The Toronto Argonauts (5-4) hosted the Calgary Stampeders (4-5) on Friday night from BMO Field in a rematch from last week. The Stampeders beat the Argos 27-23 in Calgary and Toronto was looking to return the favor.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Calgary’s offense went on a three-play drive for 24 yards before stalling on their 54-yard line. Punter Cody Grace punted the ball 57 yards as Toronto returner Janarion Grant watched the ball bounce into the endzone before conceding the single point. Calgary led 1-0 with 12:06 left.
On Toronto’s first possession of the game. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle and running back Ka’Deem Carey led the team down to the Stampeders’ 22-yard line. On the next play, Arbuckle got Tre Robinson to freeze with a pump fake before throwing a 22-yard touchdown pass to Makai Polk for a 7-1 lead with 7:03 left of the first quarter. The drive went nine plays for 70 yards in four minutes and forty-eight seconds.
Calgary’s offense started on their 26-yard line. Quarterback Jake Maier threw four passes for 59 yards plus a roughing the passer penalty on Toronto defensive back Robert Priester put the ball on the Argonauts’ 10-yard line.
On the next play, quarterback Jake Maier threw a short pass to wide receiver Cam Echols. Echols ran to his left side before plowing into an Argonauts’ defender and scoring a 10-yard touchdown. The Stampeders took an 8-7 lead with 3:50 left of the first quarter. The drive went five plays for 84 yards in under three minutes.
On the final play of the first quarter, Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle’s pass to Ka’Deem Cary was incomplete. The Argonauts trailed the Stampeders 8-7.
Calgary had 94 yards on offense (94 yards passing). Quarterback Jake Maier completed 7 of 9 passes for 94 yards, and one touchdown. They had four first downs in the first quarter. Toronto had 88 yards on offense (56 yards passing, 32 yards rushing). Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 4 of 7 passes for 56 yards, and one touchdown. They had five first downs in the first quarter.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, two penalties hurt the Argonauts and they were forced to punt the ball. Calgary’s offense took over seven minutes off the clock moving the ball up to Argonauts’ 19-yard line. Jake Maier was sacked by Robert Priester for a nine-yard loss, and he threw an incomplete pass intended for Reggie Begelton making it third down. Calgary kicker Rene Paredes missed a 35-yard field goal with the ball hitting the right upright.
Late in the second quarter, Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle’s pass intended for Makai Polk was deflected by Calgary linebacker Micah Awe. Demario Houston intercepted the ball. Houston returned the ball for 31 yards before getting pushed out of bounds on the Argonauts’ 35-yard line.
Calgary quarterback Jake Maier threw three passes for 33 yards to get them to the Argonauts’ two-yard line. Calgary running back Peyton Logan finished the drive scoring a two-yard touchdown. The Stampeders extended their lead 15-7 at halftime. The drive went four plays for 37 yards.
First Half Stats:
Calgary had 202 yards on offense (184 yards passing, 37 yards rushing, 9 yards lost). Quarterback Jake Maier completed 19 of 22 passes (86.4%) for 184 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Peyton Logan had five carries for 14 yards, one touchdown, and three catches for 37 yards.
Wide receiver Reggie Begelton made five catches for 47 yards, while Marken Michel made two catches for 30 yards. Calgary’s defense made one interception, and the offense had 13 first downs.
Toronto had 132 yards on offense (91 yards passing, 45 yards rushing, 4 yards lost). Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 8 of 14 passes (57.1%) for 91 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and three carries for four yards. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had six carries for 32 yards and one catch for 11 yards.
Wide receiver Makai Polk made two catches for 30 yards, and one touchdown, while DaVaris Daniels made two catches for 22 yards. Toronto had 8 first downs. The defense made one sack and one tackle for loss. They were penalized four times for 35 yards.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Toronto’s defense and special teams took over the game. On the fifth play for Calgary, quarterback Jake Maier could not find anyone open and started to run. He had Folarin Orimolade chasing him and he did not know it until Orimolade stripped the ball away from him and it was recovered by Robert Priester on the Stampeders’ 32-yard line with 11:09 left.
Toronto’s offense lost two yards before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 41-yard field goal and the Argonauts trailed the Stampeders 15-10 with 10:16 left of the third quarter.
After Toronto’s defense forced a two-and-out, Calgary punter Cody Grace punted the ball 40 yards to Janarion Grant. Grant made a couple of juke moves before taking off for an 86-yard touchdown. Toronto went for a two-point conversion and got it. It was now 18-15 Argonauts with 8:06 left of the second quarter.
Late in the third quarter, Toronto’s offense went on a six-play drive for 53 yards reaching the Stampeders’ 33-yard line facing third down. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 45-yard field goal extending Toronto’s lead 21-15 with two minutes left.
Calgary’s offense had the ball for the final 1:43 of the third quarter. On the final play, backup quarterback Tommy Stevens rushed for a gain of two yards to the Argonauts’ 51-yard line. The Stampeders trailed the Argonauts 21-15.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Calgary backup quarterback Tommy Stevens scored a two-yard touchdown putting them up 22-21 with 12:38 left. The drive went eight plays for 70 yards in three minutes.
On Calgary’s next possession, quarterback Jake Maier intended to complete a pass to Marken Michel but DeShaun Amos stepped in front of him to make the interception for a pick-six 55-yard touchdown. Toronto successfully converted a two-point play and they took a 29-22 lead with 9:27 left in the game.
Calgary’s offense gained nine yards facing third down on their 31-yard line. However, Calgary’s offense stalled on third down when Toronto defensive lineman Ralph Holley sacked backup quarterback Tommy Stevens for a six-yard loss and Calgary turned the ball over.
Then, Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw two passes for 16 yards before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 16-yard field goal extending their lead 32-22 with 5:19 left of the game.
Calgary quarterback Jake Maier completed a short pass to Jalen Philpot for 13 yards. On the next play, Peyton Logan rushed for a gain of 26 yards before going out of bounds on the Argonauts’ 31-yard line. Two plays later, Jake Maier threw a five-yard pass to Clark Barnes setting up third down. Kicker Rene Paredes made a 33-yard field goal and the Stampeders trailed 32-25 with 3:28 left of the game.
Toronto’s offense sealed the game when running back Ka’Deem Carey broke two tackles to score a 10-yard touchdown. The Argonauts led 39-25 with 2:09 left in the game. The drive went seven plays for 70 yards in a little over two minutes.
Calgary’s offense moved the ball up to the Argonauts’ 25-yard line. On third down, Maier threw a nine-yard pass to Reggie Begelton short of the first down marker. Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle took three kneel-downs to end the game. The Argonauts got their revenge with a 32-25 win over the Stampeders.
Final Stats:
Toronto had 289 yards on offense (181 yards passing, 118 yards rushing, 10 yards lost). Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 18 of 26 passes (69.2%) for 181 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and four carries for four yards. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had 13 carries for 89 yards, one touchdown, and two catches for 22 yards.
Wide receiver Makai Polk made four catches for 50 yards, and one touchdown, while DaVaris Daniels made three catches for 31 yards. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made three field goals with a long of 45 yards. Toronto’s defense made 50 tackles, three sacks, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, one interception, and one touchdown. They were penalized 9 times for 70 yards.
Calgary had 442 yards on offense (373 yards passing, 79 yards rushing, 10 yards lost). Quarterback Jake Maier completed 33 of 45 passes (73%) for 373 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Running back Peyton Logan had 11 carries for 61 yards, one touchdown, and five catches for 43 yards.
Wide receiver Reggie Begelton made 8 catches for 104 yards, while Clark Barnes made four catches for 74 yards. Kicker Rene Paredes made one field goal for 33 yards. Calgary’s defense made 35 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble, two fumble recoveries, and five tackles on special teams. They were penalized 6 times for 60 yards.
Final Thoughts:
Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle had a good game and the team looked different out there with him at quarterback. After a lackluster first half, the veteran did what he needed to help the team win. Toronto’s defense deserves a lot of credit for their performance after not doing well in the first half.
They took over in the second half and allowed 10 points. They put pressure on the Stampeders’ offense and Jake Maier looked uncomfortable out there. Janarion Grant also played a part in getting the team going with an 86-yard punt return touchdown that also woke up the crowd.
When it comes to the Stampeders, there is not much to say that has not already been said. Jake Maier is not a starting quarterback. They need to put Tommy Stevens or Matthew Shiltz in there. Maier has problems seeing the field and he consistently makes too many mistakes. The team collapsed in the second half.
What is it going to take for head coach Dave Dickenson to make a quarterback change? This team does have talent but they don’t have the right quarterback leading the team. Again, Stevens or Shiltz should get a chance to start and I think you will see a difference on the field.
Next week, the Calgary Stampeders host the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday at 9 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Toronto Argonauts are on a bye week. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
