The Ottawa Redblacks (3-6) visited BMO Field on Saturday afternoon against the Toronto Argonauts (2-7) for the second time this season. The Redblacks welcomed back wide receiver Justin Hardy after missing last week’s game with a back injury.
The Argonauts also welcomed back wide receivers DaVaris Daniels (hip) and Kevin Mital (quad) from their injuries.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Ottawa’s defense took a hit, losing Cleyon Laing and Amari Henderson to injuries. Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw five passes for 41 yards to the 26-yard line. On the next play, Arbuckle faked a handoff before throwing a 26-yard touchdown to Dejon Brissett for a 7-0 lead with 11:35 left to cap off a six-play drive for 67 yards.
On the kickoff, Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu kicked the ball 85 yards into the endzone, where Kalil Pimpleton took a knee to give up a single point. Toronto led 8-0. Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown began the drive by throwing three passes for 39 yards.
Two plays later, Brown threw a two-yard pass to William Stanback to set up third down. Kicker Lewis Ward missed a 36-yard field goal wide right, and Toronto returner Janarion Grant was tackled in the endzone for a single point. Ottawa trailed Toronto 8-1 with 7:37 left.
Later, Toronto had the ball at the 31-yard line. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle had pressure in his face. He escaped the pocket and found a wide-open Jake Herslow for the touchdown. Toronto extended its lead to 15-1 with 2:12 left.
On the last play of the first quarter, Toronto’s defense pressured Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown. Toronto linebacker Cameron Judge smacked the ball out of Brown’s hand, and defensive lineman Jordan Williams scooped it up to score an 81-yard touchdown for a 22-1 lead.
Toronto’s offense had 116 yards (116 yards passing), and Ottawa’s offense had 91 yards (88 yards passing, 3 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Ottawa returner Kalil Pimpleton returned a 57-yard punt for 57 yards to the six-yard line. Two plays later, Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis. Ottawa trailed Toronto 22-8 with 10:30 left.
Later, Ottawa’s offense had the ball on the 37-yard line. Running back William Stanback had four carries for 28 yards, and quarterback Dru Brown threw an 18-yard pass to Bralon Addison, leading the offense to the 27-yard line. On third down, kicker Lewis Ward made a 34-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Argonauts 22-11 with 4:31 left.
Late in the second quarter, Ottawa running back Daniel Adeboboye rushed for two yards, and quarterback Dru Brown threw three passes for 45 yards to the 42-yard line. On the next play, Brown threw a 42-yard touchdown pass to Bralon Addison, who split two Toronto defenders to make the touchdown catch. Ottawa went for a two-point conversion.
Brown threw the ball to Addison, but it was ruled incomplete. However, after further review, the command center determined that Addison got one foot inbounds to get two points. Ottawa trailed Toronto 22-19 with 48 seconds left to cap off a five-play drive for 89 yards.
Toronto’s offense quickly moved the ball. On the second play, quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw a pass to Jake Herslow. Herslow leaped over an Ottawa player to run for 29 yards to the 37-yard line. The offense continued to move the ball until reaching the 13-yard line. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 20-yard field goal. The Argonauts led the Redblacks 25-19 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Toronto’s offense had 192 yards (185 yards passing, 7 yards rushing), 10 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 25 yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 18 of 20 passes (90%) for 185 yards, two touchdowns, and one carry for seven yards.
Running back Deonte McMahon had one carry for no yards. Wide receiver Jake Herslow made five catches for 81 yards and one touchdown, while Dejon Brissett made two catches for 37 yards and one touchdown. The defense made one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown.
Ottawa’s offense had 247 yards (214 yards passing, 37 yards rushing, 4 yards lost), 12 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 30 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 16 of 19 passes (84.2%) for 214 yards and two touchdowns.
Running back William Stanback had seven carries for 31 yards. Wide receiver Bralon Addison made seven catches for 115 yards and one touchdown, while Eugene Lewis made four catches for 44 yards and one touchdown.
Third Quarter:
Ottawa returner Daniel Adeboboye started the third quarter returning a 53-yard kickoff for 53 yards to the 11-yard line. Ottawa running back William Stanback rushed for four yards, and quarterback Dru Brown threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis. A missed snap kept the game tied 25-25 with 13:19 left.
Ottawa kicker Lewis kicked the ball 92 yards to Toronto returner Janarion Grant. The ball bounced into the endzone, and Grant took a knee in the endzone to give up a single point. Ottawa led Toronto 26-25.
Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle began the next drive by throwing a 24-yard pass to Dejon Brissett. The offense moved the ball to the one-yard line. On the next play, Arbuckle scored the touchdown. They went for a two-point conversion, but did not get it. Toronto led Ottawa 31-26 with 8:23 left to cap off a nine-play drive for 70 yards.
On the next Ottawa drive, quarterback Dru Brown threw three passes for 42 yards to the 19-yard line. Then, Brown threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hardy. They tried another two-point conversion, but running back William Stanback came up short. The Redblacks led the Argonauts 32-31 with 3:47 left to cap off an eight-play drive for 65 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Toronto’s offense moved the ball to the 32-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu missed a 39-yard field goal wide right. Ottawa returner Kalil Pimpleton returned the missed field goal for 26 yards to the eight-yard line.
An objectionable conduct penalty on Toronto placed the ball at the 18-yard line to begin the fourth quarter with Ottawa leading Toronto 32-31.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Toronto running back Deonta McMahon rushed for two yards, followed by quarterback Nick Arbuckle throwing an eight-yard pass to Dejon Brissett to the 31-yard line. Arbuckle would rush for one yard and throw three more passes for 24 yards to the six-yard line.
On the next play, Arbuckle threw a six-yard touchdown pass to DaVaris Daniels. They went for a two-point conversion and got it. Toronto led Ottawa 39-32 with 9:33 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 41 yards.
Later, Ottawa’s offense stormed back by moving the ball to the one-yard line. Two plays later, backup quarterback Dustin Crum scored the touchdown. The game was tied 39-39 with 5:08 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 73 yards.
Late in the fourth quarter, Toronto’s offense moved the ball to the 38-yard line. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 45-yard field goal for a 42-39 lead with 2:50 left. Ottawa’s offense quickly moved the ball to the 11-yard line. Then, quarterback Dru Brown threw an 11-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hardy. The Redblacks took a 46-42 lead with 41 seconds left to cap off a nine-play drive for 72 yards in two minutes and nine seconds.
Ottawa’s defense sealed the game when Robert Priester intercepted Nick Arbuckle’s pass. The Redblacks defeated the Argonauts 46-42.
Final Stats:
Ottawa’s offense had 429 yards (373 yards passing, 94 yards rushing, 38 yards lost), 27 first downs, 5 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 45 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 26 of 31 passes (83.8%) for 373 yards and five touchdowns.
Running back William Stanback led the rushers with 17 carries for 84 yards. Wide receiver Bralon Addison led the receivers making seven catches for 115 yards and one touchdown, while Justin Hardy made seven catches for 106 yards and two touchdowns, and Eugene Lewis made five catches for 51 yards and two touchdowns. The defense made 37 tackles and one interception.
Toronto’s offense had 366 yards (317 yards passing, 49 yards rushing), 24 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 47 yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 32 of 38 passes (84.2%) for 317 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, six carries for 19 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back Deonta McMahon had six carries for 30 yards. Wide receiver Dejon Brissett led the receivers making six catches for 89 yards and one touchdown, while Jake Herslow made six catches for 84 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 42 tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one touchdown.
Next week, the Ottawa Redblacks visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Thursday at 8:30 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. The Toronto Argonauts visit the Edmonton Elks on Friday at 9 pm on TSN and CFL+.
