The Toronto Argonauts (8-1) hosted the Calgary Stampeders (3-8) on Friday night from BMO Field for their second meeting of the season. Toronto’s only loss of the season came in Week 9 against the Stampeders losing 20-7.
Calgary has had recent success against Toronto winning their last three head-to-head meetings. This was a hard-fought game by both teams with plenty of highlight reels.
In the first quarter, Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly attempted to complete a pass but it was intercepted by Nick Taylor. Calgary running back Dedrick Mills rushed for a gain of 13 yards but that was all for Calgary before punting the ball back to Toronto.
Later in the first quarter, Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly completed three passes for 28 yards plus running backs Andrew Harris and A.J. Ouellette combined with two carries for 16 yards to reach the Stampeders’ nine-yard line.
On the next play, Kelly completed a short pass to Andrew Harris from the left side. Harris fought off a couple of Calgary defenders to score the touchdown. It was 7-0 Toronto with 5:13 left.
Calgary went on a long drive in their next series. Quarterback Jake Maier completed a 25-yard pass to Reggie Begelton. Then, he threw a seven-yard pass to Marken Michel. Running back LeVante Bellamy had a couple of carries for 12 yards before the drive stalled.
After Toronto went two-and-out, Calgary running back Dedrick Mills had a couple of carries for three yards plus an offsides penalty on Toronto moved the ball to their 53-yard line when the first quarter ended down 7-0.
Calgary began the second quarter punting the ball back to Toronto. On the fifth play for Toronto, running back A.J. Ouellette rushed up the middle for a gain of 20 yards before getting tackled on Calgary’s 16-yard line.
Andrew Harris rushed for a gain of seven yards, followed by quarterback Chad Kelly’s eight-yard run before getting tackled on the one-yard line. Kelly scored the touchdown on the next play which made it 14-0 with 9:49 left.
Calgary needed to respond on their next drive. On the second play, quarterback Jake Maier dropped back to throw a deep right pass right into the hands of Marken Michel for a 65-yard touchdown. Toronto’s lead was now down to 14-7 with 8:38 left.
Calgary’s defense came up with a huge play when Kobe Williams intercepted Chad Kelly’s pass before taking it back for ten yards. Toronto’s defense took a hit three plays later. Jake Maier completed a three-yard pass to LeVante Bellamy and was tackled by Wynton McManis. Defensive back DaShaun Amos suffered a dislocated left ankle on the play and had to be carted off. He is likely done for the rest of the season.
After Toronto stopped Calgary on second down, kicker Rene Paredes kicked a 31-yard field goal. However, a procedure penalty gave the Stampeders a first down. On the next play, Jake Maier threw a quick slant pass to Luther Hakunavanhu for an 18-yard touchdown that tied the game 14-14 with 4:37 left.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly completed three passes for 29 yards on their next series. They made it to Calgary’s 32-yard line before kicker Boris Bede made a 39-yard field goal to give them a 17-14 lead with 2:23 left.
Their lead did not last long when Calgary quarterback Jake Maier completed a short pass to Reggie Begelton with pressure in his face and Begelton took off for a 39-yard touchdown. Calgary led 21-17 with 54 seconds left. However, Toronto would get the lead back.
On the first play, quarterback Chad Kelly dropped back to complete a deep pass to Damonte Coxie for a 67-yard touchdown. Toronto led 24-21 at halftime.
Toronto had 326 yards on offense. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 13 of 20 passes (65%) for 247 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, two carries for nine yards, and one touchdown.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had seven carries for 58 yards, and one catch for 14 yards, and wide receiver Damonte Coxie had three catches for 102 yards and one touchdown. They had 11 first downs, and the defense made one sack.
Calgary had 221 yards and six first downs on offense. Quarterback Jake Maier completed 13 of 21 passes (62%) for 207 yards, and three touchdowns. Running back Dedrick Mills had four carries for 20 yards, and wide receivers Marken Michel and Reggie Begelton combined with six catches for 148 yards and two touchdowns.
In the third quarter, Calgary quarterback Jake Maier got Toronto’s defense to bite with a play action leaving Reggie Begelton all alone for a 47-yard touchdown that made it 28-24 with 12:45 left. Later in the third quarter, Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly handed the ball off to Andrew Harris before he pitched it back to Kelly for a flea flicker. Kelly threw a nice deep ball to DaVaris Daniels for a 54-yard touchdown for a 31-28 lead with 9:32 left.
Late in the third quarter, Calgary kicker Rene Paredes tied the game 31-31 with a 27-yard field goal. The game remained tied 31-31 heading into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Toronto took over the game with their defense and special teams. Calgary quarterback Jake Maier threw four passes for 40 yards before the drive stalled.
Calgary punter Cody Grace punted the ball to Javon Leake for 38 yards. Leake got a good block from his left side before speeding his way into the endzone for an 86-yard touchdown. It was now 38-31 with 7:41 left.
Calgary quarterback Jake Maier was sacked twice by Folarin Orimolade and forced the Stampeders to punt the ball. Toronto’s offense forced the Stampeders to use their timeouts with short passes but Calgary’s defense stopped them to force a punt. Boris Bede punted the ball for 75 yards into the endzone and out of bounds for a single point. It was now 39-31 with 3:54 left.
Calgary made one last attempt to try to score and potentially force overtime. Quarterback Jake Maier completed three passes for 28 yards to the Argonauts’ 42-yard line. On third down, Toronto pressured Maier and he tried to throw the ball to Reggie Begelton but Royce Metchie broke it up and Toronto took over.
Toronto needed to kill two minutes and thirteen seconds to win the game. Chad Kelly completed a 15-yard pass to Dejon Brissett, and running back A.J. Ouellette finished the game with five carries for 23 yards that sealed the game. Toronto went into victory formation to win the game over the Stampeders 39-31. Toronto remains perfect at home with a 4-0 record this year.
This was an entertaining game. However, the injury to DeShaun Amos was devastating to see. Toronto does not have any more bye weeks for the rest of the season. The last thing they need right now especially as the season starts to wind down is injuries.
There are eight weeks left of the regular season. I think Toronto should take caution from here on out and if there is a player who is injured during practice, sit them out and let the backups play.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly completed 20 of 31 passes (64.5%) for 361 yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, two carries for nine yards, and one touchdown. Running back A.J. Ouellette had 13 carries for 82 yards and two catches for 18 yards.
Wide receiver Damonte Coxie had a big game with three catches for 102 yards, and one touchdown, while DaVaris Daniels had three catches for 77 yards and one touchdown. Toronto’s defense had 38 tackles, three sacks, and one fumble recovery.
Calgary had 423 yards on offense. Quarterback Jake Maier completed 23 of 42 passes (54.8%) for 387 yards, and four touchdowns. Running back Dedrick Mills had eight carries for 46 yards. The running game was a non-factor and Calgary should’ve run the ball more and not relied on Maier so much.
Toronto knew that every play was passing and for the most part, were ready for them. Maier did a good job faking the secondary for his big passes but in the second half, he did not have much success. If they had run the ball more, there might have been a different outcome in this game.
Wide receiver Reggie Begelton had a big night with nine catches for 203 yards, and two touchdowns, while Marken Michel had four catches for 82 yards and one touchdown. Calgary’s defense had 35 tackles, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery.
Next Monday, the Argonauts visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 3:30 pm on CBS Sports Network, and the Calgary Stampeders host the Edmonton Elks at 7 pm on CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
