The Toronto Argonauts (6-6) visited Hamilton Stadium on Monday afternoon in the OK Tire Labour Day Classic against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (4-9) in the third and final meeting of the season. Since 1950, the Tiger-Cats were 37-16-1 against the Argonauts in the Labour Day Classic.
Hamilton got the ball to start the first quarter on the 36-yard line. They moved the ball to the 44-yard line before the drive stalled. Toronto had the ball on the 55-yard line. Running back Isaiah Smith rushed for one yard, and Chad Kelly threw a nine-yard pass to Tyler Kahmann to the 45-yard line. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 52-yard field goal to put the Argonauts up 3-0 with 8:10 left.
Hamilton quarterback Tre Ford threw two passes for 18 yards, and Jake Dolegala rushed for one yard to the 51-yard line as the drive stalled. Toronto got the ball on the 17-yard line. Running back Isaiah Smith had four carries for 20 yards, while Chad Kelly threw two passes for 41 yards to the 32-yard line. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 40-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead at the end of the first quarter. Toronto’s offense had 80 yards, and Hamilton’s offense had 44 yards.
In the second quarter, Toronto moved the ball to the 40-yard line. On the next play, Chad Kelly’s pass intended for Damonte Coxie was intercepted by Jamal Peters, who made a leaping interception catch for a 10-yard return to the 38-yard line. It was his third interception of the year.
Hamilton quarterback Tre Ford threw a 49-yard pass to Kenny Lawler. Two plays later, Toronto pressured Ford, leaving an open gap, and Ford took it. He avoided a couple of tackles on his way to scoring a 23-yard rushing touchdown to give the Tiger-Cats a 7-6 lead with 9:38 left on a three-play drive for 72 yards. However, Ford hit his head hard on the turf after the touchdown and was ruled out for the rest of the game.
Late in the second quarter, Toronto had the ball on the 54-yard line. Chad Kelly threw two passes for 28 yards, and Tucker Horn rushed for three yards to the 23-yard line. On the next play, Kelly’s pass intended for Kevin Mital was incomplete, but a defensive pass interference penalty on Hamilton moved the ball to the 13-yard line. Then, Kelly threw a touchdown pass to Jake Herslow for a 13-7 lead with 3:52 left on a five-play drive for 54 yards.
Toronto would get the ball again at the five-yard line. They moved the ball to the 29-yard line before Chad Kelly threw a touchdown pass to Damonte Coxie for a 20-7 lead at halftime on an 11-play drive for 105 yards.
Toronto’s offense had 261 yards. The Argonauts were 10 of 15 on second down. Quarterback Chad Kelly went 15 of 21 for 224 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Running back Isaiah Smith had eight carries for 37 yards. Wide receiver Damonte Coxie made five catches for 89 yards and one touchdown, while David Ungerer III made three catches for 50 yards, and Jake Herslow made three catches for 31 yards and one touchdown.
Hamilton’s offense had 103 yards. The Tiger-Cats were two of eight on second down. Quarterback Tre Ford completed 4 of 9 passes (44%) for 75 yards, three carries for 36 yards, and one rushing touchdown. Running back Nahree Biggins had three carries for 10 yards. Wide receiver Kenny Lawler made two catches for 57 yards, and Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made one catch for 10 yards.
Harrison Frost was the new quarterback for Hamilton to begin the third quarter. He threw an 18-yard pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. to the 32-yard line. Two plays later, Frost overthrew his intended receiver Keric Wheatfall, and it was intercepted by DaShaun Amos for a 55-yard return to the two-yard line. Frost had Myron Mitchell wide open but chose to throw the ball into coverage, resulting in the interception. Running back Isaiah Smith scored the touchdown for a 27-7 lead with 10:09 left.
Hamilton had the ball on the 35-yard line. Nahree Biggins rushed for nine yards, and Jake Dolegala rushed for four yards to the 48-yard line. The Tiger-Cats continued to move the ball to the 16-yard line. On the next play, Frost completed a pass to Kenny Lawler for nine yards. Just before Lawler went down, Toronto defensive back Benjie Franklin ripped the ball away from Lawler and recovered it on the seven-yard line. Luckily, the Argonauts did not get far and punted the ball back to Hamilton at the 52-yard line.
Two plays in, Harrison Frost threw a 27-yard pass to Kiondre Smith to the 23-yard line. Then, Hamilton went with a screen play, throwing a short pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr., who had blocks in front of him before diving into the endzone for a 23-yard touchdown. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Argonauts 27-14 with 2:15 left on a three-play drive for 52 yards.
Toronto had the ball for the rest of the third quarter. Chad Kelly threw two passes for 14 yards, and Isaiah Smith rushed for two yards to the 52-yard line. Kelly tried to throw the ball to David Ungerer III, who dropped it on second down. Hamilton had the ball on the eight-yard line to begin the fourth quarter.
Hamilton went two-and-out. The Argonauts had the ball on the 47-yard line. Toronto initially went two-and-out, but Hamilton was penalized for making contact with punter James Burnip, giving them a first down at the 41-yard line. They continued to move the ball to the three-yard line before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a nine-yard field goal for a 30-14 lead with 7:28 left.
Hamilton had the ball on the 40-yard line. On the seventh play, Harrison Frost threw a 15-yard pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. to the 39-yard line. A couple of big penalties on Toronto moved the ball to the six-yard line. Then, Frost threw a touchdown pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. They went for a two-point conversion and got it thanks to Ante Milanovic-Litre. It was now 30-22 with 2:46 left on a 14-play drive for 70 yards.
Toronto had the ball on the 34-yard line. Chad Kelly threw a 28-yard pass to Tyler Kahmann to the 48-yard line. Two plays later, Kelly tried to go to Kahmann again, but the pass was incomplete. However, a defensive pass interference on Hamilton moved the ball to the 21-yard line. Then, Kelly threw a touchdown pass right into the hands of David Ungerer III for a 37-22 win over the Tiger-Cats on a five-play drive for 76 yards. The Argonauts win the season series 2-1.
Toronto’s offense had 382 yards (319 passing yards, 70 rushing yards, 7 yards lost), 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 53 yards. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 23 of 35 passes (65.7%) for 319 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Running back Isaiah Smith had 13 carries for 36 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Damonte Coxie made six catches for 100 yards and one touchdown, while Tyler Kahmann made five catches for 84 yards, David Ungerer III made four catches for 71 yards and one touchdown, and Jake Herslow made four catches for 34 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 34 tackles, three sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Hamilton’s offense had 344 yards (293 passing yards, 80 rushing yards, 29 yards lost), 20 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized nine times for 105 yards. Quarterback Harrison Frost completed 16 of 28 passes (57.1%) for 218 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for one yard. Running back Nahree Biggins had seven carries for 36 yards.
Wide receiver Kurleigh Gittens Jr. made seven catches for 94 yards and two touchdowns, while Keric Wheatfall made five catches for 70 yards. The defense made 43 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception.
Next Saturday, the Toronto Argonauts host the Ottawa Redblacks at 1 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are on a bye week.
