HAMILTON -- Zach Collaros threw four touchdown passes and for a two-point convert to rally the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to a wild 49-36 win over the Toronto Argonauts on Monday night.
Collaros hit former Argo Chad Owens on a 10-yard touchdown pass at 5:50 of the fourth before finding Andy Fantuz on the two-point convert to put Hamilton ahead 39-36. At one point in the first half, the Ticats trailed 27-7 but outscored Toronto 29-6 in the second half.
Emmanuel Davis cemented the win, returning a deflected Ricky Ray pass 55 yards for the TD at 8:52. Collaros finished 28-of-35 passing for 359 yards with an interception.
Hamilton (5-5) won despite surrendering 24 points (three TDs and a field goal) on four turnovers. But that didn't matter to the record Tim Hortons Field gathering of 24,512, which broke into an "Argos Suck" chant shortly after Owens' TD.
The Ticats earned their fifth win in six Labour Day encounters against Toronto heading into Sunday's rematch at BMO Field. More importantly, Hamilton clinched the season series for the tie-breaker should the two teams finish tied in the standings.
The Ticats have won five straight and eight of 10 versus Toronto. Hamilton also improved to 32-13-1 on Labour Day against Toronto.
Toronto (4-6) suffered its fourth straight loss and first in four road games. The Argos also fell to 0-8 at Tim Hortons Field, which includes two replacement games here last year.
Hamilton improved to 2-2 since Collaros's return from a knee injury but won for just the second time in five games. Collaros is now 5-2 against his former team.
Hamilton pulled to within 30-23 on Terrence Tolliver's two-yard TD catch at 4:20 of the third. It capped a seven-play, 92-yard march aided by a questionable 40-yard interference call on Toronto's A.J. Jefferson.
Toronto countered with Ray's 27-yard touchown toss to Tori Gurley -- his second of the game -- at 9:09 to go ahead 36-24 following the unsuccessful two-point convert. Hamilton was penalized twice on the drive, including for too many men on a 44-yard field-goal try that kept the Argos' march alive.
But Collaros countered with a 39-yard TD pass to Tasker at 12:14 to pull Hamilton to within 36-31. Ray drove the Argos to the Ticats' four-yard line on the next possession before being intercepted by Courtney Stephen in the endzone.
Jeremiah Masoli and Brandon Banks had Hamilton's other touchdowns. Brett Maher booted the converts and two field goals.
Thomas Gordon and Brandon Whitaker also had TDs for Toronto. Lirim Hajrullahu kicked three field goals and three converts.
Maher's 31-yard field goal as time expired cut Toronto's half-time lead to 30-17. But it couldn't overshadow the four Hamilton turnovers (two fumbles, interception and blocked punt) the Argos converted into 24 points.
Gordon started the fireworks at 11:51 of the first by forcing a Collaros fumble and returning it 57 yards for the TD to put Toronto ahead 10-7. Matt Black's interception set up Hajrullahu's 30-yard boot at 3:54 of the second.
Brandon Isaac's recovery of a Chad Owens fumble then led to Gurley's 12-yard TD grab at 6:57 before a blocked punt set up Whitaker's six-yard touchdown catch at 10:51 to put Toronto ahead 27-7.
Banks' three-yard TD grab cut Toronto's advantage to 27-14 at 12:32 before Hajrullahu connected from 38 yards out at 14:04.
Hamilton opened the scoring at 10:55 of the first with Masoli's two-yard TD run capping a smart 74-yard, nine-play drive.
