Tiger-Cats clinch playoff spot with 30-3 rout of Argonauts

TORONTO (CP) - Marquay McDaniel caught a touchdown pass in a fourth straight game as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats embarrassed the Toronto Argonauts 30-3 on Friday night.

A wide-open McDaniel silenced a season-high Rogers Centre gathering of 25,181 at 14:53 of the third, hauling in Kevin Glenn's 34-yard TD strike to give Hamilton a commanding 20-3 lead. It came after the Ticats stopped Toronto's third-down gamble at the Argos' 34-yard line.

Glenn then found Bruce on a 10-yard touchdown pass at 5:05 of the fourth to push Hamilton's lead to 27-3. It was set up by Matt Kirk's recovery of Toronto punter Noel Prefontaine's fumble at the Argos' 23-yard line.

The Ticats cemented the win by scoring 17 second-half points off three straight Toronto turnovers. And after Bruce's TD, jubilant Hamilton fans serenaded their hosts with "Argos suck" chants.

Glenn finished 19-of-33 passing for 214 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions.

Hamilton (8-7) clinched a playoff spot with the win and swept the three-game series with its arch rivals, its first such sweep since 2001. More importantly, the Ticats moved into second in the East Division standings and took a stranglehold in the battle for a home playoff game.

Toronto (7-8) must finish ahead of Hamilton to take second spot and a home playoff date in the conference semifinals.

It was tough night for the Toronto offence and starter Cleo Lemon.

The Argos committed seven turnovers (three fumbles, two interceptions, once on downs) and surrendered four sacks. Lemon, benched briefly in the third, was 16-of-29 passing for 159 yards with two interceptions and also fumbled three times (losing one).

Lemon was constantly harassed by Hamilton's defence, but that was of little solace to Argos supporters, who routinely booed Lemon and the offence as they came off the field. The Ticats also did a solid job against Cory Boyd, holding the CFL's leading rusher to 26 yards on 11 carries, with Boyd also losing a fumble.

Backup Dalton Bell didn't fare much better. He gave up a Markeith Knowlton interception that set up a Hamilton field goal for a 13-3 lead at 12:11 of the third before giving way to Lemon again.

DeAndra' Cobb scored Hamilton's other touchdown. Sandro DeAngelis added three field goals and three converts.

All Toronto could muster was Prefontaine's first-quarter field goal.

Cobb recorded the opening half's lone TD, running two yards for the score just 18 seconds into the second quarter. It staked Hamilton to a 10-3 half-time lead in what was a sloppy opening half with both teams registering two turnovers.

Hamilton's defence limited Toronto to just 119 total yards and sacked Lemon three times.

Glenn had Hamilton on a promising drive late in the second before Jeremy Unertl's interception ended it and allowed Prefontaine to try a career-high 58-yard field goal on the half's final play that was short.

Cobb's TD was set up by a sparkling 52-yard punt return by Marcus Thigpen, putting Hamilton on the Toronto 18-yard line late in the first.

NOTES - Kent Wingert of St. Catharines, Ont., earned $84,500 in cash and prizes in the Wendy's Kick for a Million event at halftime. The 38-year-old Wingert made a 30-yard field goal to win a Nissan 370Z Roadster, then received a $36,000 bonus for booting the ball 36 yards on a 50-yard attempt for the $1-million grand prize. Wingert tried field goals from 20, 30, 40 and 50 yards, making just the one . . . Toronto is 3-1 when they successfully execute a fake punt this season . . . Cobb surpassed the 1,000-yard rushing plateau in the first quarter for the second straight season while Toronto's Chad Owens went over the 1,000-yard kickoff return yards barrier in the first as well.