LeFevour leads Argos past Tiger-Cats, into tie for 2nd in East

Dan LeFevour proved a point to the team that let him go, and the Toronto Argonauts earned two much-needed points by defeating the archrival Hamilton Tiger-Cats 33-21 on Sunday.

With No. 1 quarterback Ricky Ray expected to miss three weeks with lung and rib injuries suffered during the Labour Day Classic road loss against Hamilton, the Argonauts have turned to LeFevour as part of their effort to stay in the East Division playoff race. In his first CFL action since suffering a dislocated shoulder 15 months ago during a truncated stint with the Montreal Alouettes, the 29-year-old scrambler helped Toronto end a four-game losing streak.

LeFevour's last win as a starter was on July 26, 2014. The result pulls Toronto (5-6) level with Hamilton for second place in the East, although the Tiger-Cats have pocketed the head-to-head tiebreaker.

Whether LeFevour is long for the No. 1 job is in question, since Toronto traded with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers – their next opponent – for QB Drew Willy immediately after the game.

Related: Blue Bombers swing trades with Argos, Als

The Argonauts defence also bounced back from a second-half shredding in Hamilton, contributed to a whopping 447-299 edge in net offence. Rookie DB T.J. Heath made his second interception of the game, and team-high fifth, with 5:16 left when the Tiger-Cats were threatening to pull within a touchdown.

Shawn Lemon sealed the win by strip-sacking Hamilton QB Zach Collaros with 1:41 left. Lemon defused a Tiger-Cats scoring threat by tackling C.J. Gable for no gain on second-and-2 early in the fourth. On the next play, Brett Maher missed a 48-yard field goal that would have cut the deficit to 10 points.

LeFevour, who was a backup in Hamilton from 2012-14, was 27-of-36 for 329 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions. Veteran running back Brandon Whitaker had 12 rushes for 75 yards and two TDs, which came three minutes apart early in the third quarter. Tori Gurley (three receptions, 67 yards) caught a TD pass. Lirim Hajrullahu was 4-of-4 on field goals.

Collaros finished 21-of-38 for 291 yards with one TD and two picks, although his numbers were inflated by playing catch-up against Toronto's late-game prevent defence. Terrence Toliver made five receptions for 111 yards, and extended his touchdown streak to five games. Jeremiah Masoli added a rushing TD. Maher was 2-of-3 on field goals with one single.

Momentum flipped on the first two snaps of the third quarter. LeFevour aired out a jump ball to Gurley, who made a 45-yard circus catch in tight coverage from Tiger-Cats CB Brandon Sermons. On the next play, guard Tyler Holmes opened a gaping hole that Whitaker scampered through for a 36-yard TD to put Toronto ahead 23-20.

Justin Hickman blocked a punt on Hamilton's next possession for a takeover at the Tiger-Cats' 26-yard line. Whitaker scored two plays later.

Hamilton owned a 20-16 halftime lead in spite of being outgained 241-114 in that span. The Tiger-Cats scored 20 points in a row after spotting Toronto a 13-0 lead. Toliver got behind CB A.J. Jefferson for a 59-yard touchdown reception. The Tiger-Cats' defence and special teams created three short fields in a row to set up another touchdown and two field goals. Adrian Tracy and Larry Dean each intercepted LeFevour, while Brandon Banks broke free for a 41-yard punt return.

The Tiger-Cats host the sagging Montreal Alouettes (3-8) on Friday. Toronto has a Saturday road game against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-4), who have won six games in a row.