The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3-2) hosted the Toronto Argonauts (2-3) on Friday night at Princess Auto Stadium in quarterback Dru Brown’s homecoming. The Blue Bombers acquired Brown on June 23rd. He did not play last week. With Zach Callaros out with a neck injury, the Blue Bombers turned to Brown to lead the way.
Winnipeg got the ball to start the game on the 35-yard line. He threw a couple of passes for 17 yards as the offense moved the ball to the 53-yard line. On the next play, Brown completed a pass to Ontaria Wilson for 49 yards, but Toronto defensive back Benjie Franklin slapped the ball out, and Tarvarus McFadden recovered it on the four-yard line. Toronto running back Samuel Hicks rushed for 26 yards, and Chad Kelly rushed for three yards before the drive stalled.
For the majority of the first quarter, both offenses struggled to move the ball. Later, Winnipeg had the ball on the 46-yard line. On the second play, Dru Brown threw a 19-yard pass to Ontaria Wilson to the 55-yard line. The Blue Bombers moved the ball to the 35-yard line. On the next play, Brown threw a quick slant pass to Tim White, who sprinted into the endzone for a 35-yard touchdown. The Blue Bombers took a 7-0 lead with 3:19 left to conclude a seven-play drive for 64 yards.
Toronto had the ball on the 18-yard line. Chad Kelly threw two passes for 31 yards to the 49-yard line. On the next play, Kelly had pressure coming. He tried to do a pump fake, but Redha Kramdi slapped the ball out, causing a fumble, and it was recovered by Tony Jones at the 52-yard line. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 56-yard field goal. The Blue Bombers extended their lead to 10-0 to end the first quarter. Winnipeg’s offense had 154 yards. Dru Brown was 7 of 10 for 139 yards and one touchdown.
In the second quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Dru Brown threw two passes for 29 yards to the 45-yard line before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 53-yard field goal for a 13-0 lead with 11:49 left.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly threw three passes for 67 yards, including a 55-yarder to Makai Polk to the three-yard line. Running back Samuel Hicks rushed up the middle for a three-yard touchdown. The Argonauts trailed the Blue Bombers 13-7 with 9:55 left to conclude a four-play drive for 70 yards.
For the rest of the second quarter, Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball, but could not get into the endzone. Instead, kicker Sergio Castillo made a 40-yard field goal, and a 17-yard field goal for a 19-7 lead at halftime.
Winnipeg’s offense had 280 yards. Dru Brown went 16 of 21 for 252 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson made eight catches for 120 yards, while Tim White made one catch for 35 yards, and one touchdown. Toronto’s offense had 159 yards. Chad Kelly went 7 of 11 for 119 yards, and one carry for three yards. Running back Samuel Hicks had four carries for 32 yards and one rushing touchdown, and Makai Polk made one catch for 55 yards.
Toronto got the ball to start the third quarter at the 29-yard line. Both offenses did not do much in the early going of the third quarter. Later, Winnipeg had the ball on the 36-yard line when Dru Brown overthrew Ontaria Wilson in the endzone and it was intercepted by DaShaun Amos.
Chad Kelly threw four passes for 76 yards to the five-yard line. On the next play, Kelly threw a touchdown pass up the middle to Tyler Kahmann. The Argonauts trailed the Blue Bombers 19-14 heading into the fourth quarter to conclude a seven-play drive for 80 yards.
In the fourth quarter, Winnipeg moved the ball to the 23-yard line before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 32-yard field goal for a 22-14 lead with 11:14 left. Toronto would go two-and-out on their next drive. They caught a break when Winnipeg returner Trey Vaval missed the catch and kicked the ball, which was recovered by Jack Cessar at the 33-yard line. After going two-and-out, kicker Lirim Hajrullahu missed a 40-yard field goal wide left. Trey Vaval caught near the back of the endzone. With a couple blocks, Vaval sped by everyone, scoring a 129-yard touchdown for a 29-14 lead with 8:29 left.
Late in the game, Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly led the offense to the 15-yard line. However, wide receiver Damonte Coxie was issued a grade two unnecessary roughness penalty and was ejected from the game. Kelly threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Makai Polk. The Argonauts trailed the Blue Bombers 29-21 with three minutes left.
Winnipeg had the ball on the 40-yard line. They moved the ball to the 40-yard line, where kicker Sergio Castillo missed a 49-yard field goal wide left. The ball went through Janarion Grant’s hands, and the Blue Bombers got a single point. It was now 30-21 with 1:06 left.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly threw two passes for 22 yards. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu attempted a 55-yard field goal but missed it wide right. The Blue Bombers held on to beat the Argonauts 30-21.
Winnipeg’s offense had 406 yards (339 passing yards, 80 rushing yards, 13 yards lost), 20 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 43 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 25 of 31 passes (80.6%) for 339 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Running back Brady Oliveira had 16 carries for 69 yards.
Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson made 10 catches for 133 yards, while Tim White made three catches for 60 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 35 tackles, four tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Toronto’s offense had 351 yards (320 passing yards, 47 rushing yards, 16 yards lost), 20 first downs, 3 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 50 yards. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 24 of 36 passes (66%) for 320 yards, two touchdowns, and one carry for three yards. Running back Samuel Hicks had six carries for 30 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Makai Polk made four catches for 125 yards and one touchdown, while Damonte Coxie made six catches for 78 yards, and Tyler Kahmann made two catches for 13 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 47 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
Next Saturday, the Toronto Argonauts visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit the Ottawa Redblacks at 7 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network.
