TORONTO -- Trevor Harris is living for today.
With veteran Ricky Ray still recovering from off-season shoulder surgery, Harris, 29, leads the CFL in TDs (19), passing percentage (74.1) and completions (195) while standing second in passing (2,253 yards). More importantly, he has the Toronto Argonauts (6-2) tied atop the East Division with arch-rival Hamilton.
But Harris isn't allowing himself to look too far down the road because Ray, a three-time Grey Cup champion and the East Division's top player the last two seasons, is expected back soon.
"Ricky Ray is one of the best ever and so when he comes back it will be a great thing for our team, one way or another," Harris said. " I'm just grateful to play this week and that's how I look at it week to week."
Both Harris and Ray are in the final year of their CFL deals, leaving Argos GM Jim Barker with an interesting situation moving forward.
Ray, 35, began the season on the six-game injured list before being returned there last week. The Argos haven't said when Ray might return but Sept. 26 in Ottawa seems a logical target date.
Toronto visits Edmonton on Friday night then heads into a crucial home-and-home series with Hamilton (Sept. 7 at Tim Hortons Field, Sept. 11 at Rogers Centre) before having a bye week. That would give Ray more recovery time and allow the Argos to stick with the hot hand against two formidable defences.
The six-foot-three, 230-pound Harris has led Toronto to three straight wins and it's 6-2 for the first time since '97 when Doug Flutie led the Argos to a second straight Grey Cup title.
Harris was the Argos' third quarterback in 2012 when Ray guided them past Calgary 35-22 in the historic 100th Grey Cup game at Rogers Centre. Ray's backup was Zach Collaros, now Hamilton's starter.
Collaros is the CFL's passing leader (2,314 yards) and his 17 TDs are second only to Harris. Like Harris, Collaros excelled in Toronto, completing 197-of-298 passes (65.9 per cent) for 2,417 with 15 TDs and just six interceptions over two seasons before joining Hamilton as a free agent.
Harris said it's no coincidence he, Ray and Collaros have all fared well in Toronto head coach Scott Milanovich's offence.
"You can't be in a terrible system and play extremely well," Harris said. "It's just not going to happen.
"Obviously Zach is in a great system, I'm in a very blessed situation. This system fits me and coach Milanovich and coach Brady (offensive co-ordinator Marcus Brady) do a great job of catering to my strengths and letting me make plays I'm capable of making."
Harris enjoyed a brilliant career at Edinboro University, completing 66 per cent of his passes for 11,899 yards with 100 TDs. In his final game, Harris set the NCAA Division II single-game playoff record by completing 50-of-76 passes for 630 yards and five TDs in an 84-63 loss to West Liberty University.
But Harris credits Milanovich with keeping him grounded as Toronto's starter.
"Coach Milanovich does a really good job of pushing me mentally and kind of riding me a little bit in practice," Harris said. "He does a good job of giving me a lot, bringing it back, giving me a lot more and bringing it back and proving I keep progressing.
"It's really a big-time credit to him and coach Brady and even coach Maas (former Argos assistant and current Ottawa offensive co-ordinator Jason Maas) the last few years of taking the extra time to work with us."
Milanovich likes Harris's resiliency, which was evident Sunday. After watching Jerrell Gavens return a fourth-quarter interception 29 yards for a TD to put Ottawa ahead 24-17, Harris countered with a 15-yard touchdown pass to Vidal Hazelton before Swayze Waters' two field goals provided Toronto with its winning margin.
"When things aren't necessarily going well, I like the look in his eye," Milanovich said. "He came off and I kind of smiled at him.
"He was over it in that instant."
That didn't surprise Waters, who rejoined the Argos after missing six games with a knee injury. He and Harris are close friends and have been roommates since both arrived in Toronto in 2012.
"That's who he is, he keeps his composure," Waters said. "He knows he made a mistake and went back out there and capitalized and won the game."
Toronto has been resilient this season as five of its six wins have been the result of second-half comebacks.
"I think we have a group of guys that knows how to win," Harris said. "We've been squeaking out wins, which in this league is tough to do.
"But at the same time we have to find a way to start faster and be better early."
