ARGONAUTS.CA STAFF
EDMONTON, AB—The Boatmen wrapped up their four game road trip that spanned the entire month of September at Commonwealth against the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday night. Heading into the matchup, the Argos were looking to break a franchise record with their sixth consecutive road victory, and possibly more impressive, set a CFL record with their fourth win away from home in consecutive weeks. In addition, with the win the Double Blue could clinch a playoff berth for the 101st Grey Cup playoffs.
Both offences would start off slow, giving the punters a chance to get into the game early. Eskimos punter Grant Shaw attempted to pin the Argos in their own territory at the 10-minute mark, but the ball rolled into the end zone and Trent Guy conceded the single for the Argos. 1-0 Eskimos.
The Argos would be forced to punt on their next possession, but Pat Watkins immediately gave them a chance to get back on the field. Mike Reilly rolled out and threw a deep wobbler and Watkins had arguably his easiest interception of his CFL career, giving the offence the ball back in great field position.
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Related: Argos vs. Esks |
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VIDEO: Kackert Rips 49-Yard TD –> Argos Insider: Road Trip Serving Argos Well
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Zach Collaros and the offence were unable to take advantage.
The offence got the ball back after another defensive stop and Collaros was able to march the offence into Swayze Waters range. Waters’ attempted field goal however, veered wide left and bounced outside of the end zone for the single.
1-1. Hope everyone picked the under.
The Argos defence continued to force Reilly into questionable decisions, as a questionable ball would leave the hands of Reilly on the Esks next possession and land into the waiting hands of rookie Jermaine Gabriel. Unfortunately, a facemask penalty on the Argos negated the Scarborough native’s first CFL pick.
The penalty would prove costly as Reilly found Toronto native Shamawd Chambers in the corner of the end zone for the score, making it 8-1 Edmonton at the end of the first frame.
Kick returner Trent Guy, filling in for the injured Chad Owens, gave the Argos offence immediate positive field position on the ensuing kick off, taking it deep into Eskimos territory for his best return of the season. Collaros and the offence were unable to manufacture a touchdown and Waters missed his second consecutive field goal. The football grazed the flag attached to the goal posts which creates a dead ball and negated any possible rouge for the Argos.
The Eskimos offence would take the ball at the 35-yard line with a glaring difference behind centre. Kerry Joseph ran out with the unit, as Reilly left the game with a concussion following an earlier hit from Argos DL Cleyon Laing.
The former Argo, Joseph did not look out of place leading the Esks all the way down the field and culminating in a touchdown pass to Fred Stamps. Stamps’ 10th TD catch of 2013 gave Edmonton a 15-1 lead.
The returning Chad Kackert made his presence felt on the Argos next possession, busting one through the middle into Eskimos territory as the Argos tried to answer the Eskimos touchdown drive. A 16-yard completion to Jason Barnes by Collaros brought the Boatmen to the Esks 35, but Collaros threw an interception on the next play looking for Andre Durie in the end zone.
Another Eskimos drive kept alive by Argos penalties on defence landed on the leg of Hugh O’Neill, but he too could not convert on the field goal attempt and Guy was able to return it to the Boatmen 25-yard line with under a minute left in the first half.
Collaros and co. got the ball back after the miss, but yet again could muster nothing, and the Eskimos went into halftime with a 15-1 lead.
Joseph and the Esks offence picked up right where they left off in the first half, completing multiple long passes to Nate Coehoorn and Fred Stamps before following his Offensive Line into the end zone on the goal line plunge.
That score gave the Eskimos a 22-1 lead, and gave the Argos no choice but to attempt to put points on the board on their next possession.
A 28-yard run by Chad Kackert on the Argos first play began the drive off on the right foot, but that is where the good news ended for the offence. Waters came in to attempt his third field goal attempt on the evening from 50-yards out, and he nailed it to cut the Esks lead to 22-4 with five minutes left in the third quarter.
At the 1:07 mark of the third, the Eskimos were marching yet again into Argos territory, and yet again Pat Watkins stopped them in their tracks. Watkins earned his second interception of the evening, and then Chad Kackert rewarded him on the very next play.
Kackert took the Collaros hand-off, shifted to the left, and took of 49-yards down the field into the end zone. Oh, he’s back.
All of a sudden, the Boatmen were down by only 11 points with an entire quarter left to play.
The offence got the ball back around the 13-minute mark, and the ball went right back to # 44. A 19-yard run by Kackert brought the Argos into Edmonton territory, and then a play action fake to Kackert allowed Collaros to find Dontrelle Inman for another first down.
A handoff to the swiss army knife Andre Durie led to another first down, and gave the best red zone team in the league a first down in the score zone.
Collaros found Inman running across the field, and Inman made an unbelievable effort to get to the ball and haul in the touchdown. The offence stayed on the field for the two-point convert attempt, and John Chiles brought in the reception to shave the Eskimos lead to only three.
Buckle up, Argos Nation. The comeback kids were at it again.
The defence would force the Eskimos to kick with 8:30 left on the clock, and Trent Guy would continue his solid night returning the football, taking it well past mid field to set the offence up nicely at the Eskimos 48-yard line.
A 13-yard gain to begin the drive by Andre Durie started the drive off on the right foot. Back-to-back first down scampers by Kackert put the Boatmen into the red zone again. Collaros and the offence were unable to capitalize and Waters continued his dismal evening, this time missing from 25-yards out to give the Argos only a single.
With 5 minutes remaining, the Eskimos led the Argos 22-20.
The Eskimos got the ball back, and then # 25 struck again. This time, coming off the edge, Watkins cranked Joseph as he prepared to throw. The ball came loose, the Argos jumped on it, and the Boatmen returned the ball to the 5-yard line.
Speaking of the ball getting loose, on the next play Zach Collaros called his own number on the Quarterback sneak and got stripped. Luckily, Chad Kackert was at the right place at the right time, and jumped on the football in the end zone.
Touchdown, Argos. The Double Blue took their first lead of the game at 28-22 with exactly three minutes left.
Joseph and the Eskimos offence got the ball back with just under three minutes remaining, and after eating up over two minutes on the clock, Marcus Ball sealed the Argos perfect road trip with a pick-six.
34-22 Argos. With the win, the Boatmen set a new CFL record with their fourth win on the road in four consecutive weeks, set a new franchise record with their sixth consecutive win away from home, and clinch a playoff spot for the second consecutive year.
See you on October 4th, Argos nation.