The Toronto Argonauts (1-0) hosted the B.C. Lions (0-1) in the final game of Week 1 from BMO Field. There were two storylines coming into this game. The first was how quarterback Cameron Dukes and the Toronto Argonauts team would do without Chad Kelly. The second was could the B.C. Lions end their losing streak at BMO Field.
First Quarter:
Early in the first quarter, Toronto quarterback Cameron Dukes showed some great agility by scrambling out the pocked avoiding a sack before throwing the ball to Rasheed Bailey. Both teams were able to move the ball a bit before their offenses stalled. This went on for the majority of the first quarter.
With 6:05 left of the first quarter, Toronto’s offense got going with a 10-play drive for 84 yards ending when quarterback Cameron Dukes threw an eight-yard touchdown pass to Ka’Deem Carey. Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu missed the extra point and it was 6-0 Toronto with 56 seconds left.
Toronto running back Ka’Deem Carey on that drive had five carries for 31 yards, one catch for eight yards, and a touchdown. On the final play of the first quarter, B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. rushed for a three-yard gain before getting tackled on their 48-yard line.
Toronto led 6-0 at the end of the first quarter. Both quarterbacks were perfect in completions. Dukes completed 6 of 6 passes for 81 yards, and one touchdown, while Adams Jr. completed 6 of 6 passes for 66 yards.
Second Quarter:
The game picked up in the second quarter. On the seventh play of scrimmage, B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a deep 29-yard touchdown pass to Justin McInnis. McInnis beat Benjie Franklin one-on-one to score the touchdown. However, the Lions did not get the extra point on a bobbled snap and the game was tied 6-6 with 11:51 left.
Later in the second quarter, B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 50-yard touchdown pass to Tavis Fulgham to take a 13-6 lead with 8:39 left. Fulgham is remembered for his time with the Philadelphia Eagles in 2020.
Things went from bad to worse for Toronto on their next play. Toronto quarterback Cameron Dukes was sacked by Joshua Archibald and lost the ball recovered by B.C.’s Tibo Debaillie for a scoop and scored a 20-yard touchdown for a 20-6 lead with 7:53 left before halftime.
Everything was going right for B.C. until 5:43 left when B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr.’s pass was intercepted by DaShaun Amos intended for Ayden Eberhardt and Amos returned it for 17 yards but Toronto got hit with an illegal block penalty and the ball was placed on their 20-yard line.
During the drive, Toronto quarterback Cameron Dukes threw a 21-yard touchdown pass to Rasheed Bailey cutting the B.C. Lions lead down to 20-13 with 1:25 left before halftime. Bailey beat two B.C. defenders to score the touchdown.
On the third play from scrimmage for B.C., quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. had the ball knocked out of his arm by Jared Brinkman and recovered by Dejon Allen on their 54-yard line. Toronto turned the turnover into points when kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 37-yard field goal as time expired. The Lions led the Argonauts 20-16 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
B.C. had 200 yards on offense. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 11 of 12 passes (92%) for 171 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and eight carries for 25 yards. Running back William Stanback had five carries for 19 yards and three catches for 32 yards.
Wide receiver Travis Fulgham made two catches for 54 yards, and one touchdown while Justin McInnis made two catches for 38 yards and one touchdown. B.C.’s defense had two sacks, two tackles for loss, and one turnover.
Toronto had 232 yards on offense. Quarterback Cameron Dukes completed 14 of 17 passes (82%) for 183 yards, two touchdowns, and two carries for 17 yards. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had 10 carries for 48 yards, three catches for 31 yards, and one touchdown.
Toronto wide receiver Rasheed Bailey made four catches for 45 yards, and one touchdown while DaVaris Daniels made two catches for 27 yards. Toronto’s defense made one sack, one tackle for loss, and two turnovers.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Toronto quarterback Cameron Dukes threw a 26-yard touchdown pass to Dejon Brissett in which Brissett extended his arms to make the catch before running into the endzone putting Toronto up 23-20 with 11:32 left.
B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw three passes for 48 yards before the drive stalled and kicker Sean Whyte made a 36-yard field goal and the game was tied 23-23 with 8:27 left.
Late in the third quarter, Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 34-yard field goal for a 26-23 lead with 3:54 left. On the seventh play for B.C., quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was sacked by Jared Brinkman for a seven-yard loss. B.C.’s offensive line had a rough second half.
B.C. punter Sean Flintoft punted the ball 42 yards into the endzone and out of bounds for a single point. The score was now 26-24 Toronto with 28 seconds left. On the last play of the third quarter, Toronto quarterback Cameron Dukes threw an incomplete pass to Ka’Deem Carey at their 50-yard line facing third down to begin the fourth quarter up 26-24.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, B.C.’s offense started on their eight-yard line. On the sixth play from scrimmage, B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 21-yard pass to Justin McInnis at the Toronto’s 49-yard line. They were unable to move the ball afterwards and kicker Sean Whyte made a 51-yard field goal putting B.C. back up 27-26 with 11:04 left in the game.
Later in the fourth quarter, Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 38-yard field goal for a 28-27 lead with 7:17 left. With 3:37 left, B.C. had the football when quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was sacked by Jake Ceresna losing the ball in the process and recovered by Toronto’s Jordan Williams on Toronto’s 37-yard line. Toronto’s offense stalled and punted the ball back to B.C.
With 1:37 left, B.C. faced third down from their 15-yard line. B.C.’s offense line collapsed and Adams Jr. scrambled out of the pocket before throwing the ball away.
However, the ball did not reach the line of scrimmage and Adams Jr. was penalized for intentional grounding and Toronto would have the ball on the one-yard line. Toronto quarterback Cameron Dukes put the game away with a quarterback sneak touchdown for a 35-27 lead with 1:22 left in the game.
B.C. had one last shot but they were unable to get the first down and Toronto took three kneel-downs to end the game. The Argonauts defeated the B.C. Lions by the final score of 35-27. B.C.’s winless drought continues at BMO Field. Their last win at BMO Field came in 2019.
Final Stats:
Toronto had 318 yards on offense. Quarterback Cameron Dukes completed 21 of 27 passes (78%) for 254 yards, three touchdowns, five carries for 37 yards, and one touchdown. He had a great night. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had 16 carries for 65 yards, four catches for 40 yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Dejon Brissett made three catches for 52 yards, and one touchdown while Rasheed Bailey made five catches for 50 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made three field goals with a long of 38 yards. Toronto’s defense made 50 tackles, nine tackles for loss, three tackles for loss, six sacks, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
B.C. had 363 yards on offense. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 25 of 33 passes (76%) for 363 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and eight carries for 25 yards. Running back William Stanback had 11 carries for 35 yards and five catches for 50 yards.
Wide receiver Justin McInnis had a great night making seven catches for 103 yards, and one touchdown while Alexander Hollins made eight catches for 90 yards. Kicker Sean Whyte made two field goals with a long of 51 yards. B.C.’s defense made 44 tackles, seven tackles for loss, two sacks, and one turnover.
Final Thought:
Toronto quarterback Cameron Dukes showed tonight that the team will be fine while Chad Kelly serves his suspension. This is huge for Dukes because if he continues to play well, he will have an opportunity at a starting job in the near future. There are plenty of quarterbacks who are near the end of their careers and may take a look at Dukes as their next starter.
For B.C., I am concerned about their offensive line. The protection broke down several times not allowing Adams Jr. to see the field for a bit because Toronto’s defense was all over him. I still think B.C. will be a contender for the Grey Cup but they have to get that offensive line fixed or else it’s going to be a long season.
Next week, the Toronto Argonauts are on a bye while the B.C. Lions host the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday at 7 pm on CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
