TORONTO — Argonauts quarterback Ricky Ray was something near speechless in the immediate aftermath of Toronto’s last-minute 25-21 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Eastern Final.
“To be put in that situation, and see the guys go out and execute like that, make catches and score…it feels awesome,” beamed Ray after helping his team book a place in next week’s Grey Cup. “Being in this moment right now, and just…man, with everything that was on the line, this one feels pretty good.”
A critical 3rd-and-5 completion to James Wilder Jr. set up Cody Fajardo’s game-winning plunge inside the final 30 seconds of play.
“We were trying to get (to) James, (and) a lot of times we run him in the flat, (but) on that play he’s going vertical,” explained Ray. “We got the right coverage and he made a big catch to keep the drive going.”
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The 38-year-old pivot finished the day with 28 completions for 266 yards and a touchdown, and admits the game-winning drive came down to basic instinct.
“I just tried to tell myself (to) remain calm, go out and execute the play,” said Ray. “There’s been times I’ve been guilty of feeling like you have to make the special play, (but) I just kept telling myself to trust what (we’ve) been doing all year long.”
The seasoned vet pointed to Sunday’s raucous atmosphere at BMO Field as a major boost for the hometown Boatmen.
“That’s why you love playing at home, it gives you that edge,” explained Ray. “As a player, it helps you build off that energy — them being loud and making it difficult on th(eir offence, and) when there’s a big play and you hear that crowd, it gets you going as a player.”
Looking ahead to the 105th Grey Cup in Ottawa, the Argos gunslinger knows what’s in store.
“I know what the week’s all about and how to balance your time,” said Ray. “People wanting tickets, and the family and all the stuff that’s going on with Grey Cup — for me, I can draw off that experience. It’s a long game, there’s a lot of other stuff that’s happening, (so) remembering what I did to plan for those things will help me out a bit.”
