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Argos down Ticats to keep playoff hopes alive

Oct 26, 2014 - 12:01 AM Toronto, ON (SportsNetwork.com) - Steve Slaton tallied 80 rushing yards, 77 receiving yards and a touchdown to lead the Toronto Argonauts to a 26-24 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Rogers Centre.

Slaton did his damage on 16 carries and five receptions for Toronto (7-9), which is a game behind Montreal in the East Division with two games remaining. Ricky Ray completed 24-of-36 passes for 323 yards with a touchdown and an interception in the triumph.

For Hamilton (7-9), Zach Collaros was 24-of-36 passing for 335 yards, three touchdowns and a pick. Collaros' favorite target was Luke Tasker, who hauled in nine passes for 138 yards and a score.

On Hamilton's first drive, Collaros was called for intentional grounding in the end zone to give Toronto a 2-0 lead.

Swayze Waters kicked a pair of field goals in the first quarter for the Argos, a 36-yarder and a 22-yarder. At the tail end of the opening frame, Ray hooked up with Slaton for a 22-yard scoring strike to give the hosts a 15-0 lead.

The Ticats got on the board midway through the second quarter when Collaros tossed a 50-yard touchdown to Luke Tasker.

Hamilton made Toronto pay after the Argos lost a fumble early in the third quarter when Collaros completed a 43-yard touchdown pass to Samuel Giguere to get to within one, 15-14.

The Ticats took their first lead of the game with under two minutes left in the third quarter on a 27-yard touchdown pass from Collaros to Brandon Banks. The drive started on their own 1-yard line, making it the first 109-yard touchdown drive in the CFL this season.

Toronto got within three, 21-18, following a 29-yard field goal by Waters with 11:46 to play in the game. It was the Argos' first points since the first quarter.

After the Ticats went two-and-out, Toronto regained the lead, 25-21, with just over five minutes left when Mitchell Gale rushed in a 1-yard touchdown. The score came after Hamilton jumped offsides on third down to give Toronto a fresh set to work with.

Justin Medlock booted a 45-yard field goal with 2:31 to play to bring the Ticats' deficit to one, 25-24.

"It's been like that this year, coming from behind," Ray said. "Offensively we didn't play well early in the game, (but) Slaton was outstanding."

Game Notes

Toronto faces off against Montreal on Nov. 2 in a crucial bout, while Hamilton will try to get back on track against last-place Ottawa on Oct. 31 ... In the event that Toronto and Hamilton finish the season tied in the standings, the Argos would hold the tiebreaker having won the season series, 2-1 ... Hamilton's Courtney Stephen led all players with eight tackles ... Maurice Mann (four receptions, 75 yards), Chad Owens (six receptions, 56 yards) and John Chiles (four receptions, 54 yards) all had solid performances for the Argos' passing game.