TORONTO – Although Boris Bede missed a regular convert who would have tied the game and forced overtime, his Toronto Argonauts teammates blamed themselves for their heartbreaking defeat to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
“They lost a lot more points than just with the failed kicks,” Argonauts quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson said Monday night after his team fell to 1-2 in the standings.
With 25 seconds to go, Bede missed a transformation attempt that would have tied the game when the Argos fell to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-22 at BMO Field.
But the Argos pivot noted his two interceptions and some other losses that led to 17 of Winnipeg’s 23 points.
“It drives us crazy,” Bethel-Thompson said. “It’s been three weeks now and we haven’t seen the real Argos.”
The undefeated Blue Bombers are the first CFL team to get four wins this season.
“We’ve done enough,” Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said. “That’s what matters.”
Bethel-Thompson overcame a disastrous first half for the Argos to throw for 314 yards. He completed 27 of 37 passing attempts and had two interceptions.
Argos runner Andrew Harris was playing his first game against the team he helped win the consecutive gray cups in 2019 and 2021. He was the leading Toronto runner with 111 yards on 22 carries.
“When it mattered, we got together,” Harris said. “This is the best team in the league, unfortunately we lost, but we had some positive aspects when we started playing.”
The Winnipeg defense opened the scoring with Toronto’s first possession after the game.
While on his own territory, Bethel-Thompson’s scheduled pass to Brandon Banks was selected by Winston Rose of Winnipeg for a 46-yard touchdown interception return. Kicker Marc Liegghio converted the extra point that gave Winnipeg a 7-0 lead.
Bethel-Thompson was retired for the second time in the first quarter after a bot that caused a hasty throw. This established Winnipeg with a short field position. In the next possession, Winnipeg pivot Zach Collaros connected with Drew Wolitarsky on a 15-yard touchdown pass. The Liegghio convert put the Firemen 14-0 up.
The Toronto pivot scored just 18 yards of offense in the first quarter.
Winnipeg opened the second quarter with a 15-yard field goal that put the Fire Department 17-0 up.
Toronto seemed ready to get their first points of the game after moving the ball to Winnipeg’s 29-yard line. They found themselves in a third and one situation and decided to go for it, but turned the ball upside down. Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie challenged the point of the ball after his team’s failed attempt, but the CFL’s command center kept the point.
The Argos scored their first points of the game at the end of the first half. Bede connected with a 52-yard field goal that reduced Winnipeg’s lead to 17-3.
Collaros was effective for Winnipeg in the first half, completing 15 of 17 passes for 132 yards and a touchdown. He also had an interception, but arrived in a desperate attempt to score points as time ran out.
Toronto started much better in the second half and were a little lucky to go there. Bethel-Thompson’s pass to the end zone seemed destined to be his third interception of the game. The ball went directly into the hands of defender Demerio Houston. But Banks managed to get the ball out of Houston’s hands while in the end zone for Toronto’s first touchdown of the game. Bede’s converter cut Winnipeg’s lead to 17-10 in the third quarter.
At the end of the third, Toronto were on Winnipeg’s 10-yard line with a chance to tie the game, but Bethel-Thompson’s full pass to Banks was wrong. Malcolm Thompson caught the ball and headed it wide for Nick Taylor, who headed the ball into the middle of the field.
Liegghio connected with a 20-yard field goal with the next possession and put Winnipeg 20-10 in the fourth quarter.
After the change of possession, tensions began to rise outside Argos. Banks and offensive line player Trevon Tate had to be separated by teammates. Toronto general manager Pinball Clemons, who was not on the sidelines to start the game, went down to the pitch to play peace. Clemons returned to his seat after problems on the sidelines seemed to be under control.
“I need to sit down and talk to these guys, we need to be more disciplined and grow and be men and find ways to fight frustration,” Argos head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said. “We can’t act like that. It looks like Junior College.”
Bede scored his second field goal of the game in Toronto’s next possession to reduce Winnipeg’s lead to 20-13. Later in the fourth, Bede connected with a 39-yard field goal to lead Toronto to four points, 20-16.
Liegghio responded with another field goal to put Winnipeg ahead 23-16 with 1:38 at the end of regulation time.
In consequent possession for Toronto, Bethel-Thompson designed one of his best units in the game. He found Markeith Ambles for a four-yard TD pass to reduce Winnipeg’s lead to 23-22, but Bede missed the point after attempting to ruin the comeback.
This report from The Canadian Press was first published on July 4, 2022