The Toronto Argonauts (2-1) took on the Saskatchewan Roughriders (2-1) on Friday night at Mosaic Stadium. This was the 101st meeting between these two teams. Saskatchewan had won the last two of them.
Toronto got the ball to start the game at the 31-yard line. On the first play of the game, running back Samuel Hicks took off for 61 yards to the 18-yard line. Quarterback Chad Kelly threw a five-yard pass to Damonte Coxie before his next pass, intended for Tyler Kahmann, was intercepted by Josh Woods at the 19-yard line. Woods read the play by stepping in front of Kahmann to make the interception.
Saskatchewan went two-and-out. Punter Oscar Chapman punted the ball 55 yards to Janarion Grant. Grant made a couple of juke moves before speeding his way for a 68-yard touchdown to give the Argonauts a 7-0 lead with 11:40 left. Later in the first quarter, Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 51-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 7:24 left.
Late in the first quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense were threatening to score a touchdown at the five-yard line. Toronto’s defense stepped up when defensive back Tarvarus McFadden got in front of Samuel Emilus to make the interception. Chad Kelly threw two passes for 42 yards, while rushing for eight yards, and Samuel Hicks rushed for four yards to the 26-yard line to end the first quarter with a 10-0 lead.
In the second quarter, Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 24-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead with 13:39 left. Saskatchewan running back Quali Conley had two carries for 19 yards to the 51-yard line. The Roughriders moved the ball to the four-yard line, where quarterback Trevor Harris absorbed a hit as he threw a touchdown pass to KeeSean Johnson. The Roughriders trailed the Argonauts 13-7 with 9:13 left to conclude an eight-play drive for 70 yards.
The touchdown gave Saskatchewan new life. After Toronto went two-and-out, the Roughriders had the ball on the 52-yard line. On their next drive, the Roughriders moved the ball to the 32-yard line before kicker Alex Hale made a 36-yard field goal. The Roughriders trailed the Argonauts 13-10 with 4:34 left.
The Roughriders would get the ball again with 2:42 left. Trevor Harris completed a 24-yard pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker to the 47-yard line. They moved the ball to the 17-yard line. On the next play, running back Quali Conley, with the help of the offensive line opening up a hole for him, sprinted into the endzone for the touchdown. The Roughriders took a 17-13 lead with 1:51 left to cap off a five-play drive for 71 yards. Saskatchewan scored 17 straight points.
With 24 seconds left, Toronto had the ball on the 46-yard line. Chad Kelly threw a 37-yard pass to Damonte Coxie to the 27-yard line. On the next play, Kelly threw a 27-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Kahmann. The Argonauts took a 20-17 lead at halftime.
Toronto’s offense had 212 yards. Chad Kelly went 10 of 13 for 152 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for eight yards. Wide receiver Tyler Kahmann made two catches for 36 yards and one touchdown. Saskatchewan’s offense had 221 yards. Trevor Harris went 14 of 19 for 148 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Running Quali Conley had seven carries for 53 yards and one rushing touchdown. The bad news for the Roughriders was that they lost wide receivers Samuel Emilus and James Letcher Jr. to injuries.
Toronto got the ball to start the third quarter at the 40-yard line. Chad Kelly threw three straight passes for 30 yards to the 40-yard line. The drive stalled after Chad Kelly had two close passes, with one of them should’ve been a touchdown. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 47-yard field goal for a 23-17 lead with 12:23 left.
Saskatchewan went two-and-out. Toronto had possession of the football on the 52-yard line. After losing three yards, Chad Kelly threw three passes for 59 yards, including a 25-yarder to Damonte Coxie to the two-yard line. Two plays later, Chad Kelly took it in for the touchdown. It was now 30-17 with 7:27 left to cap off a six-play drive for 58 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw six of seven passes for 89 yards to the one-yard line. On the next play, Tommy Stevens scored the touchdown. It was now 30-24 with 1:04 left to conclude a 10-play drive for 90 yards. On the final play of the third quarter, Chad Kelly threw a 16-yard pass to Samuel Hicks to the 54-yard line heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Toronto moved the ball to the 40-yard line before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 38-yard field goal for a 33-24 lead with 12:07 left. Saskatchewan had the ball on the 40-yard line. The Roughriders moved the ball to the 17-yard line. On the next play, Trevor Harris threw a touchdown pass to Daniel Wiebe. It was now 33-31 with 9:36 left to conclude a six-play drive for 70 yards.
Saskatchewan’s defense gave up 30 yards before Toronto punted the ball. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed a short pass to Jaylen Johnson. Toronto defensive back Tarvarus McFadden leveled Johnson, causing a fumble, and Adarius Pickett recovered it at the 32-yard line. Three plays later, Chad Kelly threw a 21-yard touchdown to Tyler Kahmann for a 40-31 lead with 4:16 left in the game.
With under a minute left, Saskatchewan moved the ball to the 17-yard line before Alex Hale made a 26-yard field goal. It was now 40-34. Saskatchewan went for an onside kick, but Toronto recovered, and the game was over. The Argonauts held on to beat the Roughriders 40-34.
Toronto’s offense had 393 yards (321 passing yards, 102 rushing yards, 30 yards lost), 21 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 22 yards. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 23 of 30 passes (76%) for 321 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, four carries for 15 yards, and one rushing touchdown. Running back Samuel Hicks had seven carries for 77 yards.
Wide receiver Tyler Kahmann made five catches for 89 yards and two touchdowns, while Damonte Coxie made four catches for 70 yards. The defense made 47 tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 475 yards (409 passing yards, 80 rushing yards, 14 yards lost), 27 first downs, 4 for 6 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 80 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 34 of 43 passes (79%) for 409 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Running back Quali Conley had eight carries for 50 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson made 10 catches for 112 yards and one touchdown, while Kian Schaffer-Baker made eight catches for 89 yards. The defense made 42 tackles, one tackle for loss, four sacks (2 by Mike Rose), and one interception.
Next Thursday, the Toronto Argonauts visit the Calgary Stampeders at 9 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders head to Ottawa to take on the Redblacks on Friday at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+.
