HAMILTON — Lirim Hajrullahu's 11-yard field goal on the final play of the game earned the Toronto Argonauts an exciting 35-33 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Monday afternoon.
Hajrullahu's boot came after Nick Arbuckle hit Dejon Brissett on a 63-yard completion to the Hamilton four-yard line seemingly with no time remaining. But upon review, one second was put on the clock, giving Hajrullahu a shot at the game-winning boot.
Bo Levi Mitchell's eight-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler at 14:42 put Hamilton ahead 33-32 but he was snowed under on the two-point convert attempt. Jake Herslow's 34-yard kickoff return put the Argos on their own 44-yard line with 12 seconds to play.
Arbuckle finished 33-of-40 passing for 352 yards with three TDs. He found Herslow on a three-yard TD pass at 12:14 to put Toronto ahead 32-27.
Toronto (4-8) earned its first win in five matchups versus Hamilton (6-5) to even the season series 1-1. The two teams square off again Oct. 4 at BMO Field.
The Argos earned just their third win in 11 Labour Day clashes at Hamilton Stadium. The Ticats still lead the overall series 37-16-1.
Hamilton did drive to the Toronto 19-yard line but Argos linebacker Wynton McManis batted down Mitchell's third-down pass with 1:28 remaining.
Mitchell finished 27-of-37 passing for 405 yards with three TDs and an interception. With the loss, Mitchell fell to 7-1 all-time on Labour Day but did reach 250 career touchdown passes, becoming the 12th player in league history to do so.
Hamilton (6-5) suffered a third straight loss but remains atop the East Division, two points ahead of idle Montreal (5-6). Toronto moves into sole possession of third.
Mitchell put the Ticats ahead 27-18 with a 23-yard TD pass to Shemar Bridges just 1:58 into the fourth. That prompted the sun-drenched gathering of 25,619, the largest crowd at Hamilton Stadium outside of a Grey Cup game, to finally begin its "Argos suck," chant.
But Arbuckle's three-yard touchdown pass to Makai Polk at 7:38 pulled Toronto to within 27-25.
Rookie linebacker Devin Veresuk also had a TD for Hamilton. Marc Liegghio kicked two field goals and three converts.
Herslow had two TDs for Toronto. Hajrullahu booted three field goals, four converts and a single while John Haggerty added a single.
Mitchell found Lawler on an 18-yard touchdown pass at 6:37 of the third to give Hamilton a 20-15 lead, ending an impressive 93-yard, six-play drive. Hajrullahu's 43-yard boot at 11:33 cut Toronto's deficit to 20-18.
Toronto looked to go ahead 21-20 late in the third but Hajrullahu's 51-yard attempt with the wind hit the left upright.
Veresuk's recovery of a blocked punt in the end zone at 12:25 of the second cut Toronto's halftime lead to 15-13. Receiver Tyler Ternowski came in untouched on Haggerty and got his right arm on the kick.
Hamilton got one final possession under bizarre circumstances when offensive lineman Liam Dobson knocked the ball out of bounds on Tarvarus McFadden's fumble during an interception return. But the Ticats elected to run out the clock on a rather sloppy opening half that featured three turnovers and the two teams combining to convert just seven-of-19 second-down opportunities.
The Ticats were fortunate to only be down by two points as the Argos had more offensive yards (169-148) and held the ball for over 17 minutes.
Arbuckle put Toronto ahead 14-6 at 8:52 with a 27-yard TD strike to Herslow, who scored a touchdown in a fourth straight game. Hajrullahu added a 100-yard single on the kickoff.
Liegghio's 13-yard field goal at 3:46 made it 6-6. Haggerty's 71-yard single at 5:08 put Toronto head 7-6.
Hajrullahu gave Toronto a 6-3 lead with a 24-yard field goal to end the first. It came after Arbuckle's 10-yard TD pass to Brissett was nullified by a holding penalty.
Hajrullahu's 16-yard field goal at 6:05 capped Toronto's game-opening march. Liegghio countered with a 36-yard boot at 8:42 to end Hamilton's first possession.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 1, 2025.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
