Argos player Brandon Whitaker runs the ball against the Alouettes’ Alan-Michael Cash during the first half of Monday’s game at BMO Field.MARK BLINCH/Reuters
Ricky Ray threw three TD passes as the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Montreal Alouettes 30-17 for their first regular-season win at BMO Field on Monday night.
Toronto (3-2) earned the victory after dropping its first two games at its new stadium. The Argos became the first East Division team to win at home this season and moved into a second-place tie with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-2).
CFL road teams are still a dominant 14-5-1 this year.
Montreal (1-3) suffered its third straight loss and first in two road games.
Ray's TD passes give him 80 in his Toronto tenure, moving him into sole possession of second all-time behind Condredge Holloway (97). Ray left at 10:16 of the fourth quarter and didn't return after Montreal defensive lineman Vaughn Martin rolled into his left knee.
Ray finished 29-of-34 passing for 235 yards and the three TD strikes.
After throwing a 15-yard completion to Anthony Coombs, backup Logan Kilgore was intercepted by Montreal's Aaron Lavarias. Then Alouettes starter Kevin Glenn was injured after being hit by Toronto defensive lineman Justin Hickman.
Glenn, who didn't play in Montreal's 31-7 home loss to Hamilton on July 15 because of an inflamed eye, was replaced by Rakeem Cato. But all the Alouettes managed was a single off Boris Bede's missed 43-yard try — his third of the game — at 7:51, cutting Toronto's advantage to 30-17.
Glenn returned for Montreal's next possession.
Ray's 13-yard touchdown strike to Phil Bates and two-point conversion to Kenny Shaw put Toronto ahead 30-16 just 15 seconds into the fourth. That allowed the 16,048 spectators to exhale after Glenn's 61-yard touchdown pass to Duron Carter at 3:33 of the third cut the Argos' lead to 21-16.
Then after Montreal recovered Coombs' fumble, Glenn drove the offence to the Toronto six-yard line before being intercepted by T.J. Heath, who returned it to the Alouettes' 54-yard line at 7:15. But Lirim Hajrullahu missed from 49 yards out for the single at 10:18, giving the Argos a precarious 22-16 advantage.
Monday's attendance was a dramatic improvement from the 12,373 fans who attended Toronto's 30-20 home loss to Ottawa on July 13. Over 24,000 spectators watched the Argos drop a season-opening 42-20 loss to Hamilton in the first regular-season game at BMO Field.
Coombs, Devon Wylie and Kenny Shaw had Toronto's other touchdowns. Hajrullahu booted the converts.
Brandon Rutley had Montreal's other touchdown. Bede added two converts and three singles.
Touchdown passes from rookie Cody Fajardo and Ray staked Toronto to a 21-9 half-time advantage. Fajardo hit Coombs on a four-yard TD strike at 10:56 after replacing Ray in a second-and-goal situation and throwing his first CFL TD toss to cap a 75-yard, nine-play drive.
Ray found Wylie on a five-yard scoring strike at 14:52 to end a 62-yard, nine-play march. Toronto was helped by two Montreal illegal contact penalties, including one on Billy Parker that erased Jonathon Mincy's end-zone interception.
Toronto was also aided by Bede's missed boots from 40 and 37 yards. And when veteran safety Marc-Olivier Brouillette was hurt in the first, it left the Als with three rookies — cornerbacks Mincy and Ethan Davis and backup safety Dominique Termansen — in their secondary.
Brouillette returned to open the second half.
Rutley's one-yard TD run at 6:22 of the first put Montreal ahead 8-0 after Bede's errant 40-yard field goal try. Toronto made it a one-point game at 2:47 of the second on Ray's 17-yard touchdown pass to Shaw.