Argonauts.ca Staff
The Toronto Argonauts emerged victorious after a double-overtime thriller in Saskatchewan on Sunday, bringing their 2015 record to 2 – 0. From the continued dominance of QB Trevor Harris to some electrifying playmakers in the secondary, here are the three biggest takeaways from the Argos’ week 2 win.
Harris Stays Hot:
Trevor Harris was the name on everyone’s lips after his 2015 debut in Fort McMurray, leading the Argos to victory against the Eskimos in the season opener. Harris then started his third career CFL game on Sunday in Saskatchewan, and the accolades continue to roll in. Harris threw for over 250 yards for the third straight game and tossed a career-high four touchdown passes to four different receivers. The fourth-year quarterback engineered a game-tying drive taking up just a minute of game time, hitting Chad Owens with six seconds to go in regulation to send the game into overtime. Once into the extra frame, Harris remained in a groove, hitting Tori Gurley and Brandon Whitaker for touchdowns on the Argos’ two drives and finding Anthony Coombs for the two-point convert which gave Toronto the victory.
Winning the Turnover Battle:
During his post-game media availability, head coach Scott Milanovich was asked why he thought his team was able to win the game. His first response: they won the turnover battle. The Argos’ defence forced two turnovers on the night to just one given up by the offence, and any time you can force more turnovers than you give up, you give yourself a chance to win. One of the turnovers on Sunday was especially important to Toronto’s comeback win, as DB A.J. Jefferson took a Kevin Glenn interception 100 yards to the house for a touchdown. Toronto has now won the turnover battle in two consecutive games, forcing eight takeaways while only coughing up the ball four times for a +4 turnover differential, which is second only to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. There is always more work to be done, but the team’s success at creating takeaways is a positive sign moving forward.
No Shortage of Offensive Weapons:
Following their victory against the Roughriders, the Argonauts sit in a three-way tie at the top of the league with seven total touchdowns. QB Trevor Harris has played a part in all seven, as the Argos haven’t yet scored a rushing touchdown, but he’s found several different targets to make up those seven scores. Sunday’s win saw SB Chad Owens and WR Kevin Elliott score their first touchdowns of the 2015 season while WR Tori Gurley and RB Brandon Whitaker each scored their second. The Argonauts now boast five positional players who have scored touchdowns on the season, as Harris has quickly and easily established a rapport with the (mostly) new fleet of offensive weapons at his disposal.