Quarterback Chad Kelly threw four touchdowns and scored another to lead the Toronto Argonauts to a 58-38 victory over the Ottawa Redblacks in the East Division semifinal on Saturday.

A last-minute touchdown in Ottawa allowed the teams to tie the CFL playoff record with 96 combined points, set when the Hamilton Tiger-Cats beat the Montreal Alouettes in the 2011 East Division semifinals .

Kelly’s exploits propelled the Argonauts to a fourth straight appearance in the Eastern final. They will meet the Alouettes, reigning Gray Cup champions, in Montreal next Saturday.

Redblacks quarterback Dru Brown set CFL playoff records with 46 completions and 61 pass attempts.

He threw for three touchdowns, 476 yards and two interceptions. The visitors were in the playoffs for the first time since 2018, but the semifinal defeat made it six defeats in their last seven outings.

Kelly finished with 358 passing yards, completing 18 of 20 for 18,060 at BMO Field. He also ran for 29 yards on two carries.

Kelly’s fourth touchdown, a 13-yard completion to Jake Herslow, came at 2:56 of the fourth quarter.

Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum scored on a 1-yard dive after the Argonauts’ defense held on the goal line on the previous two plays, pulling the Redblacks within nine points with 8:16 to go. play.

Trailing by three points at halftime, Toronto scored two touchdowns before the middle of the third quarter to take a 34-23 lead.

Kelly hit Davaris Daniels for his second touchdown, this time with a nine-yard strike. The drive was set up by a 15-yard run up the middle by Kelly. The Argonauts quarterback was dragged down by Redblacks linebacker Frankie Griffin, earning him an unnecessary 15-yard roughness penalty.

Kelly showed his displeasure but was forced to leave the game due to concussion protocol.

He returned three plays later for his third touchdown pass.

On the Argonauts’ next drive, Kelly found Makai Polk for a 57-yard bomb. Three plays later, Kelly rushed for a 15-yard score.

Ottawa’s Lewis Ward kicked his fourth field goal of the afternoon, this time from 42 yards, as the third quarter ended with Toronto ahead 34-26.

The Argonauts returned two interceptions for touchdowns in the final three minutes.

The Red and Black had the ball for 24:11 of the first half but went to the locker room leading 23-20, settling for three goals from Ward from 17, 20 and 17 yards.

Ottawa took a 10-0 lead in the first quarter. After Ward’s first field goal, Brown found Bralon Addison for a four-yard touchdown.

Brown went an impressive 26 of 31 for 256 yards and two touchdowns in the first half.

Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu was good for 44 yards as time expired in the first quarter, but Lewis came back to give Ottawa a 10-point lead.

Two quick touchdowns in the second quarter gave the Argonauts a 17-16 advantage. Kelly hit Polk for a 70-yard catch-and-run and Daniels for 41 yards. Polk finished with 158 yards on four receptions.

Brown rallied the Redblacks for a touchdown late in the half, finishing with an eight-yard pass to slotback Jaelon Acklin.

But a botched Ottawa kickoff gave the Argonauts the ball at the Redblacks’ 46-yard line, giving Hajrullahu a chance to make his 53-yard attempt late in the first half.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published November 2, 2024.