The Toronto Argonauts (6-4) hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-5-1) on Thursday night from BMO Field to kickoff Week 12 of the CFL season. Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly made his 2024 debut. His last game was the Eastern Final in BMO Field losing to the eventual Grey Cup champion Montreal Alouettes.
This was also the last meeting of the season. They met in Week 5 where the Roughriders won the game 30-23. While that game did not come down to the wire, this one came down to the final play of the game.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly completed 4 of 5 passes for 32 yards in his first series. However, Toronto’s offense went for a third and two play but a procedure penalty by Toronto forced them to punt the ball.
On Saskatchewan’s first series of the game, they went on a six-play drive for 58 yards before kicker Brett Lauther made a 43-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 7:04 left of the first quarter.
After Toronto’s offense went two-and-out, Saskatchewan’s offense was back out on the field. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw two passes for 9 yards, followed by running back Frankie Hickson and backup quarterback Shea Patterson combining with two carries for 18 yards.
Next, Trevor Harris threw two more passes for 29 yards to set them up at the Argonauts’ 13-yard line. On the next play, Harris threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to KeeSean Johnson extending Saskatchewan’s lead 10-0 with 4:18 left of the first quarter capping off a seven-play drive for 69 yards in over four minutes.
Toronto running back Ka’Deem Carey rushed for a gain of three yards before a procedure penalty on the Argonauts backed them up to their 28-yard line. Quarterback Chad Kelly threw an 11-yard pass to Damonte Coxie but they were short of the first down.
On the final play, kicker Lirim Hajrullahu punted the ball 48 yards to Saskatchewan returner Mario Alford. Alford gained 14 yards before he was tackled on their 48-yard line. Saskatchewan led 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Saskatchewan had 127 yards on offense (98 yards passing, 24 yards rushing) and 7 first downs. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 8 of 9 passes for 98 yards, and one touchdown, while running back Frankie Hickson had four carries for 25 yards. Toronto had 51 yards on offense (43 yards passing, 8 yards rushing) and two first downs. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 5 of 8 passes for 43 yards.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense went on a five-play drive for 35 yards before kicker Brett Lauther made a 43-yard field goal extending their lead 13-0 with 8:48 left.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly threw two passes for 24 yards before the drive stalled. Saskatchewan took over with 7:05 left of the second quarter on their 14-yard line. On the second play for Saskatchewan, quarterback Trevor Harris attempted to throw the ball to Samuel Emilus but Toronto defensive back DaShaun Amos intercepted it returning it for 25 yards before getting pushed out of bounds to their 1-yard line.
On the next play, Toronto backup quarterback Cameron Dukes scored a 1-yard touchdown using the quarterback sneak, and the Argonauts trailed the Roughriders 13-7 with 5:42 left before halftime. On Toronto’s next series, quarterback Chad Kelly threw three passes for 52 yards plus a defensive pass interference penalty by Saskatchewan’s Rolan Milligan Jr. placed the ball on the Roughriders’ 15-yard line.
After Malik Carney sacked Chad Kelly for one yard, Kelly, Ka’Deem Carey, and Deonte McMahon combined with three carries for 15 yards facing third down from the 1-yard line. Backup quarterback Cameron Dukes was stopped short of the first down and Saskatchewan took over on downs.
Toronto’s defense stepped up again on the next play when Benjie Franklin intercepted Trevor Harris’s pass intended for Dhonte Meyers on the Roughriders’ 24-yard line. On the third play, quarterback Chad Kelly initially threw a 29-yard touchdown pass to Damonte Coxie.
However, the play was reviewed by the command center which determined that Coxie did not complete the catch and ruled it an incomplete pass. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu kicked a 36-yard field goal and the Argonauts trailed the Roughriders 13-10 at halftime. Toronto scored 10 points off of turnovers.
First Half Stats:
Saskatchewan had 189 yards on offense (128 yards passing, 62 yards rushing, 1 yard lost), 1 for 1 in the red zone, and 9 first downs. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 11 of 17 passes (65%) for 128 yards, one touchdown, and two interceptions. Running back Frankie Hickson had 10 carries for 55 yards.
Wide receiver Dhonte Meyers made two catches for 52 yards, and KeeSean Johnson made two catches for 18 yards and one touchdown. Saskatchewan’s defense made one sack and two tackles for loss. They were penalized two times for 20 yards.
Toronto had 141 yards on offense (119 yards passing, 23 yards rushing, 1 yard lost), 1 for 2 in the red zone, and 9 first downs. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 10 of 17 passes (59%) for 119 yards, and one carry for 11 yards. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had three carries for 10 yards and one catch for four yards.
Wide receiver Makai Polk made two catches for 47 yards, and David Ungerer III made three catches for 40 yards. Toronto’s defense made one tackle for loss. They were penalized three times for 15 yards.
Third Quarter:
Early in the third quarter, both defenses allowed 9 yards combined. Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris and running back Frankie Hickson led the offense to a four-play drive for 20 yards before kicker Brett Lauther made a 40-yard field goal for a 16-10 lead with 7:28 left.
On Toronto’s next series, quarterback Chad Kelly and running back Ka’Deem Carey led the offense down to the Roughriders’ 2-yard line. On third down, Kelly’s pass intended for Richie Sindani was broken up by Deontai Williams and Saskatchewan took over on their 4-yard line with 3:10 left of the third quarter. They gained 8 yards before punting the ball back to Toronto.
Toronto had the ball for the final 1:07 left of the third quarter. Quarterback Chad Kelly threw a 53-yard pass to Damonte Coxie. On the last play of the third quarter, Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly’s pass intended for DaVaris Daniels was incomplete. Toronto trailed Saskatchewan 16-10.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 40-yard field goal and the Argonauts trailed the Roughriders 16-13 with 14:49 left. Toronto’s defense allowed 11 yards before Robbie Smith sacked Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris and stalled their drive.
Toronto punt returner Janarion Grant returned Adam Korsak’s punt for 48 yards before he was pushed out of bounds. Toronto got 10 additional yards on Korsak’s face mask penalty and the Argonauts started their drive on the Roughriders’ 27-yard line with 12:28 left of the game.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly threw a 26-yard pass to DaVaris Daniels to the Roughriders’ 1-yard line. For the third time in this game, Saskatchewan’s defense stopped them on third down with 9:58 left of the game. Saskatchewan’s offense gained 18 yards before the drive stalled and punted the ball back to Toronto with 8:26 left of the game.
Toronto running back Ka’Deem Carey had two carries for 3 yards, and quarterback Chad Kelly threw three passes for 29 yards before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 25-yard field goal and the game was tied 16-16 with 5:06 left of the game.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed three passes for 41 yards before the drive stalled and kicker Brett Lauther made a 37-yard field goal to give the Roughriders a 19-16 lead with 2:45 left of the game.
On the first play for Toronto, quarterback Chad Kelly’s pass intended for Makai Polk was intercepted by Marcus Sayles. However, the Roughriders could not take advantage of the turnover and punted the ball back to Toronto with 2:07 left of the fourth quarter.
Toronto’s offense went on a five-play drive for 36 yards before the drive stalled and kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 50-yard field goal and the game was tied again 19-19 with 1:02 left of the game. After Toronto’s defense forced a two-and-out, their offense was back out with 16 seconds left.
Running back Ka’Deem Carey rushed for a gain of four yards to the Roughriders’ 33-yard line setting up a 40-yard field goal for Lirim Hajrullahu. Hajrullahu missed the 40-yard field goal wide left but the ball went out of bounds behind the endzone for a single point, and the Argonauts defeated the Roughriders 20-19.
Final Stats:
Toronto had 373 yards on offense (322 yards passing, 54 yards rushing, three yards lost), 1 for 5 in the red zone, and 20 first downs. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 24 of 39 passes (62%) for 322 yards, one interception, and three carries for 11 yards. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had 11 carries for 35 yards and three catches for 19 yards.
Wide receiver Damonte Coxie made 5 catches for 112 yards, while David Ungerer III made 5 catches for 72 yards. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made 4 of 5 field goals with a long of 50 yards. Toronto’s defense made 39 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, and seven tackles for loss. They were penalized 5 times for 30 yards.
Saskatchewan had 274 yards on offense (190 yards passing, 93 yards rushing, 9 yards lost), 1 for 1 in the red zone, and 13 first downs. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 18 of 29 passes (62%) for 190 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and one carry for 11 yards. Running back Frankie Hickson had 16 carries for 79 yards.
Wide receiver Samuel Emilus made 8 catches for 66 yards, while Dhonte Meyers made 3 catches for 61 yards, and KeeSean Johnson made 3 catches for 21 yards, and one touchdown. Kicker Brett Lauther made 4 of 4 field goals with a long of 43 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made 45 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, and eight tackles on special teams. They were penalized 5 times for 53 yards.
Final Thoughts:
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly did a decent job for his first game back. He threw way too many balls as their running game could not get going at all. At times, Kelly was forcing throws that he did not need to make and he had trouble reading the defense.
While he did throw some good balls, bad luck happened either by an incomplete pass in the endzone or some of the guys dropping passes that should’ve been caught. One thing I did appreciate in this game was head coach Ryan Dinwiddie trying a couple of trick plays to throw off the defense and while it did work, they could not score points. Toronto got lucky here because of the rouge point (single point) despite kicker Lirim Hajrullahu missing a 40-yard field goal. In normal football, the game would’ve gone to overtime to determine a winner.
The rouge point has been in existence since the CFL started in 1958. It has always been a controversial. The CFL had discussed over the years eliminating the single point or modifying it but was rejected every time and thus the single point has remained in the game. With how the game ended, it will be interesting to see if another round of discussions to eliminate the rouge point will begin after the season. We shall see what happens.
Saskatchewan’s defense played a good game tonight. Making the three stops in the red zone to keep the Argonauts out was nice to watch. If they had not done that, the Argonauts could’ve blown them out and we would not be talking about the rouge point.
Saskatchewan’s offense struggled too after getting off to a hot start in the first quarter. Quarterback Trevor Harris got lucky after throwing two interceptions and their defense bailed them out. Like Chad Kelly, Harris was forcing throws that did not need to be made. The play calling was stagnant and they did not change it up. Toronto’s defense shut down the receivers and they had a hard time getting open. The receivers need to get creative in breaking away from the secondaries and come back to Harris to catch the football.
As I’ve said for most of the season, the majority of wide receivers do not come back for the football and force the quarterbacks to throw the ball hoping it reaches them. If they came back for the football, both the quarterback and receivers would have better games and stats.
Next Sunday, the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 7 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network, while the Toronto Argonauts visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Monday at 2:30 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
