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Marc Liegghio kept the Hamilton Tiger-Cats’ faint playoff hopes alive.
Liegghio’s 48-yard field goal on the final play earned Hamilton an exciting 33-31 win over Toronto Argonauts on Friday night. The Ticats (5-9) swept the three-game season series with the Argonauts (7-7), their first since 2019.
Liegghio, who booted six field goals in all, not only kicked the winner into a swirling wind but did so on a slick BMO Field surface.
“The field wasn’t the most tacky out there,” he said. “I think I would’ve been good from 50-plus (but) I would’ve had to make sure I got all of the ball and that my feet were stuck in the ground.
“I’m glad we took the shot where it was and it was just awesome we got the win.”
Hamilton won its third straight overall and moved within four points of third-place Toronto. Both teams have four regular-season games remaining.
“I think they’re feeling good about themselves,” Hamilton head coach Scott Milanovich said outside a jubilant Ticats dressing room. “They’re happy with the improvements we’ve made, they believe in each other.
“That’s the thing I think that’s changed the most, the three phases believe the other side is going to do their job. I told them momentum is a powerful force and right now we’ve got it.”
Milanovich also gave Liegghio kudos for his performance.
“The field wasn’t in very good condition,” Milanovich said. “For him to have six field goals on the grass, we never play on it, and win one going into the wind from (48) yards, that’s big time. “
Liegghio’s boot capped a solid seven-play, 35-yard drive with no timeouts for Hamilton. Lirim Hajrullahu’s 28-yard field goal with 56 seconds remaining had put Toronto ahead 31-30.
Hajrullahu’s field goal came after Liegghio connected from 15 yards out at 12:50 to give Hamilton a 30-28 advantage. But Toronto starter Chad Kelly missed a wide-open DaVaris Daniels in the end zone.
It appeared Toronto would get the ball at the Hamilton one-yard line on a pass interference call in the end zone. But it was overturned by the command centre.
“We just didn’t make enough plays,” said Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie. “We had a chance to hit DaVaris at the end, that was unfortunate we didn’t make that play.
“(The) defence was too soft. It looked like seven on seven out there. Shoot, I think anybody could’ve went out and completed 80 per cent of their passes … we’ve got to get that fixed on defence.”
Hamilton starter Bo Levi Mitchell finished 31-of-40 passing for 362 yards and a touchdown. He improved to 15-2 all-time against Toronto, to the dismay of 18,210 spectators at BMO Field.
“It felt like, by far, the best I’ve seen him play,” Milanovich said of Mitchell. “He was patient, he played like an elite quarterback tonight.”
Mitchell and Co. were especially efficient on second down, converting 16-of-25 chances.
“We were losing those exact same games early in the year,” Mitchell said. “What I saw was a team that’s been through it, learned from it, responded the right way.
“It’s awesome to see us come back and win a game like that at the end. It kind of shows we feel like we can beat anybody.”
Kelly was 17-of-26 passing for 255 yards with a touchdown and interception. He also ran for two TDs, his one-yard score at 9:08 putting Toronto ahead 28-27.
Hajrullahu’s 43-yard field goal at 1:29 pulled Toronto to within 24-21. But Liegghio countered with a 25-yard field goal at 7:35 to put Hamilton up 27-21.
Makai Polk had Toronto’s other touchdown. Deonta McMahon had a two-point convert while Hajrullahu kicked three field goals and two converts.
Jevoni Robinson and Antre Litre scored Hamilton’s touchdowns. Liegghio added two converts while Nik Constantinou had a single.
Liegghio’s 25-yard boot at 7:35 of the third gave Hamilton a 27-18 advantage.
Litre’s two-yard TD run at 4:53 put Hamilton ahead 21-18. Liegghio made it 24-18 with a 10-yard field goal at 14:22 but it came after Toronto stopped Litre on five straight rushing attempts from its one-yard line.
The last two came when Hamilton got a fresh set of downs following a Toronto offside penalty after stopping Litre on third down.
“That was disappointing,” said Milanovich, who’s also Hamilton offensive coordinator. “That could’ve ended up biting us and (it’s) fortunate that it didn’t.”
Liegghio’s 45-yard field goal to end the second quarter cut Toronto’s lead to 18-14. But it came after a facemask penalty against tackle Brendan Bordner erased Mitchell’s 24-yard TD pass to Kiondre Smith earlier on the drive.
Kelly put Toronto ahead 18-11 with a 14-yard TD strike to Polk at 13:27. He then found McMahon for the two-point convert.
UP NEXT:
Toronto: Hosts Montreal Alouettes (10-2-1) on Saturday night.
Hamilton: At B.C. Lions (7-7-0) on Friday night.
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