Starting quarterback Ray, Glenn both hurt in Stampeders’ 32-14 win over Argos

TORONTO – Kevin Glenn threw two first-half TD passes before joining Calgary’s lengthy list of walking wounded as the Stampeders beat the Toronto Argonauts 35-14 on Friday night in a rematch of last year’s Grey Cup game.

Glenn, starting with incumbent Drew Tate (arm) out, left with an undisclosed injury at 1:06 of the fourth quarter after being taken down by Toronto tackle Khalif Mitchell. Third-stringer Bo Levi Mitchell took over and scored on an 11-yard run at 4:04 to put Calgary (6-2) ahead 29-14, set up by Jonathan Hefney’s 36-yard return of Chad Owens’ fumble.

Glenn threw second-quarter TD passes to Marquay McDaniel and Tim Hawthorne to stake Calgary to a 21-14 half-time lead after Toronto (5-3) lost starter Ricky Ray.

Ray suffered a shoulder injury at 8:41 of the first after being hit by Charleston Hughes. He will be evaluated Saturday.

Ray completed his first five passes before a Rogers Centre gathering of 21,157, including a 19-yard TD strike to Jason Barnes at 5:10 to open the scoring. Ray, who guided Toronto past Calgary 35-22 in the 100th Grey Cup game last November at Rogers Centre, capped an eight-play, 65-yard march set up by Cleyon Laing’s recovery of McDaniel’s fumble following a 29-yard reception on the game’s first offensive play.

Ray returned to Toronto’s bench in the third and wasn’t wearing a shoulder harness.

He came into the contest having completed 64-of-73 passes (87.7 per cent) for 851 yards and eight touchdowns over his three previous starts. He was the CFL’s offensive player of the week after finishing 30-of-35 passing for 413 yards and three TDs in a 36-33 home win over Edmonton on Sunday.

Sophomore Zach Collaros, who led Toronto past B.C. 38-12 on July 30 when Ray had a knee injury, took over and was 16-of-26 passing for 221 yards and an interception.

But Calgary has injury issues of its own. In addition to both Glenn and Tate being hurt, the Stampeders played without veteran slotback Nik Lewis (fractured fibula), receiver Maurice Price (ankle), offensive lineman Dimitri Tsoumpas (concussion) and running back Jon Cornish (thigh contusion).

Glenn finished 14-of-20 passing for 228 yards and the two TDs.

Despite that, Calgary earned its fifth straight win over an East Division team and beat Toronto for the first time in six regular-season meetings. Kicker Rene Paredes booted three field goals but had his CFL record-streak end at 39 when he missed from 22 yards in the fourth for a single.

Rene also had three converts while the other points came on two safeties.

Barnes and Curtis Steele had Toronto’s touchdowns. Noel Prefontaine added the converts.

Glenn was 9-of-14 passing for 172 yards in the first half. His 30-yard TD to Hawthorne at 13:44 of the second gave Calgary its seven-point half-time advantage as the Stampeders outscored Toronto 21-7 after Ray’s departure.

Toronto tied it 14-14 on Steele’s two-yard TD run after McDaniel’s 20-yard touchdown catch capped a six-play, 68-yard drive at 7:37. After Barnes’ opening TD, Toronto surrendered two safeties to pull the Stampeders to within 7-4 in the first.

NOTES: Toronto honoured members of the ’83 Grey Cup-winning team at halftime. The victory in 1983 ended Toronto’s 31-year Grey Cup drought . . . . Toronto linebacker Marcus Ball was a late scratch. Linebacker Major Culbert was promoted from the practice roster to take Ball’s spot . . Calgary GM/coach John Hufnagel is the league’s longest tenured head coach, joining the Stampeders prior to the ’08 season . . . Ray made his 169th career start while Glenn started his 145th career contest.