On Saturday night at BMO Field, the Toronto Argonauts took on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in their first meeting of the season. The Ticats were looking to take sole possession of second place, while Toronto was looking for their fourth win of the season.
In the first quarter, Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans threw three passes for 44 yards to the Argo’s 20-yard line before Seth Small made a 28-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 11:25 left. The Argonauts made little progress on their next possession but stalled and punted the ball back to Hamilton.
On the seventh play for Hamilton, quarterback Dane Evans threw a 13-yard pass to Bralon Addison. Addison injured his knee on the play. He was loaded onto the cart, taken to the locker room, and ruled out for the rest of the game. Hamilton running back Don Jackson rushed for 16 yards to get the Ticats to the Argonauts’ nine-yard line.
On the next play, Dane Evans scrambled out of the pocket and found Don Jackson up the middle for a nine-yard touchdown, extending their lead 10-0 with 3:17 left. Toronto went two-and-out on their next drive, and Hamilton had the ball for the rest of the first quarter up 10-0, facing a 2nd and 1 to begin the second quarter.
Hamilton moved the ball towards Toronto’s 21-yard line before Seth Small made his second field goal for 28-yards, extending their lead 13-0 with 13:38 left. When Toronto got the ball back, quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a couple of passes for 24 yards, and running back Andrew Harris had a couple of carries for nine yards before Boris Bede made a 44-yard field goal, cutting Hamilton’s lead 13-3 with 10:08 left.
Late in the second quarter, Ticats’ punter Michael Domagala punted the ball that went into the endzone and out of bounds, making it 14-3 with 2:11 left. Toronto made it an eight-point game just before halftime with a Boris Bede 30-yard field and trailed Hamilton 14-6 at halftime.
Hamilton got the ball to start the third quarter. They went on an eleven-play drive and reached Toronto’s 16-yard line, where Seth Small made his third field goal for 22 yards, extending their lead 17-6 with 9:14 left.
Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a 49-yard pass to Cam Phillips, and Andrew Harris rushed for eight yards to Hamilton’s 13-yard line. Then, Bethel-Thompson scrambled out of the pocket, avoided a sack, and threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Cam Phillips. They went for a two-point conversion and got it, making it 17-14 with 7:15 left.
Late in the third quarter, Hamilton punter Michael Domagala took a safety, and it was a one-point game 17-16 with 1:51 left. When the games are close, you should not give up any points to your opponents. Toronto had the momentum going into the fourth quarter with the ball and facing a 1st and 10.
Toronto kicker Boris Bede missed a 44-yard field goal, but the ball went out of bounds, tying the game 17-17 with 14:09 left. After Hamilton went two-and-out, Michael Domagala’s punt was blocked by Trevor Hoyte, and Benoit Marion scooped up the ball and ran for a 24-yard touchdown, giving Toronto a 24-17 lead with 12:32 left.
Hamilton’s offense stalled on their next couple of possessions, and Seth Small made a 17-yard field goal, cutting Toronto’s lead 24-20 with 6:18 left in the game. Then, late in the fourth quarter, Boris Bede made an 18-yard field goal, putting Toronto back up by seven points, 27-20, with 2:29 left.
When Hamilton got the ball back, quarterback Dane Evans scrambled out of the pocket and made a bad throw intended for Jake Burt but was intercepted by Chris Edwards and returned for a 40-yard touchdown, putting the game away 34-20. Hamilton had one more possession but turned it over on downs, and the Argonauts went into victory formation to end the game.
This game was like a boxing match. Hamilton won the first two rounds, and Toronto came back to deliver the knockout blow in the second half. Toronto would’ve lost this game if it weren’t for Toronto’s special teams, defense, and Hamilton giving up points. Toronto remains in first place at 4-3, while Hamilton is tied for second place with Montreal at 2-6.
Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson went 17/27 for 230 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for nine yards. Running back, Andrew Harris had 14 carries for 47 yards, while Cam Phillips had four catches for 85 yards and one touchdown. The Argonauts’ defense gave up 387 yards, 55 tackles, one forced fumble, three pass breakups, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans went 29/43 for 303 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and three carries for ten yards. Meanwhile, backup quarterback Matthew Shiltz was 1/2 for six yards. Running back, Don Jackson had ten carries for 47 yards and eight catches for 67 yards and one touchdown.
Hamilton wide receiver Steven Dunbar had seven catches for 71 yards, and Hamilton’s defense allowed 296 yards, 40 tackles, three sacks, and three pass breakups. These two teams will go at it again next Friday at 7:30 pm on ESPN+.
