TORONTO — The Toronto Argonauts earned a crucial win against the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday night after losing their last four encounters with East Division foes. With the game tied at halftime as well as with 3:37 remaining, not much separated the two teams at BMO Field, but Toronto was able to do just about enough to edge it in the end.
A wide-open first half made up for 44 of the game’s 68 points with both defences then proving troublesome through most of the second half. Lirim Hajrullahu was a difference-maker for the Argos, helping his team to a much-needed result against a side that is used to getting their way on the road.
Here are CFL.ca’s three key stats from the Argonauts’ win over the Alouettes in Week 17.
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8 – LIRIM HAJRULLAHU FIELD GOALS
Including his extra point, Hajrullahu scored a remarkable 25 of Toronto’s 37 points at BMO Field, willing his team to victory through his kicking when the Argos offence couldn’t deliver in the red zone.
Hajrullahu’s eight makes set a single-game franchise record for the Argos and his three field goals in the fourth quarter, including two in the final four minutes, were enough for his team to get over the line.
4/16 – ON SECOND DOWN FOR MONTREAL
Also stepping up on Saturday for the Argos was their defence. Montreal has been productive on the road, but Toronto’s defensive unit came up big against the reigning Grey Cup champs, picking up stop after stop on second down.
The Argos forced their opponent into numerous second-and-longs, forcing Montreal to take chances through the air with their run game struggling.
35:11 – TIME OF POSSESSION FOR TORONTO
There’s winning the possession battle and then there’s dominating it. With Montreal failing to convert on so many second-down opportunities, they only had the football for 24:49 compared to Toronto’s 35:11. That stark contrast gave the Als little chance to get into a flow on offence with so many drives cut short.
Toronto’s strong run game, led by Ka’Deem Carey’s 90-yard performance, helped the Argos hold onto the football for long drives. The Argos finished the game with 234 yards rushing compared to Montreal’s 68.