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Toronto Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray (15) hoists the trophy with teammates after beating the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL Eastern final, Sunday, November 19, 2017 in Toronto.Frank Gunn/The Canadian Press

The Toronto Argonauts booked a ticket to the Grey Cup by beating the Saskatchewan Roughriders in a dramatic East Division final, 25-21, before the biggest crowd the CFL team has ever drawn to BMO Field.

The Argonauts picked off veteran Saskatchewan pivot Kevin Glenn three times in the first half, and then weathered a fourth-quarter Riders comeback driven by Canadian backup Brandon Bridge, to secure a trip to Ottawa for next Sunday's championship game.

Argos quarterback Ricky Ray completed 28 of 39 passes for 266 yards and a touchdown, and orchestrated one of the more memorable late-game drives of his 13-year CFL career to set up the game-winning TD.

"With everything that was on the line, this one feels pretty good," said Ray, who will attempt to win his fourth Grey Cup. "The defence played well all game, special teams too, but offensively we were struggling quite a bit.

So to be put in that situation and see the guys execute really well, go down and score, it feels awesome right now."

It was a brisk day down by Lake Ontario with winds howling at 54 kilometres an hour for the first Argos playoff game at BMO Field. The Argos had special permission to open the tailgate party early, so grills had been firing and drinks flowing since 9 a.m. A crowd of 24,929 filed into the stadium – the best in two seasons for the Argos there and big for a team that averaged a CFL-low 13,913 in the regular season.

The Riders were trying to become the first team to cross over divisions in the playoffs and make it all the way to the Grey Cup. They struck first with a 16-yard field goal from Tyler Crapigna.

The Argos registered the first touchdown as linebacker Terrance Plummer nabbed a pass Glenn intended for Bakari Grant, and took it 39 yards for a touchdown.The Riders pulled the journeyman quarterback after the first quarter and turned to the Canadian backup.

The 25-year-old Toronto native got a rude awakening quite quickly, facing a thunderous sack on his blind side from hulking Argos defensive end Shawn Lemon.

So Glenn returned to the game and immediately launched another off course, and into the hands of Toronto corner Akwasi Owusu-Ansah.

Ray then threw a deep corner route 17 yards to receiver DeVier Posey for another Argos touchdown.

Glenn tossed a third pick, this one hauled in by halfback Cassius Vaughn. Glenn's half (6-for-13 for 87 yards) had been so rough, that his name was trending on Twitter in Canada.

At the end of a wild half with six total turnovers – Ray threw a pick, too, and his Argonauts fumbled and turned over on downs – the Argos held a 17-3 lead.

Light flurries were flying as the second half opened, and Bridge was back under centre for the Riders.

Lemon got to the young pivot some more in the second half. It was a day when the Argos defence could look up to the stands and call for noise, and a sizable home crowd would deliver.

With nine minutes left in the game, the Riders' comeback began. Bridge orchestrated a drive that included his own 36-yard run and ended with an 11-yard touchdown pass to Duron Carter – the first thrown by a Canadian quarterback in a CFL playoff game since Russ Jackson in the 1969 Grey Cup.

The Riders then added a field goal, then a 79-yard punt return for a touchdown by running back Christian Jones with 2:45 left. Saskatchewan suddenly led 21-18.

Ray had been held in check for most of the day before he then executed a brilliant 10-play, 68-yard drive. It included a perfect pass to James Wilder Jr. on third-and-five and put the Argos on the one-yard line so backup Cody Fajardo could then push it in with 24 seconds left. It made the tense Double Blue faithful roar.

"The defence played as well as it could play in the first half and kept us in the game," said Argos head coach Marc Trestman. "In the second half we didn't do much offensively either until the last play of the game. Ricky Ray is the guy who has driven this whole thing this entire year and he stepped up and the guys around him stepped up."

The season was a remarkable turnaround for a team that went 5-13 a year ago and missed the playoffs before waiting until late February to hire Trestman and new general manager Jim Popp. The Argos will play for their first Grey Cup since 2012, when won it in Toronto.

Toronto Argonauts veteran quarterback Ricky Ray says he welcomes the opportunity to end his career with a Grey Cup win but hasn’t yet made retirement plans. The Argonauts host the Saskatchewan Roughriders Sunday in the CFL East Division final

The Canadian Press

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