The Toronto Argonauts (1-3) visited TD Place Stadium on Sunday night against the Ottawa Redblacks (1-3) to close out Week 4 of the CFL season. Nick Arbuckle got the start at quarterback for Toronto, while Dustin Crum made his second start of the season for Ottawa.
First Quarter:
Toronto returner Janarion Grant returned the opening kickoff for 26 yards to the 43-yard line. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed two passes for 38 yards, including a 32-yarder to DaVaris Daniels to Ottawa’s 29-yard line. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 36-yard field goal to give the Argonauts a 3-0 lead with 13:10 left.
Both offenses were stagnant in the first quarter. Toronto had 64 yards (64 yards passing), and Ottawa had 32 yards (24 yards passing, 12 yards rushing).
Toronto was pinned at their 18-yard line on third down. Ottawa’s special teams gave the offense great field position after Gavin Heslop blocked John Haggerty’s punt. The ball went out of bounds on Toronto’s 25-yard line.
Toronto’s defense bailed them out with two sacks and Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum overthrew to his receiver Keelan White and into the hands of Toronto defensive back Tarvarus McFadden for the interception in the endzone.
With 32 seconds left, Toronto punter John Haggerty punted the ball 67 yards. The ball bounced into the endzone, where Ottawa returner DeVonte Dedmon took a knee to give up the single. Ottawa trailed Toronto 4-0 heading into the second quarter.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Ottawa’s offense started to move the football. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed two passes for 42 yards to Toronto’s 28-yard line. On the next play, Crum completed a pass to Keelan White for five yards before Toronto defensive lineman Andrew Chatfield Jr. forced it out and it was recovered by Ottawa receiver Bralon Addison.
Three plays later, Crum completed a pass to Kalan Pimpleton for 15 yards. Pimpleton was fighting for extra yards when Toronto defensive back Benjie Franklin punched the ball out. Toronto defensive back Derek Slywka scooped up the ball and took it to the house for a 105-yard touchdown. It was now 11-0 Toronto with 11:25 left before halftime.
When Toronto’s offense saw the field again later in the second quarter, quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw three passes for 67 yards, including a 40-yarder to DaVaris Daniels to Ottawa’s three-yard line. After Toronto running back Kevin Brown rushed for two yards, Arbuckle faked a handoff before spinning around to throw a one-yard touchdown pass to offensive lineman Ryan Hunter. It was now 18-0 with 6:52 left to cap off a four-play drive for 80 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum was sacked by Toronto defensive lineman Celestin Haba, losing the ball in the process and it was recovered by Ottawa offensive lineman Darta Lee on Toronto’s 43-yard line. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 50-yard field goal, and Ottawa trailed Toronto 18-3 at halftime.
First Half:
Toronto had 163 yards on offense (158 yards passing, 9 yards rushing, 4 yards lost), 7 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 40 yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 11 of 15 passes (73%) for 158 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for eight yards.
Running back Kevin Brown had two carries for one yard. Wide receiver DaVaris Daniels made three catches for 82 yards, and Kevin Mital made three catches for 59 yards. The defense made two sacks, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown.
Ottawa had 131 yards on offense (113 yards passing, 22 yards rushing, 4 yards lost), 8 first downs, 0 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 44 yards. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 10 of 15 passes (66%) for 105 yards, one interception, and three carries for eight yards.
Running back Daniel Adeboboye had two carries for 11 yards. Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton made three catches for 35 yards, while Eugene Lewis made two catches for 31 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss and one sack.
Third Quarter:
Ottawa got the ball to start the third quarter. They moved the ball up to Toronto’s 19-yard line facing third down. Kicker Lewis Ward attempted a 28-yard field goal, but it was blocked by Toronto defensive lineman Anthony Lanier II. The ball bounced into the endzone and into the hands of Derek Slywka. Slywka ran around the endzone before finding an opening and took it to the house for a 120-yard touchdown. It was now 25-3 with ten minutes left.
Ottawa needed to respond. Quarterback Dustin Crum threw a short pass to Bralon Addison for 22 yards. They gained 17 yards before Crum was sacked by Andrew Chatfield Jr. for an 11-yard loss. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 45-yard field goal, and it was now 25-6 with 7:30 left.
Ottawa’s defense got the ball back a short time later when Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle’s pass was deflected by Daniel Okpoko and into the hands of Robert Priester for the interception on Ottawa’s 38-yard line.
Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum threw the ball three times for 62 yards, including a 40-yarder to Eugene Lewis to Toronto’s 10-yard line. Running back Daniel Adeboboye carried the ball two times for nine yards before Crum finished it off with a one-yard touchdown. It was now 25-13 heading to the fourth quarter to cap off a seven-play drive for 72 yards.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed three passes for 55 yards to Ottawa’s 36-yard line. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 44-yard field goal for a 28-13 lead with 11:42 left. Later, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball up to Toronto’s 27-yard line before Crum was sacked by Isaac Darkangelo for a five-yard loss. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 40-yard field goal and it was now 28-16 with 6:08 left.
For the rest of the game, Toronto’s offense controlled the game. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu missed a 28-yard field goal as time expired but did get the single point. The Toronto Argonauts defeated the Ottawa Redblacks by the final score of 29-16.
Final Stats:
Toronto had 289 yards on offense (269 yards passing, 30 yards rushing, 10 yards lost), 13 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 60 yards.
Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 18 of 25 passes (72%) for 269 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for 18 yards. Running back Kevin Brown had seven carries for 11 yards.
Wide receiver DaVaris Daniels led the receivers making five catches for 96 yards, while Damonte Coxie made two catches for 82 yards. The defense made 48 tackles, five sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown.
Ottawa had 341 yards on offense (235 yards passing, 130 yards rushing, 24 yards lost), 20 first downs, 1 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized eight times for 74 yards. Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum completed 20 of 30 passes (66%) for 235 yards, one interception, eight carries for 60 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back Daniel Adeboboye had seven carries for 46 yards. Wide receiver Eugene Lewis led the receivers making four catches for 83 yards, while Kalil Pimpleton made five catches for 56 yards. The defense made 32 tackles, two tackles for loss, three sacks, one interception, and one forced fumble.
Next week, the Toronto Argonauts host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+. The Ottawa Redblacks visit the Edmonton Elks on Sunday at 7 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.
