Argos vs. Redblacks: Ottawa falls to 0-12 at BMO Field ... but it was close - Toronto Star
Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly adds to CFL-high passing yardage and interception totals on Saturday.
Quarterback Chad Kelly and the Argonauts were inefficient in the red zone, but did just enough to keep the Ottawa Redblacks winless at BMO Field on Saturday.
A win is a win, but the Argonauts left Saturday afternoon’s encounter against the Ottawa Redblacks (now 0-12) feeling like they got away with one.
The 26-23 victory at BMO Field came down to a walk-off 29-yard field goal by kicker Lirim Hajrullahu. Toronto, firmly in second place in the CFL’s East Division, improved to 7-6 and closed in on a playoff berth, but the mood in the post-game locker room was subdued.
“I think we were, like, 0-for-4 in the red zone going into the second half. Like, that’s the game right there,” said quarterback Chad Kelly, who finished with 443 passing yards (bumping his CFL-leading total to 4,404) and two touchdowns. “Those are the plays that we’ve got to make.”
Kelly had expected a tough game against a desperate Ottawa side led by former Argonauts head coach Ryan Dinwiddie, and he was right.
THROW IT UP TO COXIE...HE'S BRINGING IT DOWN 💥 pic.twitter.com/AvEQNz2rMz
It was a back-and-forth affair all afternoon, but the Argos played a much better second half. Kelly connected with David Ungerer III on a 34-yard pass for Toronto’s first touchdown midway through the third quarter, giving the announced crowd of 12,494 something to cheer. When Ottawa tied it with a 46-yard field goal on the subsequent drive, Toronto responded with another touchdown: Kelly to Damonte Coxie (Hajrullahu missed the convert).
“If you know anything about the CFL, it’s most likely going to come down to the last three minutes,” said Ungerer, who led the Argos with 175 receiving yards, the second 100-yard game of his career. “It doesn’t matter how big of a lead you have early in the game. That’s why we love this game.”
With the score tied 23-23 late in the fourth quarter, the Argos sacked former Toronto quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson and regained possession, setting up the final drive that led to Hajrullahu’s 29-yard field goal as the clock expired.
WINNER WINNER 💰 HAJRULLAHU WALKS IT OFF 🌊 pic.twitter.com/MSG9IQso9o
“I know we cut it a little close there, but I thought we had plenty of time to be able to advance the ball,” said Argonauts head coach Mike Miller. “We left some plays on the field in the first half ... every game is a tough game.”
Three Toronto drives inside the Ottawa 20-yard line were shut down by two interceptions and a sack.
“(Dinwiddie) has been in this offence his whole life,” Kelly said of his former coach’s scheme to stall the Argos. “So obviously he knows where to get us from, and I’ve got to do better and just get the ball out probably faster.”
Kelly has thrown a league-high 20 interceptions and been hauled down for 23 sacks, second behind Vernon Adams Jr. of the Calgary Stampeders (26 heading into Saturday night).
The Argonauts and Redblacks trail the rest of the CFL in rushing, but Ottawa has taken it to another level.
The Redblacks had a total of 547 rushing yards after 11 games. Two weeks ago against the B.C. Lions they finished with minus-three net yards on the ground, the worst performance in CFL history. On Saturday they managed 51 yards to Toronto’s 120. The Argos are 5-0 when they run for at least 100.
Last season under Dinwiddie, who often preaches the importance of the running game, the Argos finished with 929 rushing yards, a CFL record low. The Redblacks, with six games to go, could lower that dubious mark.
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Gilbert Ngabo is a Toronto-based sports reporter for the Star. Follow him on Twitter: @dugilbo.
