CFL.ca Staff
WINNIPEG – AJ Jefferson returned a punt for a touchdown and Trevor Harris added a pair of touchdown passes as the Toronto Argonauts beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27-20 on Friday night at Investors Group Field.
The loss spoiled the debut of Robert Marve, who was starting his first career game at pivot filling in for Drew Willy. He finished the game with an impressive 203 yards on 18-of-29 passing to go with one touchdown pass and an interception. Marve also rushed for 37 yards.
| Related: Argonauts at Blue Bombers |
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A sack by Jason Vega on his former team pinned the Bombers deep in their own territory and forced them to punt on third down just over three minutes into the final frame. Jefferson returned the kick 69 yards to the house for the major and gave the Argonauts the 21-20 lead.
Marve attempted to get the Bombers back downfield but Rory Kohlert had the ball knocked loose following a reception early in the drive and Ricky Foley recovered to football at midfield. The Bombers defence would come up big, stopping Harris on a quarterback sneak attempt on second-and-two in the Red Zone. However, Adrian McPherson would push through for the first down on third-and-one.
Chad Kackert bobbled a pass on first down on the new set of downs but Tori Gurley would haul in a 5-yard touchdown pass from Harris to cap off the nine-play drive and give the Argos a 27-20 lead with 4:10 left in the game. It was a lead they would hold to the final whistle.
Winnipeg tried to get some points on the board on the next possession but would turn the ball over on downs after tight defence on two incompletes passes with 1:45 remaining. The Argonauts were unable to score on the next possession but forced another turnover on downs to close out the game.
The game started off well for Marve, who did not appear to have any first-game jitters.
Marve’s opening drive consisted of big gains through the air to Julian Feoli-Gudino and Kohlert. After originally going uncalled, a 33-yard pass interference penalty was successfully challenged by Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea to bring Winnipeg to the 10-yard line. Marve appeared to have rushed for a touchdown but it was called back on a penalty and Lirim Hajrullahu would connect on a 25-yard field goal to give the Bombers the early lead.
The Bombers’ next drive resulted in more points on the board. Marve connected with Cameron Marshall on a short pass that the running back would take 56 yards to the end zone. Hajrullahu missed the extra point as Winnipeg’s lead grew to 9-0.
Toronto’s rushing game got a boost as Kackert moved the Argonauts downfield in the closing minutes of the opening quarter. Harris then connected with Diontae Spencer for a major and cut the Bombers’ lead to just two as the first frame came to an end.
Both teams struggled to get much going in the second quarter as they traded possessions without many gains. However, Vidal Hazelton picked up a 27-yard gain to move the Argos into scoring territory. A sack by Jamaal Westerman on second down would force Toronto to settle for a field goal.
On the next drive, Marve converted on second-and-one and then ran for another first down on the next play. After not being able to get any closer to the end zone, Hajrullahu split the uprights to give the lead back to the Bombers.
He would hit another field goal on Winnipeg’s next drive to increase Winnipeg’s lead.
In the last minute of first half, a 31-yard gain by Spencer moved the Argos to midfield. An offensive pass interference call on Gurley on the next play had Toronto settle for a field goal with two seconds remaining in the first half.
A series of rushes by Kackert brought the Argos to midfield. Ronnie Pfeffer would miss a 54-yard attempt but still score a single point.
| Return of Chad Kackert |
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It had been over a year and a half since Chad Kackert last played a football game but he did not disappoint in his return. Kackert rushed for 73 yards on 12 attempts. He also added a 16-yard reception. |
On the next possession, Hajrullahu perfectly placed a punt on the Argos one-yard line. Henry Josey was then tackled in the end zone by Jake Thomas for the safety and increased the Bombers’ lead back to three points at 17-14.
Travis Hawkins would record his first career interception on the next drive, jumping in front of a pass intended for Clarence Denmark to give the ball back to the Boatmen. The Argos could not create any offence off the turnover and had to punt the football back.
Marve appeared to injure his finger following a sack but stayed in the game. He connected with Kohlert and Jhomo Gordon for short gains before Hajrullahu connected on his second 52-yard field goal of the game to put the Bombers up 20-14 at the start of the fourth quarter.
The Argonauts managed only 8 yards of offence in third quarter.
Filling in for an injured Paris Cotton, Cameron Marshall rushed for 55 yards on 14 attempts and had another 84 yards through the air on three receptions. The Bombers also welcomed back Nick Moore, who had missed the last two games. He had 44 receiving yards.
Next week, the Argonauts are back home to host the REDBLACKS while the Blue Bombers are on a bye week.
