Ray throws four TD strikes to rally Argos past rival Ticats 39-34

TORONTO – Ricky Ray threw four TD passes to rally the Toronto Argonauts to a wild 39-34 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night in the CFL season opener for both teams.

Ray’s 10-yard touchdown toss to Dontrell Inman at 9:49 of the fourth quarter staked Toronto to a 39-34 lead. Kicker Swayze Waters booted the convert after being injured on the second-half kickoff. Fullback Alexander Robinson handled kick off duties afterward.

The best news for Toronto was a defence that struggled all night then came up with a huge stop, sacking Ticats’ quarterback Henry Burris to force Hamilton to punt with three minutes remaining. The Argos got the ball at their own 15-yard line and drove it 37 yards before Inman’s 27-yard punt gave the Ticats the ball at their 44-yard line with 30 seconds left.

Burris drove Hamilton to the Toronto 13-yard line on completions to Greg Ellingston and Onrea Jones but C.J. Gable dropped a screen pass that had he held on to had a clear path to the end zone. That gave the Ticats one last hope with three seconds left at the Argos’ eight-yard line following a penalty, but Andy Fantuz couldn’t hold on to Burris’s throw in the end zone.