THE CANADIAN PRESS
MONTREAL – Victor Anderson and Trent Guy each scored two touchdowns as the Alouettes tightened their grip on first place in the CFL East Division on Sunday with a 31-10 victory over the Toronto Argonauts, who lost quarterback Ricky Ray to injury in the first quarter.
Montreal (8-4), with its sixth win in seven games, moved four points clear of second-place Toronto (6-6). The Argonauts missed a chance to tie the Alouettes and win the season series between the clubs. They meet again Oct. 18 in Toronto.
Ray left late in the opening quarter after he collided with a teammate while completing a pass to Jeff Johnson. There was no immediate word on his condition.
Veteran Jarious Jackson played the rest of the way and made some sharp throws but was unable to get the ball into the end zone.
Sean Whyte added a field goal for Montreal while Toronto got a safety and kicker Swayze Waters booted two field goals and two singles. Waters also missed on two attempts.
Anderson was in the spotlight in his first start since it was announced that star running Brandon Whitaker would miss the rest of the season with a knee injury. He didn’t take long to make his mark, taking a pass over the middle to dash 40 yards for a touchdown only 3:56 into the game.
It was the fourth straight game Montreal scored on its opening drive and the league-leading sixth time this season. They have not allowed a first-possession TD in seven consecutive games.
After Toronto wasted a field goal chance on a botched snap, Montreal answered with Whyte’s 12-yard boot.
When Jackson came in he immediately connected 38 yards with Dontrelle Inman to set up Waters’ 34-yard field goal.
Three catches by Brandon London, who returned after missing two games, set the stage for Guy’s nine-yard TD catch late in the second quarter. The Argos answered with a field goal to make it 17-6 at the half.
The Argos opened the second half with a strong drive, but Waters’ 41-yard field goal attempt went wide left and Guy got it at the very back of the end zone, dropped and recovered the ball, then ran it 129 yards up the right sideline for a touchdown.
It was Montreal’s first special teams TD of the season and broke Tim Maypray’s 2010 team record of 118 yards for missed FG return.
A 47-yard Anthony Calvillo pass to S.J. Green set up Anderson’s 40-yard TD run late in the third quarter. Green passed the 1,000-yard mark in receiving yards for a second straight season.
Toronto’s Chad Owens passed 1,000-yard mark in receptions for the first time. He is the first Argo to top 1,000 receiving yards since Arland Bruce in 2008. Owens came just short of reaching the 3,000 all-purpose yards mark for the third time.
Calvillo got the 192 yards he needed to extend his CFL career passing yards record past 77,000.
In the second quarter, Guy was grabbed and thrown down by a lock of his extra-long hair by Mike Bradwell. A flag was thrown, then overturned, as there is no penalty for tackling by the hair.
