to be a recipe for success.  Instead, the Toronto Argonauts couldn’t continue their momentum, falling 33-19 to the rival Hamilton Tiger-Cats in front of a boisterous crowd of 28,467.

It was all Hamilton right from the coin toss, as Henry Burris led his team on an opening 81-yard drive that finished with a 24-yard touchdown pass to Luke Tasker.  That was just the beginning, as Burris completed 19 of 31 attempts for 274 passing yards on the night, and two touchdowns.

For the Argos, Zach Collaros couldn’t bring the momentum from the road back to Rogers Centre.  Despite an 8-for-16 showing in the first half, the Argos couldn’t muster anything until midway through the third quarter, which proved costly.  The Argos also came unglued late, taking some bad penalties down the stretch.

“If you put yourself behind it’s going to catch up,” said head coach Scott Milanovich.  “It was a sloppy performance.”

Perhaps the lone bright spot for the Argonauts came in the third quarter, when Curtis Steele blocked a punt and set the Boatmen up at the Hamilton one-yard line.  Collaros punched home the major, giving the Argos their only touchdown of the night, and briefly swinging momentum their way.  However, that momentum didn’t last long as Hamilton pulled away for good with yet another touchdown drive in the fourth quarter.

The Argonauts did get some good news on the injury front, as star receiver Chad Owens returned to the lineup after missing the last three games with a rib injury.  Owens did not see action on special teams, but he did have six catches for 52 yards.  Quarterback Ricky Ray also dressed for Toronto, and though he was seen throwing on the sidelines as Collaros struggled, Ray did not see game action.

There was also a historical moment in the first quarter, when Henry Burris passed Ron Lancaster to move into fourth place on the CFL’s all-time passing list.  Burris has now thrown for 50,500 career yards in Canada.

Toronto and Hamilton continue their historic rivalry on Thanksgiving Monday with a rematch in Guelph.