It was an unseasonably warm October afternoon. The grounds of Molson Stadium in Montreal were packed with loyal home-grown supporters; meanwhile, a handful of Argo fans were also in attendance, having made the trip up Highway 401 to watch their favourite team do something it hadn’t achieved in a generation.
The Toronto Argonauts faced off with their Quebec rival Montreal Alouettes for an opportunity to clinch the East Division title. The first of a home-and-home series, there was much at stake with the Argos looking to lock up a spot in the East Final. By contrast, the Alouettes were fighting for a chance to keep their division title hopes alive.
The afternoon featured thrilling moments for the Double Blue faithful. After a commanding lead that was relinquished late in the game, a bizarre turn of events brought a wild conclusion and excitement for the Boatmen.
That shouldn’t have come as a surprise to the Argos fans as it had been that kind of season.
Following a home defeat to the lowly Ottawa RedBlacks, the Argos were 3-3 heading into August. Sitting atop a crummy East Division at that point, Toronto went toe-to-toe with Hamilton for a first of a four-game series.
Beginning with the win over Hamilton at BMO Field on August 26th, the lead up to the game in Montreal saw a massive turnaround, with the Argos winning six of seven games.
Most notably, the Argos won the annual Labour Day Classic in stylistic fashion, a 28-8 drubbing with the Double Blue defence technically pitching a shutout (the lone Hamilton score was pick six for a TD). It was Toronto’s first win over Hamilton on Labour Day since the 2012 season.
The tide shifted for the Argos with back-to-back road victories over the RedBlacks in Ottawa and avenging an early season disaster, beating the BC Lions 23-20 in a tight contest at BMO Field. Toronto travelled out west for a back-and-forth affair with the Edmonton Elks at Commonwealth Stadium, escaping with a victory and holding a 10-6 record.
There was much at stake heading into Toronto’s Week 20 showdown with Montreal at Molson Stadium. A win for the Argos would give them the East Division title. For the Alouettes, they were fighting to keep their division title hopes alive, needing a win to force a showdown at BMO Field in the final week of the regular season.
Toronto won the coin toss and decided to defer to the second half. The Double Blue defence held its ground, holding the Als scoreless thanks to an interception by Jonathan Jones on a third-and-four attempt deep in Argos territory and on the next series, a goal line stand, resulting in a turnover on downs.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson and company took charge from their own one-yard line, conducting a seven-play, 109-yard drive across the field to open the scoring. A touchdown reception by Markeith Ambles gave the Argos the early lead. Toronto led 7-3 heading into the break.
Receiving the ball to begin the second half, Toronto went right to work, scoring a touchdown and later sacking Montreal QB Trevor Harris for a safety. The Argos held a 16-6 lead after three quarters.
Big games typically don’t conclude without drama involved. The Als responded by fighting back in the fourth quarter, completing an eight-play drive resulting in a touchdown and later, an Argos turnover led to a five-play drive, resulting in a David Cote 47-yard field goal. The game was tied at 16 with 7:54 to play.
Bethel-Thompson responded with an 11-play drive that milked five and a half minutes off the clock. With the ball on the Montreal one-yard line, Argos backup QB Chad Kelly entered the game, took the snap and plunged into the end zone for the go-ahead touchdown, putting the Argos in front 23-16 with 2:35 to play. The stage was set for another thrilling CFL finish.
It began when Trevor Harris marched the Alouettes down the field to the Toronto nine-yard line. Facing third down and four, Harris tossed a pass into the end zone that was caught by Eugene Lewis for a touchdown, tying the game at 23-23 with 34 seconds remaining in regulation.
With an opportunity to get into field goal range, the Argos responded with a 39-yard drive to set up Boris Bede for a game-winning field goal attempt. It was 47-yards to the goal posts, with the East Division title on the line. A miss could send the game into overtime.
Bede kicked the ball into the air that sailed wide left and out of bounds. The result was a bizarre finish giving the Argos a thrilling walk-off rouge and a 24-23 victory, sealing the East Division title for the second straight season, a feat not accomplished by the Double Blue franchise since the 1996 & 1997 seasons.
Toronto will look to return to the promised land when it hosts Montreal in the Eastern Final on November 13th.