TORONTO — Lirim Hajrullahu gave the Montreal Alouettes the boot Saturday night.
Hajrullahu kicked a CFL record-tying eight field goals to lift the Toronto Argonauts to a 37-31 win over the Montreal Alouettes.
"I did not know eight was the record," Hajrullahu said. "We knew this was a tough opponent and we wanted to come out and get that (win).
"The East is heating up and so are we."
Hajrullahu's 27-yard field goal — his club record-tying seventh — at 12:43 of the fourth put Toronto ahead 34-31. Montreal took over at its 34-yard line with 2:10 remaining but turned the ball over on downs at its 39-yard line with 1:24 to play before an announced BMO Field gathering of 14,856.
That set up Hajrullahu's 37-yard kick at 14:11 that put Toronto up 37-31. It tied the CFL record set in 1984 by Dave Ridgway and later tied by Mark McLoughlin and Paul Osbaldiston (both in 1996).
Montreal began its final possession at midfield but Tyshon Blackburn's interception with 22 seconds remaining ended the threat and cementing the win for Toronto.
Toronto (8-7) earned its second win in three contests this season against Montreal (11-3-1). The Alouettes clinched first in the East — and home field for the division final — with the Ottawa Redblacks' 29-16 road loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders earlier Saturday.
But Montreal linebacker Darnell Sankey said that was the furthest thing from the Alouettes' mind on Saturday.
"We were going out there to win a football game," said Sankey, who had six tackles and a sack. "We're not going to use that as an excuse, we didn't come out and play our best game, for whatever reason.
"Props to Toronto … they came out and executed their game plan better than we did. They were the better team tonight."
Toronto moved to within a point of second-place Ottawa (8-6-1) in the East Division and four points ahead of fourth-place Hamilton (6-9). The Argos host the Redblacks on Oct. 19.
"Lirim was huge, you've got to make those kicks," said Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie. "(But) we've got to finish in the red zone.
"We can't have eight field goals. I know it tied a record but I'd settle for one to score some touchdowns."
Toronto's offence rolled up 517 net yards, including 234 yards rushing. Ka'Deem Carey led the way with 90 yards and a touchdown on 13 carries while adding three catches for 49 yards.
"This (win) is huge," Carey said. "This could turn our season around and I'm going to make sure it turns our season around."
Makai Polk had five receptions for a game-high 103 yards for Toronto. Starter Chad Kelly was 19-of-30 passing for 287 yards and an interception.
"Disappointing we didn't run the ball well enough on second down," Dinwiddie said. "We knew Montreal would let us run on first down, they wanted to get us in that second-and-five, do you pass it or do you run it?
"We didn't move the chains as much as I wanted on second down but I have to go look at it. We didn't play a great football game, we played good enough to win but we've got to continue to get better."
Montreal came in allowing a CFL-low 19.6 offensive points per game but was ranked eighth against the run (112.1 yards per game). Toronto had the CFL's second-ranked ground attack (118.4 yards per game).
Alouettes' quarterback Cody Fajardo completed 20-of-29 passes for 225 yards with two touchdowns and an interception. Cole Spieker recorded three catches for 99 yards and a TD.
Montreal made it 31-31 on Dominque Davis's one-yard TD run at 8:45 of the fourth, then Fajardo's pass to Tyler Snead for the two-point convert. Hajrullahu's 35-yard field goal at 3:15 had put Toronto ahead 31-23.
Deonta McMahon scored Toronto's other touchdown. Hajrullahu also had a convert.
James Letcher Jr. and Walter Fletcher had Montreal's other touchdowns. Jose Maltos added three converts and two singles.
Hajrullahu's 49-yard field goal to end the half made it 22-22 and capped a wild finish to the second. Letcher's 100-yard punt-return TD at 14:42 put Montreal ahead 22-19 after Fajardo's 35-yard TD pass to Spieker at 13:27, and Maltos' ensuing 84-yard kickoff single cut Toronto's lead to 19-15.
Toronto dominated the opening half, rushing for 155 yards and holding the ball for more than 20 minutes. However, it managed just one touchdown and five times had to settle for field goals.
Carey had Toronto's lone TD of the half on a five-yard run at 10:00 that put the Argos ahead 19-7. It capped a solid seven-play, 90-yard march.
Fajardo put Montreal ahead 7-3 with a 10-yard TD strike to Fletcher at 6:30. It was set up by Dionte Ruffin's 27-yard interception return to Toronto's 10-yard line in a light drizzle.
UP NEXT
Alouettes: Bye week.
Argonauts: Bye week.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 28, 2024.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press