On Friday night at Tim Hortons Field, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats hosted the Toronto Argonauts for the fourth time this year. Toronto had won two of the three games against Hamilton.
In the first quarter, both teams traded field goals. First, Hamilton kicker Seth Smith made a 33-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 9:36 left, and Toronto kicker Boris Bede made a 48-yard field goal, tying the game 3-3 with 28-seconds left. Both offenses struggled heading into the second quarter, with Hamilton having possession of the ball.
The Tiger-Cats replaced Dane Evans early in the second quarter with Matthew Shiltz. Hamilton’s offense reached the Argo’s ten-yard line when Shiltz avoided Toronto’s blitz and threw a ten-yard touchdown to Lemar Durant for a 10-3 lead with 6:27 left.
Late in the second quarter, Hamilton added to their lead with a 30-yard field goal by Seth Smith for a 13-3 lead with 1:38 left. Toronto got the ball, and quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a 38-yard pass to Brandon Banks.
Toronto reached the Ticats two-yard line when Bethel-Thompson quickly threw the ball to Kurleigh Gittens Jr., who took it in for the touchdown, cutting Hamilton’s lead 13-10 with 27-seconds left. Just as time expired, Hamilton kicker Seth Smith made a 58-yard field goal for a 16-10 lead at halftime. Smith tied Brett Maher for the longest field goal in team history.
In the third quarter, Toronto drew closer to Hamilton when Boris Bede made a 56-yard field goal, making it a three-point game, 16-13, with 12:43 left. Then, Hamilton got those three points back when Seth Smith completed a 33-yard field goal for a 19-13 lead with 8:57 left.
On Hamilton’s next drive, Matthew Shiltz injured his throwing hand as Hamilton’s offense stalled and punted the ball back to Toronto. Argonauts’ wide receiver Brandon Banks and running back A.J. Ouellette combined for 21 yards rushing to set up a first and ten on Hamilton’s 13-yard line. Then, McLeod Bethel-Thompson dropped back to pass and threw a 13-yard touchdown to DaVaris Daniels into coverage for a 20-19 lead with 5:04 left.
Dane Evans was back out as the Ticats quarterback. However, on 2nd and 4, Evans’s pass was intercepted by Jamal Peters. The Argonauts took advantage of the turnover when McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Markeith Ambles for a 27-19 lead with 1:38 left. Hamilton had the ball and made it to their own 36-yard line as time ran out, and Hamilton had a 1st and 10 to begin the fourth quarter.
Hamilton had reached Toronto’s 47-yard line when Dane Evans threw a bad pass intercepted by Jamal Peters and taken to the house for a 67-yard touchdown, making it 34-19 with 12:51 left. For the rest of the game, Toronto Boris Bede made a 22-yard field goal for a 37-19 lead with 7:07 left, and Hamilton kicker Seth Smith missed a 36-yard field goal wide left but did get a single point when the ball went out of bounds in the endzone, trailing 37-20.
Hamilton had an opportunity to get closer to Toronto, but Dane Evans was sacked on third down, and McLeod Bethel-Thompson went into victory formation as Toronto beat Hamilton for the third time 37-20. Toronto is now 5-5, while Hamilton drops to 3-8.
Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson went 19/32 for 258 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Meanwhile, running back A.J. Ouellette had six carries for 16-yards, while Brandon Banks had three catches for 67 yards. Toronto’s defense allowed 452 yards, 59 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble, one pass breakup, three interceptions, and one fumble recovery.
Hamilton quarterback Dane Evans went 19/30 for 244 yards, three interceptions, and four carries for ten yards, while Matthew Shiltz was 13/15 for 144 yards and one touchdown. Running back Don Jackson had ten carries for 34 yards, while wide receiver Tim White had eight catches for 105 yards. Hamilton’s defense allowed 301 yards, 33 tackles, two sacks, four pass breakups, and one interception.
These two teams will meet again for the fifth time on Monday, September 5th, at 1 pm on ESPN+.
