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Ray's big day lifts Argonauts over Eskimos

Aug 19, 2013 - 2:32 AM Toronto, ON (Sports Network) - Ricky Ray lit up the Edmonton Eskimos for 413 yards and three touchdowns through the air, and the Toronto Argonauts took over in the second half en route to a 36-33 shootout win Sunday night.

Ray, who played nine seasons in Edmonton from 2002-11, completed all but five of his 35 pass attempts and connected with John Chiles, Chad Owens and Jason Barnes for scores.

Chiles finished with 135 yards on five receptions, while Owens had nine grabs for 102 yards in the fourth straight win for the Eastern Division-leading Argonauts (5-2).

Mike Reilly also had eye-popping passing numbers, but they came in a losing cause as the Eskimos (1-6) dropped their fifth straight game. Reilly threw for a whopping 511 yards with three scores on 35-of-46 passes, with Fred Stamps hauling in six balls for 172 yards and a TD.

"The loss is devastating to this team. They fought very hard," Edmonton head coach Kavis Reed said. "We put ourselves behind and we had to fight back."

Toronto took control with 16 consecutive points in the third quarter. Ray hooked up with Chiles for a 31-yard score early, and after Edmonton conceded a safety, Owens caught a 6-yard TD for a 33-16 Argonauts cushion.

Edmonton made it interesting with a single early in the fourth quarter followed by Shamawd Chambers' 22-yard touchdown catch over a defender.

Grant Shaw's 30-yard field goal pulled the Eskimos within 33-26, but Noel Prefontaine sealed the outcome with a 26-yard field goal with 65 seconds to play.

Reilly and Stamps capped their big day with a 34-yard TD with one second remaining.

"We'd never complain about a win, but we had a chance to put them away and we didn't," Toronto head coach Scott Milanovich said. "There's not one single guy in (the locker room) satisfied."

Toronto struck three minutes into the game. On 3rd-and-1 from Edmonton's 45- yard line, Zach Collaros was under center, rolled right and found a wide open Zander Robinson, who rumbled up the sideline untouched for a major.

The Eskimos moved the ball effectively on their first three possessions but settled for field goals each time, with Shaw's 40-yarder early in the second quarter giving the visitors a 9-7 lead.

After Ray found Barnes in the back of the end zone for an 8-yard TD, Reilly and Cary Koch connected for a 4-yard score with under two minutes left in the half.

Prefontaine's 20-yard field goal just before the break gave Toronto a 17-16 lead.

Game Notes

Ray completed his first 17 pass attempts to tie a club record for consecutive completions. Ray came into the game with a completion percentage of 76.4 ... Edmonton had won five straight meetings ... Toronto's previous win over the Eskimos came on August 6, 2010 ... These teams meet again in Edmonton on Sept. 28.