The second week of CFL came to an end in a Saturday afternoon matinee at the Rogers Centre in Toronto. The Saskatchewan Roughriders returned to the place of the 2007 Grey Cup triumph to face the home town Argonauts. Both teams came into action unbeaten for the season but one team would find their record blemished after 60 minutes.

Saskatchewan 46 @ Toronto 36 – Sometimes the scoreboard is an accurate reflection of what happened in a football game. Then there are games like this. Toronto rolled over and played dead in the second quarter and never found the drive to get back in this game as the Riders coasted to the win.

First quarter started as though it would be all Argos, all the time. Kerry Joseph capped off a 79 yard drive with a 30 yard pass to Reggie McNeal. On the next Toronto possession, Justin Medlock booted home a 23 yard chip shot to stretch the lead to 10. The Green Riders got on the board on their next possession. Andy Fantuz made an over the shoulder catch on a 21 yard Darian Durant pass to cut the lead to 3. Just before the quarter was finished, Medlock hit his second field goal of the day from 40 yards out. In the second quarter, though, it was all Riders. They kicked off the scoring by forcing a safety. Stevie Baggs dropped Joseph in the end zone for an 8 yard sack and two points. In the final five minutes, Saskatchewan found the house three times. First, Durant found Hugh Charles for an 8 yard TD completion. Then, a Toronto fumble inside their own 10 led to a 2 yard Charles TD run. The Riders got another score when Durant hit Weston Dressler who rumbled home 33 yards. They would cap off the half with a punt attempt that was blocked by Jerrell Freeman who fell on the ball in the end zone for the major. A 30 point second quarter for Saskatchewan gave them a 37-13 lead at the half.

The Argos came out of the locker room on the offensive. On their first drive, Justin Medlock nailed a 24 yard field goal to make it a three score game. It wasn’t until the dying minutes of the third that Toronto was able to make it a two score game. Jamal Robertson finished an 85 yard drive with a one yard charge into the end zone to make it 37-23 after 45 minutes. From there, the men in green put the game on ice thanks to three Luca Conti field goals from 41, 38, and 35 yards, respectively. The Argos interrupted the scoring spree with a 19 yard Joseph pass to Tyler Scott. They also got a long distance major when Joseph connected with Mike Bradwell for a 37 yard score but even if they can made the two-point convert, it wouldn’t have been enough.

It was a good day for both quarterbacks despite the differing results. Of the five Argos turnovers, Kerry Joseph committed only one interception and one fumble. He also passed for 348 yards and 3 TDs. Darian Durant spread the ball to 7 different receivers who each had at least 2 receptions. Each of his 3 TD passes went to a different man as well. There was no stand out on the defensive side of the ball, though Toronto’s Zeke Moreno led all players with 7 tackles.

The win leaves only two unbeaten teams left after two weeks of CFL action. The Roughriders and Alouettes each own 2-0 records and sit atop their respective divisions. Next week, they’ll meet in Regina to leave one team alone at the head of the class.

Offensive Player of the Night: Kerry Joseph (TOR) – 27/45, 348 yds, 3 TD, 1 Int, 37 yds rushing, 1 fumble
Defensive Player of the Night: Sean Lucas (SSK) – 5 tkls, 1 FF, 1 fumble recovery

East Division Standings
1. Saskatchewan 2-0
2. Edmonton 1-1
3. BC 0-2
4. Calgary 0-2

West Division Standings
1. Montreal 2-0
2. Toronto 1-1
3. Winnipeg 1-1
4. Hamilton 1-1

Week 3 Schedule:
Thursday: BC Lions (0-2) at Edmonton Eskimos (1-1)
Friday: Toronto Argonauts (1-1) at Calgary Stampeders (0-2)
Saturday: Montreal Alouettes (2-0) at Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-0)
Saturday: Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-1) at Hamilton Tiger-Cats (1-1)