The Ottawa Redblacks (1-16) hosted the Toronto Argonauts (9-8) on Friday night at TD Place Stadium in their third and final meeting of the season. This was also Ottawa’s final home game of the season. Bryson Barnes made his first career start for the Redblacks.
In the first quarter, both teams went two-and-out on their first possessions of the game. On third down, Toronto defensive back Derek Slywka blocked Noah Gettman’s punt. It was scooped up by Ethan John for the touchdown. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu missed the extra point. The Argonauts took a 6-0 lead with 11:22 left.
Ottawa started its next drive on the 44-yard line. Quarterback Bryson Barnes threw four passes for 64 yards, and running back Daniel Adeboboye had two carries for three yards to the one-yard line. On the next play, Daniel Adeboboye rushed up the middle for the touchdown, giving the Redblacks a 7-6 lead with 7:11 left on a seven-play drive for 66 yards.
Late in the first quarter, Ottawa moved the ball to the 12-yard line before kicker Paul Geelen made a 20-yard field goal for a 10-6 lead with 51 seconds left. Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly sustained a lower-body injury and was ruled out for the rest of the game. Nick Arbuckle replaced him. Chad Kelly did not complete a pass in the game. The Argonauts had the ball on the 23-yard line to begin the second quarter. Ottawa’s offense had 103 yards, 8 first downs, and 5 for 7 on second downs, while Toronto’s offense had 38 yards, 2 first downs, and 0 for 2 on second downs.
In the second quarter, Toronto moved the ball to the one-yard line before running back Cameron Porter scored the touchdown. The Argonauts took a 13-10 lead with 12:08 left on an eight-play drive for 70 yards. Later, Ottawa tied the game 13-13 when kicker Paul Geelen made a 40-yard field goal with 7:09 left before halftime.
Midway through the second quarter, Toronto moved the ball to the 36-yard line before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 43-yard field goal to give the Argonauts a 16-13 lead with 3:34 left. Ottawa had the ball on the 40-yard line. Bryson Barnes threw three passes for 36 yards and had two carries for 20 yards to the three-yard line. Running back Daniel Adeboboye rushed to his left side to score the touchdown. The Redblacks took a 20-16 lead with 1:32 left on a 10-play drive for 70 yards.
After Toronto went two-and-out, Ottawa got the ball on the 21-yard line with under a minute left. Bryson Barnes threw three passes for 44 yards to the 45-yard line. Kicker Paul Geelen made a 53-yard field goal for a 23-16 lead at halftime.
Ottawa’s offense had 248 yards, 18 first downs, and 9 for 14 on second downs. Quarterback Bryson Barnes went 19 of 24 for 234 yards, and three carries for 20 yards. Running back Daniel Adeboboye had seven carries for eight yards and two rushing touchdowns. Wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt made five catches for 60 yards, while Cade McDonald made four catches for 51 yards.
Toronto’s offense had 99 yards, 7 first downs, and 3 for 8 on second downs. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle went 7 of 9 for 82 yards, and one carry for two yards. Running back Cam Porter had four carries for 17 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Kevin Mital made one catch for 35 yards, and David Ungerer III made two catches for 26 yards.
In the third quarter, Toronto moved the ball to the 45-yard line. On the next play, Ottawa’s defense pressured Arbuckle. Defensive lineman C.J. Nunnally IV punched the ball out, and it was recovered by Lucas Cormier for a two-yard run to the 41-yard line.
Bryson Barnes threw a seven-yard pass to Cade McDonald, and rushed for three yards to the 31-yard line. Two plays later, he was sacked by Darius McKenzie for an eight-yard loss. Kicker Paul Geelen attempted a 47-yard field goal, but he missed it wide left. Toronto returner David Ungerer III conceded the single point. The Redblacks led 24-16 with 8:03 left.
Toronto had the ball on the 40-yard line. Two plays in, Nick Arbuckle threw a 29-yard pass to Tyler Kahmann to the 39-yard line. The offense continued to move the ball to the 28-yard line. Then, Arbuckle threw a touchdown pass to Kevin Mital, who had to adjust to catch the ball. They went for a two-point conversion. Nick Arbuckle threw the ball in the air to Damonte Coxie, who made the catch for two points. The Argonauts tied the game 24-24 with 3:50 left on a seven-play drive for 70 yards.
Late in the third quarter, Ottawa kicker Paul Geelen made a 51-yard field goal to give the Redblacks a 27-24 lead with 1:23 left. Toronto running back Cam Porter had two carries for 12 yards, and Nick Arbuckle threw a five-yard pass to Makai Polk to close out the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Ottawa had the ball on the 38-yard line. Bryson Barnes led the offense to the three-yard line before throwing a touchdown pass to Ayden Eberhardt. Kicker Paul Geelen missed the extra point. The Redblacks led 33-24 with 7:43 left on a six-play drive for 72 yards.
Toronto had the ball on the 24-yard line. Nick Arbuckle threw five passes for 52 yards to the 34-yard line. Then, threw the ball right into the hands of Kevin Mital for the touchdown. The Argonauts trailed the Redblacks 33-31 with 3:48 left on a seven-play drive for 86 yards.
Late in the game, Ottawa defensive back Kahzir Brown picked off Nick Arbuckle at the 27-yard line. Ottawa went two-and-out. The Argonauts had the ball on the 29-yard line. They moved the ball to the four-yard line before Isaiah Smith scored the touchdown. They would get the two-point conversion for a 39-33 lead with 30 seconds left on a six-play drive for 81 yards.
The Redblacks had the ball on the 43-yard line. Bryson Barnes led the offense to the 24-yard line. On the next play, he threw a touchdown pass to Ayden Eberhardt for a 40-39 lead with six seconds left on a three-play drive for 60 yards. On the last play, Ottawa’s defense stopped Toronto to end the game. The Redblacks beat the Argonauts 40-39 to snap a 22-game winless streak.
Ottawa’s offense had 407 yards (339 passing yards, 95 rushing yards, 27 yards lost), 28 first downs, 12 of 23 on second downs, 3 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 65 yards. Quarterback Bryson Barnes completed 27 of 37 passes (72.9%) for 339 yards, two touchdowns, and seven carries for 62 yards. Running back Daniel Adeboboye had 10 carries for 17 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt made nine catches for 101 yards and two touchdowns, while Kalil Pimpleton made four catches for 82 yards. The defense made 37 tackles, one tackle for loss, three sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Toronto’s offense had 373 yards (319 passing yards, 71 rushing yards, 17 yards lost), 22 first downs, 11 of 20 on second downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized eight times for 76 yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 27 of 35 passes (77.1%) for 315 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for two yards. Running back Isaiah Smith had five carries for 37 yards, one rushing touchdown, and two catches for 20 yards, while Cam Porter had seven carries for 31 yards, one rushing touchdown, and one catch for 15 yards.
Wide receiver Kevin Mital made six catches for 110 yards and two touchdowns, while Tyler Kahmann made seven catches for 66 yards. The defense made 50 tackles, two tackles for loss, four sacks, and one fumble recovery.
Next Friday, the Toronto Argonauts host the Montreal Alouettes at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Ottawa Redblacks conclude the season against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 3 pm on TSN and CFL+.
