Toronto Argonauts get kicked around by B.C. Lions, can’t punch it in (& six other thoughts)

Photo: Guang Quan/3DownNation. All rights reserved.

Saturday was probably the last nice, warm, sunny day in Toronto this season. The Toronto Argonauts and the B.C. Lions faced off, and the Lions came away with the 24-17 win in front of 13,974 fans.

Here are my thoughts on the game

Arbuckle can’t extend the win streak

After the news that Chad Kelly would not be playing in this game because of his hand injury became official yesterday, Nick Arbuckle stepped in to start for the Argonauts against a red-hot Lions squad. It promised to be a much tougher battle than Toronto’s 26–12 win in July, when Nathan Rourke wasn’t available for B.C., and it was.

Arbuckle finished the game 27-of-33 for 292 yards, throwing two touchdowns and two interceptions — one of which came in the red zone to TJ Lee with 2:45 remaining. He was also stuffed twice at the goal line on the game’s final series, which ultimately determined the outcome.

With Kelly’s status not made official until Friday morning, it seemed that Arbuckle didn’t expect to start. If he had, maybe the Argonauts might have pulled off the upset win and extended the Lions’ BMO Field losing streak to six games.

“We were all honestly thinking it was going to go the other way,” Arbuckle said post-game.

“Chad is just such a tough guy and a warrior. He’s battled through things like this before, where he gets banged up and is not able to practice full and take every rep throughout the week, but he always just ended up playing.  Just kind of how game planning was going and how reps were going , and just the progression he was making. I was surprised yesterday at 8 a.m. when I heard it, but still was preparing to be the guy throughout the week like I always would.”

Sleight of hand injury

Given that all signs had pointed toward Kelly suiting up for the Argonauts in what would have been a highly anticipated matchup between two CFL elites, it was surprising to see him officially ruled out. Kelly’s absence added another layer of intrigue to the game, particularly because fans and analysts had expected him to take the field despite the injury. In fact, the Argos had implied as much just the day before.

As to why the change occurred, head coach Mike Miller said the following post-game.

“Chad and I had a conversation, and we felt that was the best thing moving forward into this game. That was just as I tell you guys; I reassess everybody every day, and that’s just how that went.”

Defence held up red-hot Rourke

At the start of the year, Greg Quick’s defensive group clearly needed work if the Argonauts were going to be viewed as serious contenders capable of keeping pace with Montreal in the East Division and making a run at a Grey Cup appearance. Over the course of the season, their consistent improvement has pushed them into that category.

With the B.C. coming to town having lost only once since the last time these two teams met, the Argonaut defence was expected to be put to the test. The game showed not only how far the unit had come, but also that it can handle a team that had been dominating its opponents on a weekly basis.

The Argonauts defence held the Lions out of the end zone and limited Nathan Rourke to only 254 yards passing on the day, a season low for him. However, for as good as it was to hold the Lions offence in check, the defence was more pressed about the team’s first loss since August 29 and the first at BMO Field this season.

“Only team that can beat us is ourselves, and unfortunately beat ourselves tonight,” defensive end Shawn Lemon said post-game.

“We didn’t get the win. I mean, the most important thing for us is getting to win, finding a way to win.
The stops were cool, but we can score on defence as well. Just getting a little bit better for that.”

Ungerer III just can’t stop

With the Argonauts’ offence missing Chad Kelly, it was a mystery as to who would step up and make the big plays needed to keep the attack moving. Dave Ungerer III answered that call emphatically, hauling in 12 receptions for 124 yards and a touchdown, which gave the Argonauts new life in the fourth quarter as they chased a comeback that ultimately never materialized.

“On a personal level, it means a lot because I’ve worked extremely hard,” Ungerer III said.

“Throughout my whole life to get to this point, just my journey in the CFL has been a lot of ups and downs, especially when I was in Hamilton. Just fighting, scratching, clawing to prove who I am as a player, and so this is kind of like a culmination of all that. So it does mean a lot.”

Even in defeat, Ungerer III’s performance was impossible to ignore. He pushed his season totals to 1,066 receiving yards and seven touchdowns, further establishing himself as one of Toronto’s most reliable playmakers.

With Kelly sidelined, the Argonauts needed someone to rise to the occasion, and Ungerer III showed he could be that guy, making tough catches, moving the chains, and giving the offence a much-needed spark when the game was still within reach. It was a performance he can be proud of, even though the result did not go Toronto’s way.

Eight was enough

On a day when the winning team scored 24 points, you’d expect three touchdowns and a field goal, right? Instead, it was the leg of Sean Whyte that made the difference.

Whyte went a perfect eight-for-eight on field goals, giving B.C. the edge over Toronto. Whyte’s performance was a double-edged sword for the Argos. On one hand, the defence did its job by keeping the Lions out of the end zone, even while Nathan Rourke had some chances to score. On the other hand, losing to a kicker is inexcusable,

Had the Argonauts’ defence done a better job of keeping the Lions out of their territory, they would have had fewer opportunities to kick and might have forced them to punt more than the three times they did on the day. Had the offence scored just one more touchdown, it might not have mattered.

While this loss doesn’t hurt the Argonauts much — Montreal was able to clinch first place as a result, but that was nearly a foregone conclusion as a result — it shows they need to lock things down and keep teams out of field-goal range, especially in the playoffs.

Bye week, then a trip to Ottawa

The Argonauts head into their final bye week of the regular season over the Thanksgiving holiday. They’ll return to action with what looks like a free win on the CFL season’s bingo card, travelling back to the nation’s capital to face the Ottawa Redblacks on Friday, October 16, at 7:00 p.m.

Toronto has its sights set on the playoffs and a chance to win the franchise’s 20th Grey Cup. The result against Ottawa can’t change that, but for pride’s sake, you can’t be the team that loses to a winless franchise.