Toronto Argonauts quarterback Trevor Harris throws a pass during second half CFL football action against the Montreal Alouettes in Montreal, Monday, October 12, 2015.Graham Hughes/The Canadian Press
Given the season Trevor Harris and the Toronto Argonauts have endured, it's only fitting the CFL club can clinch a playoff spot away from Rogers Centre.
Toronto (9-5) can punch its post-season ticket Saturday with a 'home' win over the Calgary Stampeders (11-4). The contest will be played at Hamilton's Tim Hortons Field because of scheduling issues at Rogers Centre with the Toronto Blue Jays being in the baseball playoffs.
It will be the third Toronto home game relocated from Rogers Centre this year. The Argos' season-opening 26-11 win over Edmonton came in Fort McMurray, Alta., due to the Pan Am Games and scheduling issues at the domed facility.
A potential scheduling conflict with the Jays forced the Argos to relocate their Oct. 6 game against Ottawa to TD Place, which they won 38-35. On Friday, Toronto announced its Oct. 23 home contest versus Montreal will also be played in Hamilton because of the baseball playoffs.
Toronto's scheduled home game Oct. 30 against B.C. also remains in question but Harris, who has thrown a CFL-high 31 TD passes, said the team is at a point now where it doesn't care where it plays.
"A lot of people might say, 'They're just saying that,' but it really doesn't," he said. "On very rare occasions do you win the Grey Cup at home so you have to put yourself in difficult situations.
"Getting to do that early in the season and throughout the year has been an advantage for us."
Toronto head coach Scott Milanovich said having to play in Hamilton isn't too bad.
"This has been the least invasive road home game we've had," he said. "Guys get to sleep in their beds and it's a fairly normal routine.
"We haven't played very well there, maybe that's the one negative."
The Argos are 0-2 at Tim Hortons Field. They lost 13-12 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the first-ever game at the facility Sept. 1, 2014, then dropped a 42-12 decision there Sept. 7.
"I don't think that has had anything to do with the stadium," Milanovich said. "The Tiger-Cats have been pretty good the last two years since they moved into that stadium.
"It's going to be chilly (Saturday) and our guys getting acclimated to playing in cold weather is good because a lot of times in the playoffs it gets to that point. With so many young players who haven't played in the CFL and never tasted it, it can be a good thing for us to play outdoors."
Calgary coach/GM John Hufnagel, in his final season on the sidelines, needs one more win to hit 100 for his coaching career. Earlier this week, he praised the Argos for succeeding despite their challenges.
"It's a great accomplishment that they've achieved by not allowing the distractions and the inconvenience to affect their play on the field," he told reporters.
The Argos have won three straight and are tied with Hamilton atop the East Division standings. They're 5-2 versus West Division opponents but lost 25-20 to Calgary at McMahon Stadium on July 13.
Grey Cup MVP Bo Levi Mitchell threw for 303 yards and two TDs with an interception. Tailback Jon Cornish ran for 56 yards and a TD on 14 carries while receiver Eric Rogers had six catches for 114 yards and a touchdown.
Cornish (neck) won't play Saturday. Neither will receiver Jeff Fuller (foot), offensive tackle Dan Federkeil (hamstring) and newly acquired running back Jerome Messam.
"Defensively they haven't changed much as far as schematically what they like to do," Milanovich said. "Dickie (Calgary offensive co-ordinator Dave Dickenson) is so diverse in what he does . . . you don't really know what he's going to settle into until you get through a half.
"I anticipate they'll try to run the ball and play-action and take some shots deep and do the things they like to do generally."
Calgary is coming off a 15-11 home loss to Edmonton (11-4) last weekend that gave the Eskimos the season series. But the Stampeders have gone a CFL-record 66 regular-season games without consecutive losses.
Toronto counters with a defence that's recorded 12 sacks in its last three games, which defensive tackle Cleyon Laing credits to unselfish play up front.
"Everyone is working with each other as partners," said Laing, whose eight sacks are second-most on the squad. "We're holding each other accountable, which I think has been a big thing for us."