TORONTO - Kevin Mital is close to earning the Toronto Argonauts a historic first.
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Mital → earn → first
The veteran receiver needs just 19 yards to reach the 1,000-yard plateau for the first time.
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receiver → need → time
He’d become the fourth Argo to do so this season, something that’s never happened in Toronto’s history and has occurred just four times ever in the CFL.
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that → become → CFL
Toronto (9-8) hosts Montreal (13-4) on Friday night in the regular-season finale for both teams.
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Toronto → host → teams
The game has no bearing on the East Division standings as the Alouettes and Argos have already clinched the top two spots.
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Alouettes → have → spots
Toronto hosts the West’s fourth-place finisher in the East semifinal Oct. 31.
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Toronto → host → semifinal
The winner visits Montreal in the division final Nov. 7.
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winner → visit → final
The six-foot, 229-pound Mital has established career highs in his third CFL campaign for receiving yards (981) and touchdowns (five).
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Mital → establish → yards
Now, the Saint-Hubert, Que., native is looking to join teammates Damonte Coxie (1,322), David Ungerer III (1,118) and rookie Tyler Kahmann (1,085) in the 1,000-yard club.
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native → look → club
“It would just mean we’ve got a good offence and you’ve got to pick your poison,” said Mital.
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Mital → mean → poison
“Chad (Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly) has done a great job of getting the ball to everybody and when we get a chance, we make plays.
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we → do → plays
They gave me a contract (extension) at the start of the season because they knew I was capable of doing this … it’s just another check on the list but the job’s not done.”
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job → give → list
This marks just the third time in Argos history that they’ve had three 1,000-yard receivers in the same season and the first since ‘19.
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they → mark → 19
“For Kevin, he’d definitely deserve it,” said Toronto head coach Mike Miller.
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Miller → deserve → it
“The guy just does a great job and he’s an unselfish teammate.
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he → do → job
“For me as a coach, it would be ‘OK, we’ve had some success there,’ and you’re pleased.
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you → have → success
But you keep it in perspective because, again, it’s still all about the ultimate goal.
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it → keep → goal
But I’ll be excited for them (Argos receivers) because they put the time in, they’ve worked really hard and deserve it.”
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they → put → it
Mital, 27, credits Kelly for the receiving corps’ success and overall balance.
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Mital → credit → success
Mital, who won the ‘22 Hec Crighton Trophy as Canadian university football’s top player at Laval, said the receivers understand if they can get open, Kelly will see that and deliver the ball accurately and on time.
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Kelly → win → time
“He’s got the arm and he makes plays,” Mital said.
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Mital → get → plays
“He’s a playmaker so you know you’ve got to run your route and that he’s going to put the ball out there.”
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he → ’ → ball
Third-stringer Tucker Horn will start under centre with newcomer Luis Perez serving as the backup.
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Perez → start → backup
Kelly (lower body injury) won’t dress.
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Kelly → dress → ?
“You’re trying to run things they’re going to be able to build confidence with but still play the way we play,” Miller said of the challenge with having so many new faces in the starting lineup.
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Miller → try → lineup
“We want to play smart, fast and physical and allow them to have that confidence going forward.
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them → want → confidence
“They know and I’ve told them, ‘Hey, if you make a mistake, make it going 100 miles an hour, learn from it and then go to that next play.’
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it → know → play
That doesn’t really change anything, we’re only as good as our next play so that’s what our focus has to be.”
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focus → change → what
Dustin Crum will make a second straight start at quarterback for Montreal with Caleb Evans backing him up.
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Evans → make → him
Tyson Philpot and Tyler Snead — who are first and second, respectively, in CFL receiving — won’t dress for Montreal.
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who → dress → Montreal
Canadian kicker Lewis Ward will make his Alouettes debut while linebacker Micah Awe and cornerback Lorenzo Burns both return from injury.
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Awe → make → injury
“We’ve just got to do our thing, run our offence,” Mital said.
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Mital → get → offence
“I’m (expecting) to see them again in two weeks (in East final).
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I → expect → final
“It’s just a preview.”
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It → ’ → ?
With a win, Montreal would tie the ‘04 Alouettes for the second-best record in team history.
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Montreal → tie → history
The ‘09 squad finished with a 15-3 regular-season mark.
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squad → finish → mark
And if the Alouettes score 20 points Friday, it would give them 611 on the season, breaking the team mark of 610 set in 2008.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 22, 2026.
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report → score → Press
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