Tale of Two Halves: ‘Cats claw back in record-setting Labour Day Classic

HAMILTON – If you were looking for a showcase of two of the premier quarterbacks in the CFL, you got one on Labour Day Monday when Ricky Ray and Zach Collaros opened up the first of a home-and-home series. The two quarterbacks combined for 744 yards and 7 touchdowns on the day. The 85 combined points is also the highest scoring Labour Day game in history between the two clubs.
Collaros out-dueled Ray with a second-half comeback that secured a 49-36 Hamilton Tiger-Cats win over the Toronto Argonauts to close out Mark’s Labour Day.
After the Argonauts owned the second quarter on the strength of four turnovers, Collaros and the ‘Cats took over the second half, erasing a two-score deficit. The Ticats also benefited from a 122-yard receiving night from Luke Takser and a 117-yard performance from RB CJ Gable on the ground.

The Tiger-Cats, who kept pace earlier in the year without Collaros, have been a different team since their starting quarterback returned from injury and the former Argo flexed his muscle early.
Hamilton elected to take the ball first and Collaros marched down the field with ease, completing four straight passes, including a 39-yarder to Tasker to put the Ticats inside the Argos 5 yard line. Backup Jeremiah Masoli punched it on a sneak to finish off a touchdown drive that took 4:05 off the play clock.
The Argonauts have had a history of falling behind early on Labour Day in hostile territory in recent years so opening with positive production on their first drive was critical. Although they didn’t match the major, Ray completed all five of his passes, including a 21-yarder to SB Anthony Coombs to set up a 41-yard field goal to cut the Hamilton lead to 7-3.
With the Argos offence calming things down, the defence took the opportunity to help turn the tide. Setting up a second half that would be defined by four straight forced turovers.
With the Tiger-Cats driving, free safety Thomas Gordon came off the edge and got to Collaros. In doing so, he stripped the ball loose, scooped up his own fumble and raced 57 yards untouched to the endzone for the major and an Argos lead.

Four plays later the Argos defensive backs got into it, with veteran national DB Matt Black intercepting an errant Collaros pass that was intended for WR Terrence Toliver. The Argos looked to have put another major on the board but an illegal interference call on Diontae Spencer and a big sack by Hamilton DT Ted Laurent pushed Toronto back and they settled for a Lirim Hajrullahu field goal from 30 yards out.
The swarming Argos defence did not stop there, forcing yet another fumble on the third consecutive possession. Veteran linebacker Brandon Isaac stripped Chad Owens of the football and recovered his own force and the Boatmen capitalized.
A few plays later, Ray threw a 12-yard pass up for Tori Gurley who came down with the catch and increased the lead to 20-7.
Three more plays from scrimmage and one more turnover forced by the Boatmen, this one by receiver Brian Jones who blocked a Brett Maher punt which led to a Ray 6-yard touchdown pass to Brandon Whitaker a few plays later.
With the Ticats in need of stopping the bleeding, they turned to their ground game to get momentum pointed back in their direction. Inside their own territory, RB CJ Gable split through the teeth of the Argo defence and tore off a career-high 53-yard run to set the Ticats inside the Argos 5 yard line. Brandon Banks took a swing pass on the next play for a 3-yard touchdown to cut into the Argonauts lead and put the Ticats back in it.
Ray calmly responded by hitting Kenny Shaw on a corner route for a 42 yard gain to respond. Hajrullahu kicked a 38-yarder and the Ticats knocked through a 31-yarder of their own to close out the half with Toronto up 30-17.
Despite the turnovers, both Collaros and Ray both completed over 80 per cent of their first half passes.
After opening the third with a defensive stand, the Tiger-Cats crept back in to the game, aided by a pass interference call on AJ Jefferson that ate up yards. Two big runs by CJ Gable later and Collaros found Toliver in the front of the endzone to cap the drive with a major.
Ray, who was sharp all night answered Collaros and the ‘Cats by leading a drive and delivering a strike to Gurley who stretched out and kept a foot in bounds for his second touchdown of the game. A two-point conversion failed and the Argos stood with a 36-24 lead with 5:27 remaining in the third frame.
Despite the first half woes, Collaros settled in, despite the Argos’ counterpunches. He answered the Gurley touchdown with an 85-yard drive that produced a 39-yard TD pass to Tasker to put Hamilton within five.
Ray immediately got the Argos back in position to score but a hurry from Adrian Tracey forced Ray to make his first mistake of the day, overthrowing SB Andre Durie and tossing a pass into the hands of Ticats DB Courtney Stephen.
The teams traded drives but the field was flipped in Hamilton’s favour. Collaros went to work with Owens who came down with a huge first down and then hauled in a 10-yard touchdown. That, combined with a two-point conversion pass to Andy Fantuz, gave the Ticats their first lead since the first quarter, up 39-36 with 8:46 remaining.
Owens’ touchdown was his fifth of the season – the second against his former team – in his 100th career game.
That seemed to spark the Ticats defence who got to Ray once more on the next drive and his throw fell into the hands of DB Emanuel Davis who took the pick back for the major and opened the biggest Hamilton lead of the game, 46-26.
Stuck 10 and with penalties derailing any momentum they tried to gain back, the Argos took a shot to get back in it when they attempted a pass to Gurley on third down and 18 yards to go with 3:02 remaining. The ball fell incomplete in tight coverage which all but sealed it for the Tiger-Cats.
The two heated rivals will go at it again next week when the scene switches to BMO Field next Sunday at 4:30pm ET.