Argonauts.ca staff
Toronto – The second half of the CFL’s Friday night double header saw the Argonauts travel to B.C. to cap off a four-game Western road trip to start to the CFL season.
The Argos kicked off to start the game, but a strong defensive stand, including a key pass breakup from DB Travis Hawkins, quickly put the ball in the hands of QB Trevor Harris. Toronto wouldn’t hold the ball for long, however, as positive plays from RB Brandon Whitaker and WR Vidal Hazleton were nullified by a Cord Parks interception.
B.C. wasted no time in capitalizing on strong field position, as a nine play drive was capped by an 11-yard touchdown run from RB Andrew Harris, and the Lions took an early 7-0 lead at home.
A 30-yard kickoff return from rookie RB Henry Josey gave the Argos strong field position to start their second drive of the game, but another Lions interception quickly snuffed out Toronto’s possession.
Just a few plays later, Andrew Harris scored his second major of the game on a 25 yard touchdown pass from QB Travis Lulay and the Lions held a 14-0 lead at the end of the first quarter.
The start of the second quarter brought much of the same for the Argonauts, as Andrew Harris compiled 12 quick yards en route to his third touchdown of the game and a 21-0 Lions lead.
Facing a three-touchdown deficit, the Argos went to work on the next drive. A fortuitous penalty on the Lions defence was just the break the Argonauts needed, as Harris found WR Kevin Elliott for his third touchdown of the season, bringing Toronto within two scores.
A late interception from DB Devin Smith preserved the score, and the Argos trailed 21-7 at halftime, set to receive the ball in the second half.
Toronto’s first drive of the second half saw QB Trevor Harris connect on three consecutive passes, including a 32-yard completion to Whitaker to put the Argos in Lions territory. The drive stalled shortly after, but rookie K/P Ronnie Pfeffer nailed the 33-yard field goal to cut the Lions lead to 11 points early in the third quarter.
Both offences traded two-and-outs following the touchdown, before a productive Lions drive ended with an ill-advised third-and-short attempt thwarted by Toronto’s defence.
Harris took possession at midfield and immediately went to work, completing a six-yard pass to Elliott before finding WR Tori Gurley for a 32-yard gain to put Toronto in the red zone. Harris would eventually find paydirt himself on a two-yard dash before hitting Elliott for the successful two-point conversion, bringing the Argonauts within just three points.
After battling back from a 21-point deficit, the Argos trailed by just three points heading into the final frame with the ball in hand.A promising Argonauts drive was stymied by several offensive penalties early in the fourth quarter, but Pfeffer continued to impress, nailing a 44-yard field goal to tie the game at 21.
A questionable penalty on the Argos defence extended a Lions’ drive late in the fourth quarter, but Toronto stood tall, holding B.C. to a field goal.
Trailing by three with just over five minutes remaining, Harris went to work, finding SB Chad Owens for a clutch first down which saw the electric playmaker leave the field due to injury. Harris took it down himself on a scramble to convert the first down before finding national SB Natey Adjei for his first catch and touchdown of 2015 to give the Argos their first lead of the game. A missed extra point from Pfeffer gave Toronto a slim three point lead with just over three miuntes remaining.
A huge return from Lions’ RB/KR Shaquille Murray-Lawrence gave the Lions strong field position with a chance to win, but the Argos’ D stood tall, forcing a field goal from K/P Richie Leone to tie the game at 24.
Harris and the Argos’ offence took over possession on their own 30 with just over two minutes remaining, with an opportunity to steal a victory from a game which once looked lost. Harris found Gurley for two first downs, with some additional field position from a B.C. penalty, and Pfeffer hit his third field goal of the game to give Toronto another three point lead wth under a minute remaining.
Lulay and the Lions had no response on the ensuing drive, and the Argonauts moved to 3-1 and the top of the East Division with a 30-27 win in B.C. – their second consecutive victory at B.C. Place. Argos QB Trevor Harris finished the game with three total touchdowns and his third career 300-yard passing effort, while Kevin Elliott led all Argonauts receivers with 81 yards through the air and a touchdown. LB Greg Jones led the Argos’ defence in tackles for the third consecutive game, recording five tackles on defence and two on special teams in the win.