The Hamilton Tiger-Cats (3-9) hosted the Toronto Argonauts (6-5) on Monday afternoon in the Labour Day Classic at Tim Hortons Field. This was their second meeting of the season with the Ticats winning the first meeting back in Week 7. The Ticats wanted to give 25,291 fans at the stadium a show and they were not disappointed.
First Quarter:
Toronto got the ball to start the first quarter on their 35-yard line. On the second play, quarterback Chad Kelly’s pass intended for DaVaris Daniels was intercepted by Richie Leonard from the Ticats’ 53-yard line. Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie challenged the play for defensive pass interference and lost. As a result, Toronto lost a timeout.
On the second play for Hamilton, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell got great protection from his offensive line before throwing a 57-yard touchdown pass to Tim White for a 7-0 lead with 13:05 left of the first quarter.
Toronto’s offense was back out for their second possession starting from their 17-yard line. They gained 19 yards before the drive stalled and punted the ball to Hamilton. Hamilton’s offense started on their 48-yard line after a no yard’s penalty on Toronto defensive back Benjie Franklin.
Toronto defensive lineman Ralph Holley was called for an offsides penalty giving the Ticats an extra five yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell rushed for a gain of 14 yards reaching the Argonauts’ 43-yard line. Two plays later, Mitchell threw a 15-yard pass to Steven Dunbar Jr. and then a 24-yard pass to Greg Bell reaching the Argonauts’ 3-yard line.
On the next play, Mitchell came out and Taulia Tagovailoa made his CFL debut. Tagovailoa scrambled to his right side to score a three-yard touchdown extending Hamilton’s lead 14-0 with 7:14 left of the first quarter capping off a six-play drive for 62 yards in three minutes.
Toronto’s offense was back out on the field starting from their 21-yard line. They went on a six-play drive for 49 yards before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 47-yard field goal and the Argonauts trailed the Ticats 14-3 with 3:25 left of the first quarter.
Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell did not waste time on the first play by throwing a 70-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Tim White for a 21-3 lead with 2:48 left of the first quarter.
Toronto’s offense was back out on the field with 2:26 left starting from their 36-yard line. Quarterback Chad Kelly threw four passes for 64 yards reaching the Ticats’ 10-yard line. On the last play of the first quarter, Kelly ran into one of his offensive linemen, and a Hamilton defensive lineman Nick Usher was credited with a sack. Toronto trailed the Hamilton 21-3.
Hamilton had 184 yards on offense (166 yards passing, 18 yards rushing), 6 first downs, and 1 for 1 in the red zone. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 4 of 5 passes for 166 yards, and two touchdowns.
Toronto had 131 yards on offense (93 yards passing, 39 yards rushing, 1 yard lost), 7 first downs, and 0 for 1 in the red zone. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 7 of 11 passes for 93 yards, and one interception.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 23-yard field goal and the Argonauts trailed the Ticats 21-6 with 14:36 left capping off a six-play drive for 58 yards.
Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw four passes for 30 yards reaching the Argonauts’ 40-yard line. The Ticats made it to the Argonauts’ 30-yard line before kicker Marc Liegghio made a 38-yard field goal extending their lead 24-6 with 9:40 left of the second quarter.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly and running back Ka’Deem Carey led the offense to a six-play drive for 41 yards reaching the Ticats’ 29-yard line before the offense stalled. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 36-yard field goal and the Argonauts trailed the Ticats 24-9 with 5:46 left before halftime.
Toronto’s defense made quick work forcing a two-and-out drive and the offense started from their 40-yard line. Quarterback Chad Kelly threw four straight passes for 48 yards reaching the Ticats’ 22-yard line. Running back Ka’Deem Carey rushed for a gain of six yards, and Kelly threw a 6-yard pass to Damonte Coxie reaching the Ticats’ 10-yard line.
On the next play, Kelly threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to DaVaris Daniels. Toronto went for a two-point conversion. Chad Kelly leaped over a Hamilton player and appeared to have gotten the two points. A closer look at the replay showed he did not score and the Argonauts trailed the Ticats 24-15 with 2:09 left before halftime.
Hamilton’s offense had the ball for the final 2:05 left of the second quarter. They went on an eight-play drive for 72 yards before kicker Marc Liegghio made a 19-yard field goal for a 27-15 lead at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Hamilton had 307 yards on offense (265 yards on offense, 49 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 15 first downs, and 1 for 2 in the red zone. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 14 of 18 passes (77%) for 259 yards, 2 touchdowns, and one carry for 14 yards. Backup quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa completed one pass for 6 yards, one carry for three yards, and one touchdown.
Running back Greg Bell had three carries for 28 yards and three catches for 34 yards. Wide receiver Tim White made four catches for 154 yards and two touchdowns, and Steven Dunbar Jr. made four catches for 47 yards. Hamilton’s defense made one sack and one interception. They were penalized one time for 15 yards.
Toronto had 249 yards on offense (179 yards passing, 71 yards rushing, 1 yard lost), 14 first downs, and 1 for 2 in the red zone. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 14 of 18 passes (77%) for 179 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and three carries for 22 yards. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had 7 carries for 43 yards.
Wide receiver Damonte Coxie made five catches for 61 yards, and DaVaris Daniels made four catches for 40 yards and one touchdown. Toronto’s defense made one sack. They were penalized four times for 30 yards.
Third Quarter:
Toronto got the ball to start the third quarter from their 41-yard line. Running back Ka’Deem Carey rushed for a gain of 13 yards before quarterback Chad Kelly completed two passes for 43 yards reaching the Ticats’ 13-yard line. On the next play, Chad Kelly could not find anyone open and took off to score a 13-yard touchdown. The Argonauts trailed the Ticats 27-22 with 12:25 left capping off a four-play drive for 69 yards in over two minutes.
For the next couple of drives, both offenses combined 26 yards and one first down before their drives stalled. Toronto punter John Haggerty punted the ball 69 yards to Chris Williams. Williams injured his left knee going after the ball as the ball went out of bounds on the Ticats’ one-yard line. Williams had to be helped off the field and into the medical tent on the sidelines.
Hamilton’s offense moved the ball up to the Argonauts’ 51-yard line before punting the ball. Toronto had the ball for the final 2:45 left of the third quarter. On the final play of the third quarter, quarterback Chad Kelly threw a 4-yard pass to Daniel Adeboboye reaching the Ticats’ 18-yard line trailing 27-22.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Toronto kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 25-yard field goal and the Argonauts trailed the Ticats 27-25 with 14:32 left of the game. On the second play for Hamilton, Toronto Derek Parish sacked Bo Levi Mitchell for a six-yard loss forcing third down.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly threw two passes for 19 yards. They gained one more yard before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 42-yard field goal and the Argonauts took a 28-27 lead with 10:38 left of the game capping off a four-play drive for 30 yards.
On Hamilton’s next drive, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell rushed for a gain of 11 yards, and threw a 2-yard pass to Shemar Bridges short of the first down. Hamilton punter Nik Constantinou punted the ball 74 yards into the end zone and out of bounds for a single point and the game was tied 28-28 with 8:21 left of the fourth quarter.
Hamilton’s defense forced a two-and-out and the offense was back out on the field at their 41-yard line. The offense moved the ball up to the Argonauts’ 34-yard line before a penalty and a sack by Folarin Orimolade backed them up to the Argonauts’ 47-yard line. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 55-yard field goal and the Ticats took a 31-28 lead with 2:36 left of the game.
Hamilton’s defense stepped up when Dewayne Hendrix sacked Chad Kelly and an incomplete pass forced a two-and-out. Hamilton’s offense had the ball on their 41-yard line to begin their next drive. On the fourth play for Hamilton, quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 48-yard pass to Brenden O’Leary-Orange reaching the Argonauts’ 5-yard line to seal the game. The Ticats ran out the clock and beat the Toronto Argonauts 31-28 for their third win of the season.
Final Stats:
Hamilton had 465 yards on offense (353 yards passing, 142 yards rushing, 30 yards lost), 24 first downs, and 1 for 3 in the red zone. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 20 of 30 passes (66%) for 347 yards, 2 touchdowns, and two carries for 25 yards. Backup quarterback Taulia Tagovailoa completed one pass for six yards, two carries for 10 yards, and one touchdown.
Running back Greg Bell had 9 carries for 78 yards and four catches for 40 yards. Wide receiver Tim White made 6 catches for 180 yards, and 2 touchdowns, while Steven Dunbar Jr. made 4 catches for 47 yards. Kicker Marc Liegghio made 3 of 3 field goals with a long of 55 yards. Hamilton’s defense made 42 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, one interception, and eight tackles on special teams. They were penalized three times for 25 yards.
Toronto had 439 yards on offense (322 yards passing, 123 yards rushing, 6 yards lost), 23 first downs, and 2 for 4 in the red zone. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 24 of 30 passes (80%) for 322 yards, one touchdown, one interception, 6 carries for 39 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had 12 carries for 78 yards.
Wide receiver David Ungerer III made 4 catches for 78 yards, and DaVaris Daniels made 7 catches for 74 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made 5 of 5 field goals with a long of 47 yards. Toronto’s defense made 40 tackles, one tackle for loss, four sacks, and three tackles on special teams. They were penalized five times for 45 yards.
Final Thoughts:
Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell looked like his old self out there. He was throwing some good passes that were hitting the hands of his receivers, especially Tim White. He also got good protection from his offensive line, who overall was not bad despite allowing four sacks in the game.
Taulia Tagovailoa made his CFL debut and scored his first down on his first play of the game. Not long after he scored the touchdown, many sports media featured him on social media and that is what the league needs. Head coach Scott Milanovich should keep Tagovailoa involved with this offense moving forward.
Toronto got off to a slow start in the game but they battled back and gave Hamilton a run. Some of the plays they were running did not look good and Chad Kelly at times did not know what to do. Hamilton’s defense put pressure on Kelly for the majority of the game and it disrupted their plays.
To me, it looked like Toronto went into this game thinking they were going to blow out Hamilton and that was not the case. The play calling was decent but I would like to see Kelly change up the plays before the snap because Hamilton’s defense knew what was coming and was ready for it. Toronto went 2 for 4 in the red zone and had they gotten those two touchdowns instead of field goals, they would have won this game.
Next week, the Toronto Argonauts visit the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday at 1 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Hamilton Tiger-Cats are on a bye week. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
