The Toronto Argonauts (9-6) visited Princess Auto Stadium on Friday night against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-7) in their second and final meeting of the season. Dru Brown was the starting quarterback for Winnipeg after Zach Collaros (Head) was placed on the six-game injured list.
Winnipeg got the ball to start the game at the 26-yard line. Running back Brady Oliveira began the drive with two carries for 11 yards to the 47-yard line. Quarterback Dru Brown threw a 26-yard pass to Dorian Singer to the 37-yard line. On third down, kicker Sergio Castillo missed a 45-yard field goal wide left. Toronto returner Janarion Grant avoided several tackles on his way to scoring a 128-yard missed field goal touchdown. The Argonauts led 7-0 with 10:50 left.
Winnipeg running back Brady Oliviera began the next drive with two carries for 29 yards, including a 25-yard run to the 40-yard line. Dru Brown threw an 18-yard pass to Dorian Singer before throwing a 22-yard touchdown pass to Tim White, tying the game 7-7 with 8:43 left on a four-play drive for 69 yards.
Toronto went two-and-out, and Winnipeg’s offense got the ball on the 41-yard line. Dru Brown threw a 21-yard pass to Dorian Singer to the 48-yard line. Winnipeg continued to move the ball to the six-yard line before quarterback Dru Brown was untouched on his way to scoring a touchdown. The Blue Bombers led the Argonauts 14-7 to end the first quarter on a seven-play drive for 69 yards. Winnipeg’s offense had 188 yards. Brady Oliveira had nine carries for 79 yards, and Dru Brown threw for 103 yards and one touchdown. Toronto’s offense had 10 yards.
In the second quarter, Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly rolled to his left side before throwing the ball to his intended target Kevin Mital. The ball bounced up in the air several times before it was intercepted by Deatrick Nichols to the 40-yard line. Dru Brown led the offense to the 17-yard line before throwing a touchdown pass right into the hands of Dorian Singer for a 21-7 lead with 9:10 left on a seven-play drive for 70 yards.
Toronto had the ball on the 40-yard line. Chad Kelly threw two passes for 11 yards to the 54-yard line. Then, Kelly threw a strike to Tyler Kahmann for a 56-yard touchdown. The Argonauts trailed the Blue Bombers 21-14 with 7:36 left on a three-play drive for 67 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo was short on a 55-yard field goal. Janarion Grant returned it for 35 yards to the 37-yard line. Toronto had a chance to add three points, but kicker Lirim Hajrullahu missed a 53-yard field goal wide right. The Blue Bombers remained ahead of the Argonauts 21-14 at halftime.
Winnipeg’s offense had 270 yards, 15 first downs, and 9 for 15 on second down. Quarterback Dru Brown went 12 of 19 for 178 yards, two touchdowns, one carry for six yards, and one rushing touchdown. Running back Brady Oliveira had 14 carries for 102 yards. Wide receiver Dorian Singer made six catches for 113 yards and one touchdown, while Tim White made two catches for 44 yards and one touchdown.
Toronto’s offense had 100 yards, four first downs, and two for six on second down. Quarterback Chad Kelly went 8 of 12 for 94 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for four yards. Running back Isaiah Smith had one carry for two yards. Wide receiver Tyler Kahmann made one catch for 56 yards and one touchdown, while Damonte Coxie made three catches for 18 yards.
Toronto got the ball to start the third quarter at the 28-yard line. Jake Kelly sacked Chad Kelly for a two-yard loss. On the next play, Chad Kelly escaped pressure before throwing the ball to Damonte Coxie for an 84-yard touchdown, tying the game 21-21 with 13:21 left on a two-play drive for 82 yards.
Later, Winnipeg moved the ball to the 52-yard line before Dru Brown’s pass was intercepted by Toronto defensive back Alexander Teubner for two yards to the 45-yard line. Winnipeg returned the favor when the Argonauts reached the five-yard line. On the next play, Chad Kelly’s pass was intercepted in the endzone by Evan Holm with 3:56 left. Winnipeg was unable to score, and Toronto had the ball for the rest of the third quarter. The Argonauts moved the ball to the 53-yard line to end the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 32-yard field goal. However, Toronto was given a first down at the 15-yard line after Winnipeg was called for a too many men penalty. Toronto could not move the ball, and Hajrullahu made a 19-yard field goal to give the Argonauts a 24-21 lead with 11:48 left.
Midway through the fourth quarter, Winnipeg had the ball on the 13-yard line. The Blue Bombers moved the ball to the 34-yard line. On third down, Bryce Perkins scored a 76-yard touchdown to give the Blue Bombers a 28-24 lead with 5:47 left.
Late in the game, Toronto moved the ball to the 27-yard line before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 34-yard field goal. The Argonauts trailed the Blue Bombers 28-27 with 2:38 left. After Winnipeg went two-and-out, Toronto had the ball on the 46-yard line. Running back Isaiah Smith had two carries for four yards, and Chad Kelly threw two passes for 13 yards to the 29-yard line.
Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 36-yard field goal, giving the Argonauts a 30-28 lead with 27 seconds left. Toronto’s defense put the game away when Jack Ceasar made a leaping interception to end the game. The Argonauts held on to beat the Blue Bombers 30-27.
Toronto’s offense had 349 yards (290 passing yards, 90 rushing yards, 3 yards lost), 17 first downs, 8 for 19 on second down, 0 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 50 yards. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 22 of 31 passes (71%) for 290 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and two carries for 12 yards. Kelly surpassed 5,000 passing yards this season. Running back Samuel Hicks had five carries for 41 yards.
Wide receiver Damonte Coxie made seven catches for 149 yards and one touchdown, while Tyler Kahmann made three catches for 67 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 41 tackles, four sacks, and two interceptions.
Winnipeg’s offense had 385 yards (193 passing yards, 232 rushing yards, 40 yards lost), 20 first downs, 10 for 23 on second down, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized eight times for 92 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 16 of 28 passes (57.1%) for 193 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, two carries for 12 yards, and one rushing touchdown. Running back Brady Oliveira had 18 carries for 139 yards, while Bryce Perkins had three carries for 81 yards and one rushing touchdown.
Wide receiver Dorian Singer made six catches for 113 yards and one touchdown, while Tim White made five catches for 56 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 35 tackles, two tackles for loss, and two interceptions.
Next Saturday, the Toronto Argonauts host the B.C. Lions at 3 pm on TSN and CFL+, followed by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at the Montreal Alouettes at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+.
