The Toronto Argonauts (4-8) visited Hamilton Stadium on Monday afternoon in the Labour Day Classic against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (6-5) in their second meeting of the season.
The Argonauts welcomed back wide receiver Makai Polk, who was re-signed last week after a stint in the NFL, and offensive lineman Ryan Hunter, who missed several weeks with a shoulder injury. Hamilton also welcomed back wide receiver Tyler Ternowski, who missed several weeks with a shoulder injury.
First Quarter:
Toronto got the ball on the 30-yard line to start the game. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw eight passes for 64 yards to the nine-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 16-yard field goal to put the Argonauts up 3-0 with 8:54 left.
On Hamilton’s first drive of the game, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw three passes for 47 yards to the 28-yard line. Hamilton center Coulter Woodmansey had trouble snapping the ball to Mitchell, and it nearly cost them.
On second down, Woodmansey snapped the ball low to Mitchell, causing a fumble, and Mitchell picked it up and threw it away. He was not happy with Woodmansey. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 35-yard field goal, and the game was tied 3-3 with 6:16 left.
Late in the first quarter, Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw a short pass to Spencer Brown for 16 yards. He got hit late out of bounds, and an unnecessary roughness penalty was called on Hamilton’s Jamal Peters, tacking on 15 yards to the 14-yard line.
Two plays later, Nick Arbuckle threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Dejon Brissett, but a holding penalty on Toronto took the points off the board, and backed them up to the 20-yard line. Arbuckle would rush for three yards to the 17-yard line before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 24-yard field goal. The Argonauts led the Tiger-Cats 6-3 to end the first quarter.
Toronto’s offense had 94 yards (84 yards passing, 10 yards rushing), and Hamilton’s offense had 50 yards (47 yards passing, 3 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw three passes for 57 yards, and running back Greg Bell had two carries for seven yards to the six-yard line. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 13-yard field goal, and the game was tied 6-6 with 11:12 left.
Later, Toronto’s offense moved the ball to the 41-yard line before the drive stalled. Punter John Haggerty punted the ball 71 yards. The ball rolled into the endzone, where Quavian White took a knee in the endzone to give up the single point. Toronto led Hamilton 7-6 with 9:52 left.
Later, it was the Spencer Brown show. He caught two passes for 29 yards and ran over several Hamilton players for a 27-yard run to the 27-yard line. On the next play, Nick Arbuckle threw the ball to a wide-open Jake Herslow for the touchdown. The Argonauts led the Tiger-Cats 14-6 with 5:46 left to cap off a four-play drive for 83 yards.
Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu kicked the ball 100 yards into the endzone, and out of bounds for a single point. It was now 15-6. After Hamilton went two-and-out, Toronto’s offense had the ball on the 26-yard line. Nick Arbuckle threw a seven-yard pass to Makai Polk, and that was all they got.
On third down, Hamilton wide receiver Tyler Ternowski blocked John Haggerty’s punt. The ball bounced up right into the hands of Devin Veresuk for the touchdown. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Argonauts 15-13 with 2:35 left.
Late in the second quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell’s pass was intercepted by Tarvarus McFadden. McFadden ran it back for 40 yards before having the ball punched out by Shemar Bridges, and Liam Dobson touched the ball just before it went out of bounds, giving the ball back to Hamilton on the 11-yard line.
Hamilton’s offense gained 13 yards, but was short of field goal range. They took a knee to end the first half. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Argonauts 15-13.
First Half Stats:
Toronto’s offense had 169 yards (150 yards passing, 43 yards rushing, 24 yards lost), 10 first downs, 0 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 60 yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 17 of 20 passes (85%) for 150 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for three yards.
Running back Spencer Brown had four carries for 40 yards and six catches for 54 yards. Wide receiver Jake Herslow made three catches for 43 yards and one touchdown, while Makai Polk made three catches for 11 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss and one interception.
Hamilton’s offense had 148 yards (130 yards passing, 19 yards rushing, 1 yard loss), 6 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 59 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 10 of 16 passes (62.5%) for 130 yards and one interception.
Running back Greg Bell had five carries for 18 yards. Wide receiver Kiondre Smith made three catches for 87 yards, while Tim White made three catches for 31 yards. The defense made two tackles for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Hamilton had the ball on the 17-yard line. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw four passes for 75 yards, including a 55-yarder to Kiondre Smith to the 18-yard line. On the next play, Mitchell saw Kenny Lawler beat Tarvarus McFadden before throwing the ball to him to the corner of the endzone for the touchdown. Hamilton took a 20-15 lead with 8:04 left to cap off a six-play drive for 93 yards.
Toronto’s offense got the ball on the 43-yard line. Nick Arbuckle led the offense to the 26-yard line before getting sacked by Devin Veresuk for a 10-yard loss. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 43-yard field goal. The Argonauts trailed the Tiger-Cats 20-18 with 3:26 left.
Late in the third quarter, Hamilton Kyler Fisher sacked Nick Arbuckle for a three-yard loss to the 44-yard line. Toronto went two-and-out. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu attempted a 51-yard field goal. The ball hit the left upright, resulting in a dead ball. The Argonauts trailed the Tiger-Cats 20-18 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Bo Levi Mitchell threw three passes for 57 yards to the 23-yard line. Then, Mitchell threw a 23-yard touchdown pas to Shemar Bridges. Hamilton extended its lead to 27-18 with 12:41 left to cap off a four-play drive for 70 yards.
Later, Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw seven passes for 54 yards, and running back Spencer Brown rushed for three yards, leading the offense to the three-yard line. Then, with Hamilton’s defense blitzing, Arbuckle threw a touchdown pass to Makai Polk. The Argonauts trailed the Tiger-Cats 27-25 with 7:08 left to cap off a 10-play drive for 60 yards.
Late in the fourth quarter, Nick Arbuckle threw two passes for 48 yards, and running back Spencer Brown rushed for 16 yards to the three-yard line. On the next play, Arbuckle threw a touchdown pass to Jake Herslow. Toronto took a 32-27 lead with 2:46 left to cap off a five-play drive for 67 yards.
Hamilton’s offense had the ball on the 39-yard line. They moved the ball to the 19-yard line. On third down, Bo Levi Mitchell’s pass was knocked down by Wynton McManis, and Toronto took over the ball on the 19-yard line. Toronto would go two-and-out.
Hamilton’s offense got the ball on the 47-yard line. Bo Levi Mitchell threw two passes for 55 yards, including a 50-yarder to Kenny Lawler to reach the eight-yard line. On the next play, Mitchell threw a touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler. They attempted a two-point conversion, but did not get it. It was now 33-32 with 18 seconds left to cap off a three-play drive for 63 yards.
Toronto’s offense had one more chance starting on the 44-yard line. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw a pass to Dejon Brissett, who broke a tackle to run for 63 yards to the three-yard line with one second left. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu kicked the game-winning 11-yard field goal. The Argonauts defeated the Tiger-Cats 35-32.
Final Stats:
Toronto’s offense had 404 yards (352 yards passing, 97 yards rushing, 45 yards lost), 23 first downs, 2 for 5 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 88 yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 33 of 40 passes (82.5%) for 352 yards, three touchdowns, and three carries for seven yards.
Running back Spencer Brown had 10 carries for 90 yards and nine catches for 64 yards. Wide receiver Jake Herslow made six catches for 67 yards and two touchdowns, while Makai Polk made six catches for 64 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 33 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, and one interception.
Hamilton’s offense had 421 yards (405 yards passing, 25 yards rushing, 9 yards lost), 18 first downs, 2 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 69 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 27 of 37 passes for 405 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception.
Running back Greg Bell had seven carries for 24 yards and five catches for 39 yards. Wide receiver Kiondre Smith made seven catches for 171 yards, while Kenny Lawler made nine catches for 123 yards and two touchdowns. The defense made 46 tackles, one tackle for loss, four sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
Next week, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visit the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday at 1 pm on TSN and CFL+. The Toronto Argonauts are on a bye week.
