Roughriders pull out win over Argonauts

On the night before Halloween, a botched trick play by the Toronto Argonauts turned into a savoury treat for the Saskatchewan Roughriders. 

Capitalizing on a turnover in the final minute, Neal Hughes scored a two-yard touchdown with 12 seconds remaining as the Roughriders beat the Argonauts 45-38 at the Rogers Centre on Thursday night.

Toronto tried to fake a punt on third down, but running back Bryan Crawford fumbled the direct snap inside the 40-yard line and Saskatchewan took possession.

"It came up a little high and hard," Crawford said. "Once you bobble it, it is over."

A pass interference penalty to defensive back Jermaine Mays put the Roughriders on the two-yard line with 14 seconds left, and Hughes promptly broke the deadlock.

"That was a called play," Argonauts head coach Don Matthews said of the fake punt.

"The blocking was there. I think it would have gone a fair distance, but the snap was a little hard."

Saskatchewan (12-6) will wrap up second place in the West Division — and home-field advantage in the first round of the CFL playoffs — if the B.C. Lions lose to the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday.

"We know we have got to play B.C. either way," Roughriders quarterback Michael Bishop said.

"To come back and win a game late really does provide some momentum going into the playoffs," Riders head coach Ken Miller said. "It was a good win for us."

Of concern for the Roughriders is the status of running back Wes Cates, who re-aggravated a high ankle sprain.

Toronto (4-14) concluded a miserable campaign on a nine-game losing skid, the last eight under Matthews.

"It was a difficult one to lose," he said. "Nine straight is even harder."

When Matthews was re-hired Sept. 9, he promptly replaced starting quarterback Kerry Joseph with unproven pivot Cody Pickett.

The demotion lasted two games and Joseph played magnificently in the season finale, completing 25 of 38 pass attempts for 307 yards and five touchdowns. 

"Ending on a nine-game losing streak, that is not what I had any thought of coming in here," said Joseph, winless in six starts since regaining No. 1 status.

Joseph captured the Grey Cup and most outstanding player honours with Saskatchewan last season, but he was sent to Toronto in a blockbuster trade on March 5.

However, Thursday's showdown was much more than a Riders reunion for Joseph.

The clash rekindled the rivalry between him and Bishop, who began the season as Joseph's backup in Toronto and ended up traded to the Roughriders on Aug. 23.

Bishop went 11-1 as Toronto's starter last season, but he is notoriously inconsistent.  

"Even though I'm in Saskatchewan, I still talk with a lot of the guys," Bishop said. "I have got a lot of respect for them."

"There is no bad blood between me and anybody on that team. We were down, but we showed heart and determination to get back in."

Bishop scrambled for three touchdowns Thursday night, but he went 18 of 32 for 292 yards with four interceptions through the air.

Saskatchewan's pivots were intercepted just 13 times last season, but they have been picked off 14 times in the last three games.

"You cannot have turnovers, I know that, but he stuck with me," Bishop said of Miller. 

Plenty of offensive fireworks

Bishop battled gamely with Joseph in a first half that featured plenty of offensive fireworks.

Joseph passed 42 yards to wide receiver Arland Bruce III for the opening touchdown 71 seconds into the contest.

But Bishop tied it on a quarterback draw, running untouched into the end zone for an 11-yard touchdown at 4:15.

Toronto regained the lead less than two minutes later as wide receiver Andre Talbot hauled in a 20-yard TD toss from Joseph, lunging into the end zone at the pylon to make it 14-7.

After Bishop was intercepted by defensive back Byron Parker, Joseph drove the Argonauts downfield and fired a bullet to rookie P.J. Sam for a nine-yard major that made it 21-7 with 3:20 left in the quarter.

Luca Conji's nine-yard chip shot cut the deficit to 11 points early in the second, but Mike Vanderjagt responded five minutes later with a 14-yard field goal that put the Argonauts ahead 24-10.

Bishop then scored a 20-yard touchdown on an identical draw to the first, trimming Toronto's lead to 24-17 at halftime.

"We feel greater effort is our edge and we really didn't have it early in the game," Miller said.

Refused to fold

Five minutes into the third quarter, Joseph eluded linebacker Anton McKenzie long enough to locate Talbot for a 12-yard TD strike that made it 31-17.

But Saskatchewan refused to fold, storming back to knot it 31-31 in a span of 82 seconds on impressive TD runs from Stu Foord and Hughes.

Foord broke off-tackle for a 20-yard touchdown just 1:43 into the fourth quarter.

Defensive back James Patrick then recovered a fumble by Keith Stokes on the ensuing kickoff, and Hughes rumbled into the end zone for a six-yard touchdown at 3:03.

Joseph broke the deadlock by threading a pass to wide receiver Reggie McNeal for a 12-yard touchdown at the 8:37 mark. 

But Bishop rallied the Roughriders with 97 seconds left, finding wide receiver Rob Baggs on a straight fly pattern for a 51-yard gain and later tying it with a one-yard TD plunge.