Any football fan watching Friday night’s game between 海角社区官网Argonauts and Montreal Alouettes must have wondered whether it was a display of strong defence or simply lousy offence on both sides.
On a night where each team was looking to gain some momentum 聽in the East Division playoff race, it was the visitors who prevailed thanks to a late interception that saw 海角社区官网lose yet another close game 21-19聽and left head coach Ryan Dinwiddie still searching for answers in a challenging season.
鈥淚t鈥檚 tough. We were right there in field goal range at the end,鈥 Dinwiddie said in reference to his team鈥檚 final drive. Argos quarterback Jarret Doege鈥檚 pass was intercepted by Wesley Sutton with just 15 seconds on the game clock, ending any hopes of a comeback.
鈥淓very game comes down to the wire, it seems like all of our games (do), but I鈥檓 proud of that effort by our group,鈥 the coach said. 鈥淕reat fight. We鈥檙e not dead yet. I think we鈥檙e obviously upset by the finish but I think the guys understand who we are and we took one on the chin. Now we鈥檝e got four games and we鈥檝e probably got to win all four.鈥
Both teams had trouble finding an offensive rhythm all night long, combining for 15 punts and just 31 first downs. The Argos found the end zone only once courtesy of wide receiver Jake Herslow, who has recorded a touchdown in six straight games, while the Alouettes registered two touchdowns on the night. Toronto鈥檚 defence forced three turnovers while giving up only one, and the Argos allowed three sacks to Montreal鈥檚 four.
The Alouettes swept the season series against 海角社区官网for the first time since 2011.
Quarterback carousel
Toronto鈥檚 lack of its usual offensive firepower could be attributed to the absence of its top two quarterbacks Chad Kelly and Nick Arbuckle. In his third season in the league, Doege was thrown into the lion鈥檚 den after only two full practices with the first team this week. The 27-year-old completed 25 or 37 attempts for 207 yards and added 18 rushing yards.
His one interception came at the a costly time and buried Toronto.
鈥淲e had an option route with Kai (Makai Polk), he broke in and I鈥檓 thinking it鈥檚 catch and run,鈥 Doege said of that final play. 鈥淚 just think he kind of got held up and that鈥檚 why (Sutton) undercut him.鈥
His coach agreed with that assessment.
鈥淚鈥檓 pretty certain there was pass interference on (Polk). I didn鈥檛 have a challenge left after calling my last timeout,鈥 said Dinwiddie, who still praised the new quarterback for his overall performance in his first Argos start.
鈥淛ust like any young kid, you鈥檙e not going to play perfect but I thought the defence stepped up and gave him a chance to win the game. We鈥檒l grow from it 鈥 Jarret is a competitor and the guys rallied around him.鈥
On the other side, Montreal鈥檚 backup quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson 鈥 at the helm in place of injured Davis Alexander 鈥 finished the game with 228 yards on 18 of 30 attempts and had three interceptions.
Commendable defence
Montreal Alouettes quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson, right, is sacked by 海角社区官网Argonauts defensive lineman Derek Parish on Friday.
Jon Blacker/The Canadian PressDespite the loss, the Argos managed to keep their turnovers down. In their win last Saturday, they committed six turnovers, marking the first time since 2017 that a CFL team had committed more than five turnovers and still won.
Argos defensive lineman Anthony Lanier, who recorded four tackles and forced a sack in Friday’s game, said the team鈥檚 defence has been locked in over the past several games. For a team whose last four losses were by a combined 25 points, it simply means they must get even better.
鈥淚t actually drives you more because, in my mindset, it wasn鈥檛 enough,鈥 Lanier said. 鈥淵ou鈥檝e got to keep fighting for it, you鈥檝e got to keep wanting more. Every time that happens, whether it鈥檚 another tackle, another stop, another batted pass, whether it鈥檚 somewhere you could be covering somebody who鈥檚 trying to make a play, it鈥檚 always (about) trying to get better.鈥
Road ahead
Things don鈥檛 get any easier for the Argos going forward. They are on the road next Saturday against Calgary, then host the East-leading Hamilton Tiger-Cats before ending the season in Saskatchewan and Calgary. All four of those teams currently have better records than Toronto.
鈥淲e鈥檝e got to find a way,鈥 said Dinwiddie, who noted last year鈥檚 trip to B.C. was the turning point for the team鈥檚 season. 鈥淥ur backs are against the wall a little bit but it doesn鈥檛 mean we can鈥檛 get it done. Let鈥檚 go find a way to play some good football towards the end and find a way to get into the playoffs.鈥
It鈥檚 not clear when either Arbuckle or Kelly will be back in the lineup, but Doege plans to be ready to go.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited about the next four games. There鈥檚 no quitting in this team,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 going to go and do everything I can to make it right in B.C.鈥
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