On Saturday night at TD Place, the Toronto Argonauts took on the Ottawa Redblacks for the third and final time of the season. They last met in Week 14 in a 24-14 Toronto win. A win by the Argonauts would clinch a playoff spot.
After a scoreless first quarter, Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward made a 31-yard field goal to put the Redblacks up 3-0 to start the second quarter. Toronto running back A.J. Ouellette carried the ball four times for 28 yards and caught a ball for six yards. They were nearing Ottawa’s red zone when McLeod Bethel Thompson’s pass was intercepted by Abdul Kanneh, killing the drive.
However, Toronto would get the ball back two plays later when Ottawa quarterback Nick Arbuckle’s pass was picked off by Maurice Carnell. Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a couple of passes to running back A.J. Ouellette for 24 yards down to Ottawa’s three-yard line. Then, Thompson handed the ball off to Ouellette for a three-yard touchdown. They went for a two-point conversion and got it to take an 8-3 lead with 8:08 left.
The following two scoring drives came from field goals. Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward made a 36-yard field goal, cutting Toronto’s lead to 8-6 with 3:40 left, and Toronto got those points back on a 42-yard field goal by Boris Bede for an 11-6 lead with 1:58 left.
On the fourth play for the Redblacks, quarterback Nick Arbuckle’s pass was intercepted by DaShaun Amos. Two plays later, Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson completed a 54-yard pass to DaVaris Daniels to the Redblacks’ 21-yard line. Then, Thompson found Kurleigh Gittens Jr. for a 21-yard touchdown to extend their lead 18-6 with 46-seconds left.
Ottawa tried to get points before halftime but ran out of time, and Toronto led 18-6 at halftime. Ottawa’s offense had 149 yards, while quarterback Nick Arbuckle was 12/18 for 109 yards and two interceptions. Meanwhile, Toronto had 242 yards on offense, and McLeod Bethel-Thompson was 17/23 for 194 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception.
In the third quarter, the Redblacks made a quarterback change with Caleb Evans replacing Nick Arbuckle. Ottawa cut Toronto’s lead 18-9 on a 35-yard field goal by Lewis Ward with 6:03 left. Toronto’s offense moved the ball before trying a 50-yard field goal.
Toronto kicker Boris Bede missed the field goal. However, they got a huge break when Jack Cassar stripped the ball out of Ottawa returner Devonte Dedmon’s arm, and Toronto recovered. Three plays later, backup quarterback Chad Kelly scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak, extending their lead to 25-9 with 1:19 left.
The Redblacks had the ball for the rest of the third quarter and faced second down to begin the fourth quarter. Toronto linebacker Wynton McManis intercepted Evans’s pass to begin the fourth quarter. Two plays later, quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson threw a beautiful pass down the middle and into the hands of Markeith Ambles for a 25-yard touchdown for a 31-9 lead with 14:25 left.
On the next two Ottawa drives, Toronto’s defense added insult to injury. First, Caleb Evans’s pass was intercepted by Maurice Carnell for a 35-yard pick-six touchdown for a 38-9 lead with 12:41 left. Then, Caleb Evans’s pass was intercepted again, this time by Chris Edwards for another pick-six touchdown for 89 yards. Toronto’s lead was 45-9 with 9:04 left.
The Redblacks replaced Evans with Nick Arbuckle. Arbuckle scored a one-yard touchdown with a quarterback sneak. Toronto’s lead was cut to 45-15 with 3:25 left in the game. Ottawa had one more chance to get another touchdown but failed to convert third down, and the Toronto Argonauts won the game 45-15 to clinch a playoff spot. The Argonauts are now 8-5, while the Redblacks drop to 3-10. Toronto takes two of three from Ottawa in the season series.
This was an odd game. Ottawa’s offense had 442 yards but only had 15 points to show for it. Typically, a team that generates 442 yards is usually the winner. However, it indicates that Toronto is at the head of the table in the East Division. They did everything right and took advantage of Ottawa’s miscues.
Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson was 21/29 for 245 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Running back A.J. Ouellette had ten carries for 57 yards, while wide receiver DaVaris Daniels had five catches for 100 yards.
Toronto’s defense allowed 442 yards, 66 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble, three pass breakups, five interceptions, and one fumble recovery. Toronto visits Calgary next Saturday at 7 pm on ESPN+.
Ottawa quarterback Nick Arbuckle was 23/37 for 231 yards, two interceptions, three carries for seven yards, and one touchdown. Meanwhile, backup Caleb Evans was 10/17 for 137 yards, three interceptions, and six carries for 17 yards. Running back Devonte Williams had nine carries for 47 yards, while wide receiver Nathaniel Behar had nine catches for 119 yards.
Ottawa’s defense allowed 361 yards, 38 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, two pass breakups, one interception, and one fumble recovery. Ottawa plays the BC Lions next Friday at 10:30 pm on ESPN2.
