The Toronto Argonauts (7-6) visited B.C. Place Stadium on Friday night against the B.C. Lions (7-7) to start Week 15. The Argonauts came into this game on a four-game road losing streak and the Lions were looking to extend their winning streak to three games.
First Quarter:
B.C. started with the football on their 36-yard line to begin the first quarter. B.C. went two-and-out before punting the ball to Janarion Grant for a 10-yard return to reach their 36-yard line with 13:35 left. Toronto running back Ka’Deem Carey then led the offense with three carries for five yards and caught a 16-yard pass from Chad Kelly.
Wide receiver Janarion Grant also contributed on offense with one carry for nine yards to reach the Lions’ 44-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 51-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 10:27 left of the first quarter capping off a six-play drive for 30 yards.
On B.C.’s second possession of the game, they went two-and-out before punter Sean Flintoft punted the ball 50 yards to Janarion Grant, who returned it for 10 yards to reach their 25-yard line with 9:07 left of the first quarter.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly and running back Ka’Deem Carey led the offense to a nine-play drive for 49 yards to reach the Lions’ 46-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 43-yard field goal extending Toronto’s lead 6-0 with 4:35 left of the first quarter.
For the third time in the first quarter, B.C.’s offense went two-and-out and punter Sean Flintoft punted the ball 54 yards to Janarion Grant. Grant had space in front of him before turning on the jets for an 80-yard run. This brought him to the Lions’ 15-yard line.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly threw a 10-yard pass to DaVaris Daniels before running back Ka’Deem Carey had two carries for four yards. A procedure penalty by Toronto offensive lineman Isiah Cage backed them up five yards before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 13-yard field goal for a 9-0 lead with 41 seconds left of the first quarter.
On the final play of the first quarter, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke was sacked by Jake Ceresna for a 10-yard loss backing the Lions to their 30-yard line trailing 9-0.
Toronto had 98 yards on offense (46 yards passing, 52 yards rushing), six first downs, 0 for 1 in the red zone, and two penalties for 10 yards. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 4 of 6 passes for 46 yards, and three carries for 27 yards. B.C. had -1 yard (5 yards passing, 4 yards rushing, 10 yards lost), no first downs, and no red zone opportunities. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 1 of 5 passes for 5 yards.
Second Quarter:
B.C. ended up going two-and-out again when punter Sean Flintoft punted the ball 61 yards to Janarion Grant, who returned it for 13 yards to reach their 32-yard line. Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly had two carries for 12 yards and running back Ka’Deem Cary rushed for a gain of two yards to reach their 42-yard line. Quarterback Chad Kelly was sacked by Boseko Lokombo for a 2-yard loss forcing third down. B.C.’s offense was back out on their 25-yard line with 11:53 left.
On the first play, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke attempted to complete a pass to Alexander Hollins. Hollins attempted to make a diving catch but landed hard on his left shoulder and was down for several minutes. The trainers helped him up and Hollins headed to the locker room. He was later ruled out for the rest of the game.
Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 51 yards, including a 40-yard pass to Keon Hatcher to reach the Argonauts’ 34-yard line. Running back William Stanback rushed for a gain of two yards before quarterback Nathan Rourke was sacked by Ralph Holley for a loss of 8 yards to force third down from the Argonauts’ 40-yard line. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 47-yard field goal and the Lions trailed the Argonauts 9-3 with 8:56 left of the second quarter capping off a five-play drive for 45 yards.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly started the next drive by throwing a nine-yard pass to Deonte McMahon to reach their 49-yard line. On second down, Toronto backup quarterback Cameron Dukes rushed for a gain of two yards to get the first down. Two plays later, Kelly attempted to complete a pass to Makai Polk which was incomplete but a defensive pass interference penalty by Adrian Green gave the Argonauts a first down at the Lions’ 49-yard line.
Chad Kelly threw a 19-yard pass to DaVaris Daniels and running back Deonte McMahon had two carries for 8 yards before the drive stalled. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 31-yard field goal for a 12-9 lead with 4:36 left before halftime to cap off a seven-play drive for 46 yards.
In the next two series, both teams went two-and-out. B.C. had the ball on their on the Argonauts’ 51-yard line to begin their next drive. On the first play, Nathan Rourke was sacked by Derek Parrish for a 7-yard loss backing them up to their 52-yard line.
Next, Rourke completed a 31-yard pass to Justin McInnis to reach the Argonauts’ 27-yard line. Then, Rourke threw another pass to Justin McInnis for 18 yards before he fumbled the ball but Ayden Eberhardt recovered it on the Argonauts’ 9-yard line. On the next play, Rourke scrambled to his right side to score a 9-yard touchdown and the Lions trailed the Argonauts 12-10 with 1:12 left before halftime capping off a four-play drive for 51 yards in one minute and eighteen seconds.
Toronto had the ball on their 35-yard line to begin their next drive. Quarterback Chad Kelly threw three passes for 71 yards and rushed for a gain of three yards to reach the Lions’ 11-yard line. On the next play, Kelly scrambled out of the pocket before throwing an 11-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Makai Polk for a 19-10 lead at halftime capping off a six-play drive for 75 yards. Kelly threw four passes for 82 yards on that drive. He would have had 105 yards in passing had Isaiah Cage was not called for a holding penalty.
First Half Stats:
Toronto had 227 yards on offense (154 yards passing, 75 yards rushing, 2 yards lost), 13 first downs, 1 for 2 in the red zone, and was penalized three times for 20 yards. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 10 of 15 passes (66%) for 154 yards, one touchdown, and six carries for 42 yards. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had eight carries for 14 yards, and two catches for 25 yards, and Deonte McMahon had two carries for eight yards and two catches for 19 yards.
Wide receiver Makai Polk made three catches for 73 yards, and one touchdown, while DaVaris Daniels made three catches for 37 yards. Toronto’s defense made three sacks.
B.C. had 100 yards on offense (110 yards passing, 15 yards rushing, 25 yards lost), five first downs, 1 for 1 in the red zone, and was penalized one time for 10 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 6 of 12 passes (50%) for 110 yards, one carry for 9 yards, and one touchdown.
Running back William Stanback had three carries for six yards. Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made two catches for 51 yards, and Justin McInnis made two catches for 49 yards. B.C.’s defense made one sack.
Third Quarter:
Toronto got the ball to start the third quarter on their 37-yard line. Quarterback Chad Kelly, and running backs Ka’Deem Carey and Daniel Adeboboye led the offense to a six-play drive for 53 yards before kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 27-yard field goal for a 22-10 lead with 10:59 left.
Vernon Adams Jr. was the new quarterback for the Lions. On the first play, He tried to fake a handoff to William Stanback but the ball hit Stanback causing a fumble and he recovered it for a 3-yard loss. Next, Adams Jr. threw a 12-yard pass to Javon Cottoy and rushed for a gain of 7 yards to reach the Argonauts’ 54-yard line.
B.C. running back William Stanback rushed for a gain of four yards, followed by Vernon Adams Jr. completing an 11-yard pass to Justin McInnis to reach the Argonauts’ 39-yard line. However, Vernon Adams Jr. was twice sacked by Robbie Smith for a loss of 23 yards backing them up to their 48-yard line, and forced to punt the ball with 6:29 left of the third quarter.
Toronto started their next drive on their 35-yard line. Quarterback Chad Kelly threw three passes for 55 yards and had two carries for 11 yards, running back Ka’Deem Carey had two carries for 14 yards to reach the eight-yard line. On the next play, Toronto’s offense line made a hole for Chad Kelly to score an eight-yard touchdown for a 29-10 lead with 2:04 left of the third quarter capping off a nine-play drive for 79 yards in four minutes.
B.C. had the ball on their 39-yard line with 1:42 left of the third quarter. Running back William Stanback had two carries for 11 yards, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 17-yard pass to William Stanback, and an illegal contact penalty on Fraser Sopik moved the ball to the Argonauts’ 33-yard line. On the last play of the third quarter, B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. was sacked by Ralph Holley for a 6-yard loss backing them up to the Argonauts’ 39-yard line down 29-10.
Fourth Quarter:
B.C. kicker Sean Whyte started the fourth quarter by missing a 46-yard field goal wide left where Toronto returner Janarion Grant conceded the single point. The Lions trailed the Argonauts 29-11 with 14:19 left of the game.
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly completed two passes for 29 yards to reach the Lions’ 41-yard line. Next, running back Daniel Adeboboye and backup quarterback Cameron Dukes combined with three carries logging two yards to reach the Lions’ 39-yard line. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 46-yard field goal for a 32-11 lead with 10:19 left of the game. It was Hajrullahu’s sixth field goal of the night.
On the next two series, both teams went two-and-out. B.C.’s offense started on their 43-yard line to begin their next play. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. overthrew wide receiver Keon Hatcher and it was intercepted by Desean Amos for a 27-yard return to reach their 29-yard line. Toronto went two-and-out. Toronto punter Ryan Haggerty’s punt was blocked by Patrice Rene and B.C.’s offense started on the Argonauts’ 29-yard line.
Chase Brice was the new quarterback for B.C. with 2:24 left of the game. He completed an 8-yard pass to Keon Hatcher to reach the Argonauts’ 24-yard line. Three plays later, Brice completed a short pass to Jordan Terrell, who made a couple of nice juke moves to score a 24-yard touchdown. They missed the two-point conversion and the Lions trailed the Argonauts 32-17 with 1:46 left of the game.
B.C. tried an onside kick but Toronto wide receiver Damonte Coxie recovered it on the Lions’ 47-yard line. Toronto went two-and-out before punter John Haggerty punted the ball 49 yards into the end zone where B.C. returner Terry Williams conceded the single point.
It was now 33-17 with 45 seconds left of the game. B.C. running back Jordan Terrell finished the game with two carries for 9 yards to finish the game. The Toronto Argonauts defeated the B.C. Lions 33-17 and snap a four-game road losing streak.
Final Stats:
Toronto had 412 yards on offense (268 yards passing, 165 yards rushing, 21 yards lost), 27 first downs, 2 for 4 in the red zone, and was penalized four times for 30 yards. Quarterback Chad Kelly completed 18 of 28 passes (64.3%) for 268 yards, one touchdown, 10 carries for 56 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had 11 carries for 41 yards, and two catches for 25 yards, and Daniel Adeboboye had 9 carries for 34 yards.
Wide receiver Makai Polk made six catches for 116 yards, and one touchdown, while DaVaris Daniels made four catches for 71 yards. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made 6 of 6 field goals with a long of 51 yards. Toronto’s defense made 30 tackles, one tackle for loss, seven sacks, one interception, one fumble recovery, and six tackles on special teams.
B.C. had 222 yards on offense (217 yards passing, 62 yards rushing, 57 yards lost), 13 first downs, 1 for 1 in the red zone, and was penalized one time for 10 yards. Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 4 of 7 passes (57.1%) for 75 yards, one interception, and one carry for seven yards, and quarterback Chase Brice completed 2 of 4 passes (50%) for 32 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for one yard.
Running back William Stanback had six carries for 21 yards and one catch for 17 yards. Wide receiver Justin McInnis made four catches for 25 yards, and Keon Hatcher made three catches for 59 yards. Kicker Sean Whyte made 1 of 2 field goals with a long of 47 yards. B.C.’s defense made 55 tackles, one tackle for loss, two sacks, and 10 tackles on special teams.
B.C. had a ton of injuries in this game. They lost wide receiver Alexander Hollins, right tackle Kory Woodruff, defensive lineman Christian Covington, and defensive back Garry Peters.
Next week, the Toronto Argonauts host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the B.C. Lions are on a bye week. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
