The Toronto Argonauts (3-8) hosted the B.C. Lions (5-6) on Saturday afternoon from BMO Field. The Toronto Argonauts went into this game without running back Miyan Williams (head) and wide receiver Damonte Coxie (shoulder). The Lions did not have defensive lineman Marcus Moore (elbow) and defensive back Jalon Edwards-Cooper (knee) for this game.
First Quarter:
Toronto got the ball to start the game on the 55-yard line. During the drive, quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw four passes for 35 yards to the 16-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 24-yard field goal. The Argonauts took a 3-0 lead with 11:14 left.
B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke began the first Lions drive by throwing two passes for 42 yards to the 28-yard line. Two plays later, he threw an 18-yard pass to Ayden Eberhardt to the 10-yard line. On the next play, Rourke threw a short pass to Jevon Cottoy. Cottoy stiff-armed Toronto defensive back Derek Slywka on his way into the endzone. The Lions took a 7-3 lead with 8:59 left to cap off a five-play drive for 70 yards.
After Toronto’s offense went two-and-out, B.C. had the ball on the 32-yard line. They moved the ball to the 16-yard line. Then, quarterback Nathan Rourke handed the ball off to James Butler. Left guard Kory Woodruff created a hole on the left side, and Butler scored a 16-yard touchdown. It was now 14-3 with four minutes left to cap off a five-play drive for 78 yards.
Late in the first quarter, Toronto’s offense moved the ball to the 18-yard line. During the drive, running back Deonta McMahon suffered an injury. The Argonauts trailed the Lions 14-3 heading into the second quarter. B.C.’s offense had 133 yards (113 yards passing, 20 yards rushing), and Toronto’s offense had 91 yards (77 yards passing, 20 yards rushing, 6 yards lost).
Second Quarter:
Toronto started the second quarter with kicker Lirim Hajrullahu making a 25-yard field goal. The Argonauts trailed the Lions 14-6 with 14:29 left.
Later, Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw five passes for 81 yards, and running back Spencer Brown had two carries for one yard to the two-yard line. On the next play, Nick Arbuckle went with a quarterback draw play to score the touchdown. Then, Spencer Brown scored the two-point conversion. The game was tied 14-14 with 7:03 left to cap off an 11-play drive for 91 yards.
B.C.’s offense moved the ball to the 49-yard line. On the next play, Nathan Rourke’s pass intended for Javon Cottoy was intercepted by Benjie Franklin. Franklin took it to the house for a 57-yard touchdown. The Argonauts took their first lead of the game 21-14 with 4:54 left. It was Franklin’s third interception of the season.
On the kickoff, B.C. returner Seven McGee returned the ball for 61 yards to the 36-yard line. The Lions moved the ball to the 20-yard line. Then, with Toronto’s defense blitzing, Nathan Rourke quickly threw the ball to Jevon Cottoy. Cottoy fended off two Toronto players to score the touchdown. The game was tied 21-21 with 2:53 to cap off a three-play drive for 36 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Toronto’s offense moved the ball to the 15-yard line. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle finished the drive off by throwing a touchdown pass to a wide-open Kevin Mital. It was now 28-21 with 33 seconds left. B.C.’s offense did not attempt to work the field and took a knee to end the first half down 28-21.
First Half Stats:
Toronto’s offense had 261 yards (229 yards passing, 38 yards rushing, 6 yards lost), 19 first downs, 2 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 30 yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 20 of 25 passes (80%) for 229 yards, one touchdown, three carries for eight yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back Spencer Brown had five carries for 10 yards. Wide receiver Kevin Mital made seven catches for 63 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for 13 yards, while Dejon Brissett made three catches for 61 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss, one interception, and one touchdown.
B.C.’s offense had 167 yards (144 yards passing, 26 yards rushing, 3 yards lost), 10 first downs, 3 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 11 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 10 of 13 passes (76.9%) for 144 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
Running back James Butler had four carries for 26 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made two catches for 42 yards, while Jevon Cottoy made two catches for 30 yards and two touchdowns. The defense made two tackles for loss and one sack.
Third Quarter:
B.C. got the ball to start the third quarter on the 46-yard line. Running back James Butler started the drive with a 17-yard run to the 47-yard line. Next, Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 48 yards to the three-yard line before the drive stalled. Rather than go for it, kicker Sean Whyte made a 10-yard field goal. The Lions trailed the Argonauts 28-24 with 11:38 left.
Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle began the next drive by throwing a 57-yard pass to Dejon Brissett to the 13-yard line. Two plays later, he threw a seven-yard pass to Spencer Brown to the three-yard line. On the next play, Arbuckle handed the ball off to Spencer Brown, who walked in for the touchdown. The Argonauts extended their lead to 35-24 with 8:51 left.
Late in the third quarter, B.C. running back James Butler started the next drive with a 12-yard run to the 50-yard line. Next, quarterback Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 59 yards to the one-yard line. Backup quarterback Jeremiah Masoli failed to get into the endzone twice.
On third down, Masoli handed the ball off to James Butler, who leaped over the offensive linemen to score the touchdown. They went for a two-point conversion, but did not get it. The Lions trailed the Argonauts 35-30 with 2:45 left to cap off a six-play drive for 72 yards.
Toronto responded. Running back Spencer Brown began the next drive with two carries for 12 yards and caught a pass for 19 yards to the 40-yard line. Then, Arbuckle had pressure in his face. He chucked the ball down the field to Jake Herslow. The ball was underthrown, but Herslow located it to make the catch for the touchdown. The Argonauts led the Lions 42-30 to cap off a four-play drive for 71 yards to end the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 29 yards to the 50-yard line. On the next play, Toronto’s defense pressured Rourke. He escaped from being sacked before taking off for a 47-yard run, running out of bounds to the 13-yard line. Two plays later, he threw a seven-yard pass to Stanley Berryhill III before the drive stalled. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 14-yard field goal. The Lions trailed the Argonauts 42-33 with 11:43 left.
Toronto countered the field goal when quarterback Nick Arbuckle got B.C.’s defense to freeze using the play action. He threw the ball to Jake Herslow for a 70-yard touchdown. It was now 49-33 with 11:12 left in the game.
Later, B.C.’s offense moved the ball to the 55-yard line before the drive stalled. Punter Carl Meyer punted the ball 60 yards to the corner of the endzone. Toronto returner Janarion Grant watched the ball in the endzone, and out of bounds for a single point. It was now 49-34 with 9:06 left.
B.C. would get the ball again on the 25-yard line. They moved the ball to the 39-yard line. On the next play, Toronto linebacker Wynton McManis nailed Rourke before he threw the ball, causing a fumble. It was recovered by Toronto linebacker Branden Dozier on the 43-yard line.
With the game out of reach, Toronto running back Spencer Brown had nine carries for 54 yards to the 13-yard line. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 20-yard field goal, and the game was over. The Argonauts defeated the Lions 52-34.
Final Stats:
Toronto’s offense had 529 yards (430 yards passing, 113 yards rushing, 14 yards lost), 30 first downs, 3 for 6 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 45 yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 26 of 33 passes (78%) for 430 yards, three touchdowns, three carries for eight yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back Spencer Brown had 19 carries for 85 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Jake Herslow made five catches for 149 yards and two touchdowns, while Kevin Mital made seven catches for 63 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 30 tackles, one tackle for loss, two sacks, one interception, one touchdown, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
B.C.’s offense had 442 yards (326 yards passing, 130 yards rushing, 14 yards lost), 24 first downs, 4 for 6 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 36 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 20 of 31 passes (64.5%) for 326 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for 47 yards.
Running back James Butler had 11 carries for 83 yards and two touchdowns. Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made seven catches for 131 yards, while Jevon Cottoy made three catches for 50 yards and two touchdowns. The defense made 50 tackles, three tackles for loss, three sacks, and one forced fumble.
Next week, the Toronto Argonauts visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Monday at 2:30 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. The B.C. Lions are on a bye week.
