Toronto Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray gets sacked by Calgary Stampeders defensive lineman Bryan Hall and defensive lineman Charleston Hughes during Thursday’s matchup in Toronto. Heading into the game, the Argos were 3-3-0, while the Stamps were 4-1-1.Nathan Denette/The Canadian Press
Bo Levi Mitchell threw three TD passes and Roy Finch had a punt-return touchdown for the second straight game as the Calgary Stampeders defeated the Toronto Argonauts 41-24 on Thursday night.
Mitchell finished 19-of-24 passing with 249 yards for Calgary (5-1-1). He cemented the win with a nine-yard TD strike to Marquay McDaniel to open the second half and put the Stampeders comfortably ahead 34-10 before 11,616 spectators at BMO Field.
Mitchell hit McDaniel on a 10-yard TD pass at 4:05 of the fourth to boost Calgary's lead to 41-13. The Stampeders moved atop the West Division ahead of the Edmonton Eskimos (5-0), who host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-5) on Saturday night.
Calgary was coming off a lopsided 60-1 home win over Hamilton on Saturday. Finch, who served a two-game suspension this season for violating the CFL's drug policy, returned a punt 97 yards for a TD in that contest.
But playing for the second time in five nights didn't stop Calgary from earning its seventh straight win over Toronto and third consecutive victory overall.
Mitchell also improved to 7-0 against Toronto and 48-8-2 overall as a CFL starter. Calgary is 29-6-2 versus East teams since 2013.
Toronto (3-4) was playing its third game in 11 nights (1-2 over that stretch). Starter Ricky Ray was 15-of-26 passing for 139 yards with a TD and interception before sustaining a shoulder injury in the second half.
Ray failed to pass for 300-plus yards for the first time this season and fell to 2-5 in his seven Toronto starts versus Calgary.
The Argos remain atop the East Division thanks to being 3-0 within the conference. But they're 0-4 against West Division teams and have just two wins in their last 13 contests versus Western clubs.
Jerome Messam and DeVaris Daniels had Calgary's other touchdowns. Rene Paredes booted five converts and two field goals.
S.J. Green and Cody Fajardo had Toronto's touchdowns. Anthony Coombs had a two-point convert while Lirim Hajrullahu kicked a convert and three field goals.
Finch and Mitchell helped Calgary outscored Toronto 17-3 in the second quarter and take a solid 27-10 half-time advantage.
Finch's electrifying 103-yard punt return TD at 2:29 gave the Stampeders a 17-7 advantage. It was Calgary's third return touchdown on the season.
But it was Mitchell who ended the half emphatically, hitting Daniels with a 44-yard TD strike at 14:59 to cap a three-play 75-yard drive. It was an effective answer to Hajrullahu's 19-yard field goal at 14:21 that was set up by Troy Davis's recovery of Messam's fumble that put Toronto at the Calgary 12-yard line.
However, following two incompletions, Toronto had to settle for the field goal.
Finch helped put Toronto on the scoreboard in the first. Ray's 10-yard TD strike to Green at 4:06 came after the Argos recovered Finch's fumble on a punt return at the Calgary 32-yard line.