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Edmonton Eskimos running back Travon Van gives a straight arm to Hamilton Tiger-Cats defensive back Will Hill during first half CFL football action in Hamilton, Ont., on July 20, 2017.Dave Chidley/The Canadian Press

Edmonton quarterback Mike Reilly threw three touchdown passes as the Eskimos erased a 12-point deficit to remain undefeated with a 31-28 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Thursday night.

Reilly hit Vidal Hazelton for a 15-yard TD pass with 23 seconds left in the game to go ahead for good. Hazelton had also made a 30-yard catch earlier in the drive.

Hamilton had one final chance to march back down the field but Kenneth Ladler intercepted a Zach Collaros pass to seal the victory.

Edmonton (4-0) is first in the West Division and the only remaining undefeated team in the CFL.

Hamilton (0-4) is last in the East Division and the only remaining winless team. The last time Hamilton started the season 0-4 it was 2007 and Jason Maas was the Ticats' quarterback.

Bryant Mitchell, Travon Van, and Cory Watson also scored touchdowns for Edmonton. Luke Tasker and Geoff Hughes scored for Hamilton.

Hamilton kicker Sergio Castillo was good on all four field-goal attempts, one from 18, two from 46 and one from 40 yards.

Edmonton kicker Sean Whyte hit a 40-yard field goal, but had a rough night with a missed convert and a blocked punt.

Reilly completed 27-of-37 pass attempts for 350 yards. Collaros completed 22-of-36 pass attempts for 249 yards, one touchdown pass and two interceptions.

Reilly came into the game with 17,099 career passing yards and needed just 27 yards to move ahead of Maas, now Edmonton head coach, for 38th all-time. He did that in the first quarter with a 13-yard pass to Mitchell.

Hamilton had a 15-13 lead to start the third. Edmonton's opening drive stalled at its own 46 and Ticat Terrell Davis blocked Whyte's punt, leaving the linebacker Hughes to scoop it up and run in for the five-yard score and a 22-13 lead. Castillo's 45-yard field goal made it 25-13 on Hamilton's next possession.

Reilly finished off an 87-yard drive early in the fourth with a 34-yard TD pass to Watson, pulling to 25-20. The drive included a second-and-22 conversion that resulted in Hamilton DB Keon Lyn being carted off the field with a knee injury, and it seemed the tide had turned. Whyte's 40-yarder with 6:35 left made it 25-23.

Castillo hit a 37-yarder with 1:17 left in the game to make it 28-23. But that gave the Esks too much time for the game-winning drive.

In the game's opening series, Castillo's 18-yarder gave Hamilton a 3-0 lead, highlighted by a 40-yard run by Ross Scheuerman. The Ticats had been averaging 41 rushing yards per game entering Thursday.

A conceded safety by Edmonton's Whyte and a 46-yarder by Castillo made it 8-0 for Hamilton midway through the first.

But Reilly marched the Esks 75 yards in the final five minutes, completing all six pass attempts and hitting Mitchell for the 29-yard TD catch-and-run. Whyte missed the convert and the quarter ended with the Ticats up 8-6.

The teams exchanged TDs late in the second quarter. Collaros led a 75-yard scoring drive, aided by Mike Jones' 30-yard reception and three Edmonton penalties. Collaros hit Tasker in the end zone at third-and-two for the 15-6 lead and 2:24 on the clock.

Edmonton then drove 78 yards in 1:43 and Van ran it in from two yards out. With Whyte's convert, the Esks pulled to 15-13 at halftime.

The CFL’s new commissioner says the market for Canadian football in Toronto needs to be rebuilt 'brick by brick.' Randy Ambrosie replaces Jeffrey Orridge, who resigned last month.

The Canadian Press

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