Riders down Argos 39-32 after Alford's 99-yard kickoff return

Dan Ralph · The Canadian Press

· Posted: Jun 21, 2025 12:29 PM EDT | Last Updated: 8 hours ago

As Corey Mace prepared for overtime, Mario Alford took matters into his ain hands.

Alford's 99-yard kickoff instrumentality touchdown with 9 seconds remaining successful regularisation clip rallied the Saskatchewan Roughriders to a stirring 39-32 CFL triumph implicit the ailing Toronto Argonauts connected Friday night.

Alford's heroics came aft Toronto's Nick Arbuckle capped a 70-yard, nine-play thrust with an eight-yard touchdown walk to Kevin Mital. Arbuckle past recovered Dejon Brissett for the two-point person to marque it 32-32.

And that had Mace, the Riders caput coach, looking up to overtime.

"Honestly, I was looking astatine my overtime sheet," Mace said. "I did deliberation we had a chance, depending connected however acold we get the instrumentality whether we're going to play for overtime oregon beryllium capable to spell footwear [the game-winning tract goal].

"Special teams did the rest. To person a walk-off similar that was incredible."

Arbuckle was 26-of-33 passing for 259 yards with 2 TDs and an interception. Mital had 7 catches for 98 yards and the touchdown.

Toronto caput manager Ryan Dinwiddie cited 2 factors that worked against his nine connected Alford's return. First, helium said crippled officials missed an amerciable artifact that Dinwiddie couldn't challenge.

Secondly, Toronto's kickoff squad lone had 11 men connected the field.

"Special teams, I thought, was beauteous atrocious for a 3rd week successful a row," Dinwiddie said. "We've got to get that fixed."

Ironically, it was Saskatchewan's peculiar teams that allowed Toronto (0-3) an accidental to unit overtime. Arbuckle's heroics came aft Brett Lauther missed a 33-yard tract extremity astatine 12:58 to enactment the Riders (3-0) up 32-24.

Lauther missed 3 tract goals and a person successful past week's 28-23 roadworthy triumph implicit Hamilton.

"We would've been blessed to get a decent instrumentality and play for a game-winner disconnected Number 12 [Lauther]," Mace said. "We inactive would've enactment the spot successful him. That's our feline and he'll proceed to beryllium our guy."

Tommy Stevens' two-yard scoring tally astatine 4:38 enactment Saskatchewan up 31-21. Lirim Hajrullahu's 25-yard tract extremity astatine 8:02 pulled Toronto to wrong 31-24.

Saskatchewan's wins person each travel against East Division teams. Trevor Harris completed 13-of-17 passes for 234 yards with 2 TDs and an interception portion Dohnte Meyers had 4 catches for 125 yards and 2 touchdowns.

"It seems similar each crippled there's thing going connected that surprises america and brings immoderate chaotic circumstances and contiguous was nary different," Harris said. "I'm conscionable ace blessed for Mario, he's conscionable an explosive returner."

'Selfish penalties': Dinwiddie

A.J. Ouellette ran for 91 yards and a TD connected 17 carries. But the teams combined for 29 penalties for 307 yards (Saskatchewan had 18 for 178 yards, Toronto had 11 for 129 yards) earlier a BMO Field gathering of 12,025.

Saskatchewan had 8 penalties for 125 yards combined implicit its archetypal contests.

"That goes to amusement you successful this league you marque it truly pugnacious to triumph erstwhile you're giving distant escaped yards," Mace said. "We evidently person to get amended astatine that, but to locomotion retired of present with a triumph connected a abbreviated week, we'll consciousness bully astir that."

Dinwiddie didn't fell his disdain for Toronto's deficiency of on-field discipline.

"I'm beauteous embarrassed by it," helium said. "They [Riders] were chirping each game. We got progressive successful the chirping crippled and it outgo us.

"We had selfish penalties, that's the 1 happening I hate. It isn't astir you, it's astir the team. We aren't adjacent adjacent to being there. We don't cognize however to not suffer games. It's not astir winning games, [it's] not losing games."

Toronto — 0-3 for the archetypal clip since 2019 — came into the contention short-handed.

Quarterback Chad Kelly (leg) and receiver/returner Janarion Grant some missed their 3rd consecutive crippled for Toronto. Joining them among the Argos walking wounded were linebackers Wynton McManis (knee) and Jack Cassar (adductor), moving backmost Deonta McMahon (ankle), receiver DaVaris Daniels (hip), antiaircraft lineman Demarcus Christmas (Achilles) and violative linemen Sage Doxtater (knee), Dylan Giffen (back) and Darius Ciraco (foot).

Then successful the archetypal half, Toronto mislaid linebacker Kenneth George Jr. (leg) and antiaircraft lineman Derek Parish (foot).

Brissett and Jarret Doege besides scored touchdowns for Toronto. Jake Herslow added a two-point person portion Hajrullahu booted a person and 3 tract goals.

Lauther kicked 5 converts and a tract goal.

Hajrullahu's 24-yard tract extremity astatine 8:42 of the 3rd pulled Toronto to wrong 24-13. Doege scored connected a one-yard tally astatine 12:59 earlier Arbuckle deed Herslow for the two-point person to chopped Saskatchewan's pb to 24-21.

Harris threw a 70-yard TD onslaught to Meyers astatine 1:16, giving the Riders a 24-10 advantage.

Hajrullahu's 56-yard tract extremity to extremity the 2nd 4th chopped Saskatchewan's halftime pb to 17-10. It followed the Riders' goal-line basal with 56 seconds near arsenic Kevin Brown was stopped astatine the one-yard enactment to extremity a 17-play, 97-yard drive.

Lauther gave Saskatchewan a 17-7 vantage with a 16-yard footwear astatine 1:25.

Harris enactment Saskatchewan up 14-7 with a 32-yard TD walk to Meyers astatine 11:54 of the first. It was acceptable up by Alford's 35-yard punt return.

Ouellette had a 25-yard TD tally astatine 8:26. Arbuckle opened the scoring with a five-yard TD walk to Brissett astatine 4:50.

The Roughriders will host the B.C. Lions connected Saturday, June 28. The Argonauts volition adjacent visit Ottawa to look the Redblacks connected Sunday, June 29.