Eskimos beat Argos in Moncton
Edmonton back in West playoff race, thanks to Toronto mistakes
At Moncton Stadium, Moncton, N.B.
|
| 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T |
| Edmonton | 0 | 10 | 0 | 14 | 24 |
| Toronto | 0 | 6 | 0 | 0 | 6 |
Top Performers
Passing: Ricky Ray (Edm) 21 of 27, 188 yards, 0 TD, 1 INT
Receiving: Fred Stamps (Edm) 6 catches for 80 yards
Kick Returns: Tristan Jackson (Edm) 7 for 54 yards
Tackles: Kevin Eiben (Tor) 10 tackles
The Edmonton Eskimos needed some East Coast scenery to energize their dwindling playoff hopes.
Running back Calvin McCarty scored two touchdowns Sunday as the Eskimos defeated the Toronto Argonauts 24-6 in the CFL's first-ever regular season game in Atlantic Canada, promoted as Touchdown Atlantic.
"At some point in time we have to start winning football games. Each one becomes more important," said Eskimo coach Richie Hall, who has been trying everything to wake up his troops.
"This was a defensive game going back and forth. I always believe that defence wins championships and we can be better. We need to be better."
Turnovers ... cheap
Don't know if turnovers are the big seller at New Brunswick doughnut shops, but they were going fast at Moncton Stadium on Sunday.
Among the lowlights:
- Edmonton drives 90 yards on its first possession. Brad Lester fumbles on the two. No points.
- Toronto's Cleo Lemon leads his club into Eskimos territory, Rod Davis picks him off. Runs for a touchdown.
- Lemon takes the Argos to the Edmonton 16. Fumbles. No points.
- Eskimos QB Ricky Ray has his club inside the red zone. Overthrows a receiver for an interception. No points.
- Jeff Johnson helps run the Argos to the Edmonton 22. Lemon throws one right into the hands of Jason Goss. Interception. No points.
- Lemon brings the ball over the Eskimos' half of the field, down 11 points in the fourth, throws into defender Elliott Richardson's hands. No points. Lemon is hammered by the rush on the play and is shaken up.
—Malcolm Kelly
While the offence seemed to struggle at times, quarterback Ricky Ray did go 15-for-18 in passing and McCarty carried the ball in twice on 46- and one-yard runs before 20,725 enthusiastic fans at Moncton Stadium.
Edmonton's secondary had a field day picking off Toronto quarterback Cleo Lemon six times to help keep playoff hopes alive with six regular-season games remaining.
"That's the thing about our defence, they're playing so well. They didn't let our mistakes hurt us," said Ray.
"We had a couple of turnovers in the score zone that could have hurt us, but our defence bailed us out."
The Eskimos, with the worst win-loss record in the league at 3-9, can still climb into third place in the West if they can keep pace with the B.C. Lions, whom they trail by just two points.
Lemon squashed by Lloyd
Lemon was injured and left the game in the fourth quarter after throwing his sixth interception.
He was hit hard by Edmonton's Maurice Lloyd and slammed into one of his own players in a helmet-to-helmet collision before dropping to the turf.
"I'm not too good. I have a concussion. I'm dealing with some issues right now," Lemon said in the locker room after the game.
Argos coach Jim Barker said he couldn't comment on the injury.
Video replay of year
With seconds to go in the first half, Argo quarterback Cleo Lemon was hammered from behind by Javier Glatt and fumbled.
The ball was picked up by Elliott Richardson of the Esks, who ran it 87 yards the other way before being tackled just as he fell in the end zone for what looked like an 11-point Edmonton lead at the half.
Everyone focused on whether Richardson brushed Lemon when he dove over him at one end of the field. If so, dead ball. Jake Ireland, handling the video replay back in Toronto, said no. Eskimos celebrated.
But at the end of the run, Richardson was adjudged to have put his knee down at the one just before the ball broke the plane of the goal line. No touchdown, no time left on the scoreboard clock.
Argos celebrate. Eskimos fans grumble. Jake earns his money.
Everything turns out for Edmonton in the end.
— Malcolm Kelly
Barker was almost apologetic for his team's performance at the league's showcase event before an Atlantic audience, many of them openly supportive of the Double Blue.
"It was a great week and I appreciate that the fans stayed until the end of the game ... we just played poorly, with too many turnovers."
Edmonton opened the scoring just over nine minutes into the second quarter when Eskimo defensive back Chris Robinson tipped a Lemon pass into the hands of teammate Rod Davis, who carried it 74 yards for the touchdown.
Noel Prefontaine's convert was good.
Five plays into their next possession, the Argonauts replied when Jeff Johnson punched in from the one-yard line but Jason Medlock's convert attempt was blocked.
Prefontaine put the Eskimos up 10-6 with a 44-yard field goal eight plays into Edmonton's next possession.
They almost stretched that lead with a second interception when safety Elliott Richardson picked off Lemon and took it 86 yards for what was initially ruled a touchdown but overruled on a Toronto challenge.
On review, officials said Richardson was down by contact at the one-yard line and the clock had run out on the half.
Toronto now has home-and-home games with Saskatchewan, while the Eskimos are home-and-home with Hamilton.