Jul 27, 2007, 3:20 GMT
Toronto, ON - Brian Bratton returned a punt 79 yards for a touchdown with 1:36 remaining, as the Montreal Alouettes beat the injury- riddled Toronto Argonauts in an East Division showdown at Rogers Centre.
Anthony Calvillo completed 12-of-22 passes for 120 yards with a score for the Alouettes (2-3), who got a huge game from Damon Duval. The kicker hit three field goals and three singles as Montreal moved into a second place tie with Toronto in the division.
Elijah Thurmon hauled in the only touchdown for the Alouettes, who host the Argonauts next week at Molson Stadium in the back end of the home-and-home series.
The Mike McMahon experiment, meanwhile, came to a grinding halt for Toronto (2-3). The former NFL quarterback, who had a CFL debut to forget last week, went 0-for-2 on pass attempts and was intercepted once before giving way to veteran Damon Allen in the first quarter. Allen finished 21-for-31 for 216 yards and a touchdown.
The news wasn't all bad for the Argos, however, as slotback Derrell Mitchell established an all-time Argos record for career receiving yards. He accomplished the feat when he hauled in a 28-yard pass from Allen in the first quarter, giving him 8,797 receiving yards with Toronto. The old mark of 8,772 was set by Paul Masotti, who suited up for the club from 1988 to 1999.
Toronto also got a huge game from John Avery. The running back, who started in place of the injured Jamel White, passed the century mark by rushing for 105 yards on 20 carries. He also added three receptions for 35 yards.
Duval's 64-yard single put the Alouettes on the board in the first quarter.
The defense then got in on the action when when Chip Cox intercepted McMahon's third pass attempt of the game. After a three-yard run by Jarrett Payton, Calvillo connected with Thurmon in the end zone at 9:14 to give Montreal an 8-0 lead.
Toronto pulled within one with 1:45 to play in the period when Allen's 12-yard touchdown pass to Jeff Johnson capped an eight-play, 94-yard scoring drive.
Duval, however, booted field goals of 40, 41 and eight yards in the second quarter to make it 17-7.
Another Duval single in the third gave the Alouettes a 10-point lead, but Toronto cut into the margin with a pair of field goals by Noel Prefontaine. His first attempt, a 32-yarder, made it 18-10 in the third, while a 37-yarder at 2:31 in the fourth made it a five-point contest following a controversial call.
A diving catch by Arland Bruce was eventually ruled incomplete, though the repolay showed Bruce actually had his hands under the ball before he hit the ground. Toronto challenged the play, but the original call stood, and Prefontaine capped the 13-play, 83-yard drive with the field goal.
Montreal finally shut the door when Duval hit another single, and the 79-yard punt return by Bratton inside of two minutes remaining slammed the door on any hopes of an Argos comeback.
Game Notes
Montreal's Ben Cahoon caught one pass, which was the 706th reception of his career, tying him with Rocky DiPietro for eighth on the CFL all-time reception list...Avery is the first Argonaut to have a 100-yard rushing game since he accomplished the feat on October 21, 2004 when he rushed for 136 yards against Edmonton...Payton, the son of former NFL great Walter Payton, made his CFL regular-season debut at tailback for the Alouettes.
© 2007 The Sports Network
Game Notes.
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