Argonauts outlast Lions in field goal battle

The Toronto Argonauts' retooled defence flummoxed Jonathan Jennings, and kept Travis Lulay from saving the day while defeating the B.C. Lions 25-14 on Thursday.

With Shawn Lemon debuting at defensive end after being granted a trade from the Saskatchewan Roughriders, the Argonauts (2-1) had a 4-0 edge in turnovers and sacked Jennings three times before the Lions (2-1) turned to Lulay late in the third quarter.

Veteran defensive back Keon Raymond, who came over from Calgary in the winter, had a trifecta of big plays with his first interception with the Argonauts, along with a fumble recovery and a sack. Brandon Whitaker also had 152 rushing-receiving yards, which enabled Ricky Ray to repeatedly march Toronto into field goal range.

Toronto pulled away with 9:04 left, when Tori Gurley hauled in a 15-yard pass from Ray to punctuate a 12-play, 91-yard drive. The march was extended by a roughing the passer penalty on Lions defensive end Bo Lokombo, which B.C. coach Wally Buono unsuccessfully challenged.

Gurley's touchdown also came one play after Whitaker converted a second-and-nine with a 10-yard catch after taking a left-handed flip from Ray while the quarterback was being taken down by Lokombo.

Lulay, who was the CFL Most Outstanding Player and Grey Cup MVP in 2011 before sustaining a series of injuries, briefly revived the Lions with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Anthony Allen and a successful two-point conversion. Toronto came back with an insurance field goal.

Lirim Hajrullahu went 6-for-7 on field goals for Toronto, including a 48-yarder. Jennings' one-yard touchdown run in the first quarter was B.C.'s only scoring in the first 3 1/2 quarters. Jennings' TD was set up by a long catch from Emmanuel Arceneaux, who on the play became the 100th CFL receiver to surpass 5,000 career yards.

Ray was 23-for-33 for 283 yards for Toronto, with no interceptions. Whitaker had 13 rushes for 97 yards and caught seven passes for another 55. Gurley was the leading receiver with five catches for 97 yards.

Allen had 16 rushes for 107 yards in his first start for B.C., which was largely wasted thanks to B.C. losing two fumbles in the first half. Jennings was 11-for-18 for 132 yards with one interception before getting yanked with three minutes left in the third quarter.

Toronto, after back-to-back road wins in Saskatchewan and B.C., hosts Ottawa at BMO Field on Wednesday. They were 3-0 against the Redblacks last season, including a 2-0 mark with current Ottawa quarterback Trevor Harris as the starter.