On Monday night at BMO Field, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers took on a familiar player in Andrew Harris and the Toronto Argonauts. Andrew Harris had 22 carries for 111 yards. After a dominant first half by the Blue Bombers, the Argonauts came back in the second half and nearly won the game.
In the first quarter, McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s pass intended for Brandon Banks was intercepted by Winston Rose and returned for a 46-yard touchdown, putting Winnipeg up 7-0 with 11:12 left. Rose made a nice play jumping in front of Banks to intercept the ball and take it for the touchdown.
Later in the first quarter, Bethel-Thompson’s pass intended for DaVaris Daniels was intercepted by Nick Taylor. The Blue Bombers’ offense marched down the field before Zach Collaros threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to Drew Wolitarsky, and Winnipeg’s lead grew to 14-0 with 3:12 left.
Blue Bombers’ Quarterback, Zach Collaros, was 25/31 for 215 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for eleven yards, while Drew Wolitarsky had four catches for 38 yards and one touchdown. After the Argonauts went three-and-out, the Blue Bombers got the ball back and held on to it, heading into the second quarter up 14-0.
The Blue Bombers’ defense allowed 426 yards, 62 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble, five pass breakups, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery.
The Blue Bombers made it to the Argo’s seven-yard line before Marc Liegghio made a 15-yard field goal for a 17-0 lead with 14:17 left. The Blue Bombers were in total control, and the game looked like it was headed for a blowout. Just before halftime, the Argonauts finally got on the board with a 52-yard field goal by Boris Bede, cutting the Blue Bombers’ lead 17-3 at halftime.
Toronto got the ball to start the third quarter. McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw two huge long passes, one to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. for 24 yards and the other to Brandon Banks for a 45-yard touchdown. The Argo’s trailed the Blue Bombers 17-10 with 13:26 left. Brandon Banks led the Argo’s receivers with five catches for 95 yards and one touchdown.
Winnipeg needed a response and struggled to get anything going, while Toronto’s defense was playing well in the second half. The Argo’s defense allowed 275 yards, 44 tackles, one sack, one pass breakup, and one interception.
Toronto’s offense marched down to the Blue Bombers’ ten-yard line and looked to be headed into the endzone. On 1st and 10, Bethel-Thompson’s pass was caught by Brandon Banks, but Banks fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by Malcolm Thompson, who lateraled the ball to Nick Taylor for a 42-yard run. The Blue Bombers were up 17-10 at the end of the third quarter, and Winnipeg had the ball facing a third down.
Blue Bombers’ kicker Marc Liegghio made a 20-yard field goal, giving Winnipeg a 20-10 lead. Toronto responded by marching down towards the Blue Bombers’ 35-yard line before Boris Bede made a 42-yard field goal, making it a seven-point game 20-13 with 11:06 left.
On the next Argo’s possession, Boris Bede made his third field goal of the night for 39 yards, and it was 20-16 with 6:12 left in the game. Winnipeg’s offense took their time getting to the Argo’s side of the field, killing time and forcing Toronto to use their timeouts. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 32-yard field goal for a 23-13 lead with 2:02 left.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson led the Argo’s offense down the field to the Blue Bombers’ two-yard line after a pass interference call against Winnipeg’s Donald Rutledge.
Bethel-Thompson scrambled out of the pocket and found Markeith Ambles for a two-yard touchdown, making it a one-point game with the extra point coming.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson was 27/37 for 314 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. However, Boris Bede missed the extra point wide left, and the Blue Bombers beat the Argonauts 23-22. Winnipeg improves to 4-0, while the Argonauts drop to 1-2.
This game was a tale of two halves. Winnipeg dominated in the first half and Toronto in the second half. Unfortunately, Winnipeg struggled in the second half, and that should be a cause for concern when they play the BC Lions this Saturday at 7 pm on ESPNEWS. With the way the Lions are playing, Winnipeg needs to make corrections before their matchup with the Lions. Otherwise, it might be a long night for Winnipeg.
For Toronto, they battled back in this game when it looked like it was over at halftime. However, they have a lot to correct during their bye week until their next game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders on July 16th.
