Jeff Mathews will get the start at quarterback for the Toronto Argonauts in Week 8 against the Montreal Alouettes.
Mathews, who signed with the Argos as a free agent this past February, will lead the offence in the first game of a back-to-back series with the Als as Ricky Ray heads to the one-game injured list.
Ray, the CFL’s leader in passing yards (2,421) through seven weeks, suffered a shoulder injury during the third quarter of last week’s loss to the Calgary Stampeders.
Mathews has started five games during his three-year CFL career, all five of which came during his 2015 rookie season with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
In five starts, the Cornell product holds a 2-3 record, including a road win over the Alouettes in his third career start.
| OPP (DATE) | RESULT | CMP-ATT | YDs | TDs-INTs |
| CGY (Oct. 2/15) | L (20-23) | 15-23 | 155 | 0-1 |
| SSK (Oct. 9/15) | W (30-15) | 22-33 | 385 | 3-0 |
| MTL (Oct. 18/15) | W (23-11) | 21-25 | 241 | 1-0 |
| BC (Oct. 23/15) | L (13-40) | 22-32 | 270 | 2-2 |
| OTT (Nov. 1/15) | L (6-12) | 20-35 | 160 | 0-2 |
The Argos (3-4) enter this week’s game atop the East Division standings, holding a one-game lead over the Alouettes, who come out of their first bye week with a 2-4 record.
In three previous games against East Division opponents, the Argos have gone undefeated, posting a home opener win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats before sweeping their two-game season series against the Ottawa Redblacks.