The Toronto Argonauts (7-6) hosted the Ottawa Redblacks (0-12) on Saturday afternoon at BMO Field in their second of three meetings this season.
On the opening kickoff, Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu kicked the ball 98 yards into the endzone, where Ottawa returner Kalil Pimpleton conceded the rouge. The Argonauts took a 1-0 lead. Ottawa struggled on offense with only 21 yards and went 1 for 4 on second down. Late in the first quarter, Toronto was moving to the 20-yard line.
On the next play, Chad Kelly’s pass intended for David Ungerer III was intercepted by King Ambers at the 12-yard line. Toronto remained ahead 1-0 after the first quarter ended. The Argonauts had 85 yards on offense and were 6 for 7 on second down.
In the second quarter, Toronto had the ball on the eight-yard line after Ottawa went two-and-out. Chad Kelly threw the ball to David Ungerer III for 85 yards to the 17-yard line. Two plays later, Kelly’s pass intended for Solomon Davis was intercepted again by King Ambers for a six-yard return to the two-yard line. Ottawa would go two-and-out.
Later, Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 25-yard field goal to give the Argonauts a 4-0 lead with 6:50 left. The Redblacks made a quarterback change with McLeod Bethel-Thompson replacing Jake Maier. Thompson helped the offense move the ball to the one-yard line, where Bryson Barnes scored the touchdown to give the Redblacks a 7-4 lead with 1:53 left on a 13-play drive for 70 yards.
Toronto had the ball on the 47-yard line. The Argonauts moved the ball to the 16-yard line before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 23-yard field goal to tie the game 7-7 at halftime.
Toronto’s offense had 263 yards. They went 7 for 11 on second down and were 0 for 4 in the redzone. Quarterback Chad Kelly went 17 of 22 for 235 yards and two interceptions. Running back Isaiah Smith had five carries for 25 yards and one catch for two yards. Wide receiver David Ungerer III made four catches for 118 yards, and Kevin Mital made four catches for 29 yards.
Ottawa’s offense had 94 yards. They went 2 for 10 on second down and were 1 for 1 in the redzone. Quarterback Jake Maier completed 7 of 10 passes (70%) for 42 yards, while McLeod Bethel-Thompson went 4 of 6 for 35 yards. Running back Daniel Adebobye had one carry for 20 yards, while Bryson Barnes had two carries for two yards and one touchdown. Greg Bell had three carries for two yards and four catches for 19 yards. Wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt made two catches for 16 yards, and Kalil Pimpleton made two catches for 15 yards.
Toronto got the ball to start the third quarter on the 30-yard line. Running back Isaiah Smith began the drive with a five-yard run. They continued to move the ball to the 28-yard line before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 35-yard field goal to give the Argonauts a 10-7 lead with 10:26 left.
Ottawa had the ball on the 40-yard line. Greg Bell started the drive with a five-yard run. McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a 24-yard pass to Justin Hardy, followed by Greg Bell getting two carries for 13 yards to the 28-yard line. Ottawa gave Thompson maximum protection, allowing him to throw a 28-yard touchdown pass to Keelen White for a 14-10 lead with 7:31 left on a five-play drive for 70 yards.
The Argonauts started their next drive on the 20-yard line. Chad Kelly threw three straight passes for 35 yards to the 55-yard line. Two plays later, he threw an 18-yard pass to Tyler Kahmann to the 34-yard line. Then, he faked the handoff before throwing a touchdown pass to wide-open David Ungerer III for a 17-14 lead with 4:30 left on a six-play drive for 90 yards.
Later, Ottawa kicker Brett Lauther tied the game 17-17 with a 46-yard field goal with 2:28 left. Toronto had the ball for the rest of the third quarter. Isaiah Smith had two carries for 11 yards, and Qualan Jones had two carries for 13 yards and caught a 14-yard pass from Chad Kelly to the 32-yard line to end the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Chad Kelly rushed for 11 yards before throwing a 21-yard touchdown pass to Damonte Coxie. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu missed the extra point wide left. It was now 23-17 with 13:50 left on a seven-play drive for 70 yards.
Ottawa came back with kicker Brett Lauther making two field goals, one for 28 yards and the other for 21 yards to tie the game 23-23 with 4:38 left. Late in the game, Toronto got the ball with 2:23 left. They moved the ball to the 22-yard line with one second left. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu kicked a game-winning 29-yard field goal to give the Argonauts a 26-23 win over the Redblacks.
Toronto’s offense had 547 yards (443 passing yards, 120 rushing yards, 16 yards lost), 31 first downs, 0 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 53 yards. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 35 of 42 passes (83%) for 443 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and one carry for 11 yards. Running back Isaiah Smith had 15 carries for 84 yards and one catch for two yards.
Wide receiver David Ungerer III made seven catches for 175 yards and one touchdown, while Tyler Kahmann made eight catches for 105 yards, and Damonte Coxie made three catches for 40 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 34 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two sacks.
Ottawa’s offense had 270 yards (234 passing yards, 51 rushing yards, 15 yards lost), 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 25 yards. Quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed 16 of 23 passes (69.5%) for 192 yards and one touchdown. Running back Daniel Adeboboye had two carries for 28 yards, while Greg Bell had six carries for 20 yards.
Wide receiver Justin Hardy made two catches for 51 yards, while Kalil Pimpleton made four catches for 41 yards, and Keelen White made two catches for 38 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 55 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, and two interceptions.
Next Saturday, the Toronto Argonauts host the Edmonton Elks at 3 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Ottawa Redblacks are on a bye week.
