One-yard touchdown earns Lions 18-9 victory over Argos

Toronto Argonauts' Chad Owen (centre) is tackled by B.C. Lions' Cauchy Muamba (left) after returning a punt as J.R Larose looks on during second half CFL action in Toronto on Monday August 6 , 2012. THE CANADIAN PRESS/ Chris Young

TORONTO -- Backup quarterback Mike Reilly's one-yard TD run at 6:19 of the fourth quarter earned the B.C. Lions a hard-fought 18-9 win over the Toronto Argonauts on Monday night.

Reilly, in the game with the Lions' short-yardage squad, scored after the Argos defence had emphatically stopped B.C.'s Andrew Harris three straight times from the one-yard line.

But the defending Grey Cup champions got a fresh set of downs when Toronto's Marcus Ball was called for offside, to the dismay of the generously announced gathering of 22,841 on a brilliant summer evening with the Rogers Centre roof rolled back.

B.C. came into the contest with the CFL's top-ranked defence, and showed why, intercepting Toronto's Ricky Ray three times, including Dante Marsh's pick with 2:03 remaining to cement the victory. Fittingly, an illegal block on the return put the Lions at their 11-yard line with 2:03 but Harris ripped off a timely 33-yard run as the visitors were able to run out the clock.

Penalties were a factor in this game, with both teams playing undisciplined football. In the first half, a Lions' miscue wiped out a Byron Parker interception return TD that would've put B.C. ahead 17-0.

Still, B.C. (4-2) earned its second straight win and continued its dominance of Toronto. The Lions beat the Argos for the 14th time in 15 meetings and captured their seventh victory in their last eight trips to Rogers Centre.

Toronto (3-3) lost for the first time in three games in a contest affectionately dubbed The Braley Bowl because Hamilton businessman David Braley owns both CFL clubs.

The contest marked the return of defensive backs Parker and Lin-J Shell to Toronto. Parker signed with B.C. in February as a free agent after playing seven of his eight CFL seasons with the Argos. Shell spent three years in Double Blue before being released in January and joining the Lions. He had a fumble recovery in the fourth.

It was also a victorious homecoming for B.C.'s Mike Benevides, making his first appearance in his hometown as a CFL head coach. Benevides, who took over as Lions' coach when Wally Buono stepped down following the Grey Cup, was born and raised in Toronto and even studied business and marketing at York University.

Lions veteran slotback Geroy Simon extended his consecutive games streak with at least one catch to 166. That's second-best in CFL history and moves him closer to Donald Narcisse's league record of 216 games.

Akeem Foster had B.C.'s other touchdown. Paul McCallum kicked two converts, a field goal and single.

Swayze Waters booted three field goals for Toronto.

A smart play by Matt Black and a little misfortune combined to hold B.C.'s half-time lead to 11-6.

Black alertly ran up to handle a bouncing 22-yard McCallum punt and returned it 26 yards to the B.C. 23-yard line with nine seconds left. That set up Waters' 22-yard field goal on the final play of the half that made it a five-point game and capped an opening half that featured 18 combined penalties.

On one possession, penalties cost Toronto gains of 47 and 23 yards.

B.C. rode its rugged defence to an 11-3 advantage to that point.

James Yuricuck intercepted Ricky Ray's first pass of the game and returned to the Toronto 20-yard line, setting up Travis Lulay's nine-yard TD strike to Foster at 3:25 of the first. Ray threw to Dontrelle Inman but B.C. defender Dante Marsh hit the Argos' receiver just as the ball arrived, allowing Yurichuk to pick it off.

Adam Bighill intercepted Ray on Toronto's next possession, putting B.C. at the Argos' 19-yard line. That set up McCallum's 24-yard field goal at 5:41.

Inman came back to make a great leap over B.C.'s Ryan Phillips for a seven-yard reception that left Toronto poised to gamble on third-and-one, that is, until receiving a time-count violation that brought out the punt team.

Parker's interception return less than five minutes into the second would've boosted his CFL record to 10 but it was negated by offside penalty. Moments later, an illegal block call nulified Boyd's 47-yard reception that would've put the Argos inside the B.C. five-yard line.

After McCallum's 54-yard single at 10:58 of the second, Waters booted a 35-yard field goal at 13:00.