Argos fall in preseason match at Alumni Stadium
GUELPH – The Toronto Argonauts scored first, but the Ottawa Redblacks came back to win the final CFL preseason game for both teams 34-23 Thursday night at Alumni Stadium.
A.J. Ouellette scored the opening touchdown for the Argos on a 13-yard run and Alfredo Gachuz Lozada kicked the convert to give Toronto the lead less than three minutes into the game.
Ottawa Redblacks 34 Toronto Argonauts 23
However, the Redblacks scored on their first possession on their way to a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 20-10 advantage at halftime.
An 84-yard punt return to the endzone by B.J. Byrd of the Argos combined with a Gachuz Lozada convert cut the gap to three points just shy of the second half’s six-minute mark, but that was as close as the home side was to get as Ottawa led 27-17 at the end of the third quarter.
Gachuz Lozada accounted for the other points for the Argos as he kicked field goals of 22, 17 and 42 yards. He’s a 24-year-old from Mexico who was selected in the first round, ninth overall, of this year’s CFL global draft. He’s led the Mexican football league (Liga de Futbol Americano Profesional) in scoring five times and is the league’s all-time leading scorer and its all-time leading field goal kicker.
Quarterbacks Tyrie Adams and Dustin Crum opened and closed the scoring for the Redblacks with one-yard TD plunges while Siaosi Mariner caught a 57-yard TD toss from Adams and Keaton Bruggeling caught a three-yard TD pass from Crum to account for the other majors for Ottawa. Lewis Ward converted all four TDs and he also kicked field goals of 36 and 46 yards in the second quarter.
The Argos used four quarterbacks in the game – Bryan Scott, Cameron Dukes, Ben Holmes and Chad Kelly. They combined to complete 17 of 31 pass attempts for 252 yards. Holmes was intercepted once.
Dukes had four rushes for 26 yards while Andrew Harris had four carries for 11 yards and Ouellette had three carries for 18 yards.
Byrd caught three passes for 46 yards while Daniel Adeboboye had three catches for 10 yards. Dejon Brissett (56 yards) and Markeith Ambles (49 yards) had two receptions apiece.
Qwan’Tez Stiggers had five tackles while former Guelph Gryphon Royce Metchie, Jared Brinkman, JT Hassell, Keyshawn James, Mason Pierce, Casey Williams and Tyler Williams each had three tackles.
For Ottawa, Crum, Adams and Jake Dunniway completed 20 of 27 pass attempts for 250 yards and two TDs.
Crum also had nine carries for 67 yards and Amlicar Polk had eight rushes for 33 yards. Devonte Williams (20 yards) and Demontre Tuggle (three yards) had six carries apiece.
Jaquan Bray caught six passes for 48 yards while Bruggeling hauled in four passes for 20 yards and Emmanuel Butler (79 yards), Mariner (64 yards) and Daniel Oladejo (17 yards) each had two catches.
Chizi Umunakwe had five tackles for the Redblacks while Frankie Griffin and Damon Webb had four apiece and Ty’Reke James and Gary Johnson Jr. had three each.
Guelph native Tommy Nield, a wide receiver for the Argos, and former Gryphon Eric Starczala, an offensive lineman for the Redblacks, played in the game.
The Argos finish their preseason with losses in both of their games while the Redblacks split their preseason games with a win and a loss.
Ottawa is to begin its regular season June 10 with a game against the Montreal Alouettes in Montreal while the Argos are to get a bye in the opening week before hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Toronto’s BMO Field June 18 at 7 p.m.
Thursday’s game brought the Argos’ three-week stay for their third consecutive training camp on the University of Guelph campus to an end. They are to be back next year.
- Guelph Sports Journal
Argos fall in preseason match at Alumni Stadium
GUELPH – The Toronto Argonauts scored first, but the Ottawa Redblacks came back to win the final CFL preseason game for both teams 34-23 Thursday night at Alumni Stadium.
A.J. Ouellette scored the opening touchdown for the Argos on a 13-yard run and Alfredo Gachuz Lozada kicked the convert to give Toronto the lead less than three minutes into the game.
Ottawa Redblacks 34
Toronto Argonauts 23
However, the Redblacks scored on their first possession on their way to a 14-10 lead at the end of the first quarter and a 20-10 advantage at halftime.
An 84-yard punt return to the endzone by B.J. Byrd of the Argos combined with a Gachuz Lozada convert cut the gap to three points just shy of the second half’s six-minute mark, but that was as close as the home side was to get as Ottawa led 27-17 at the end of the third quarter.
Gachuz Lozada accounted for the other points for the Argos as he kicked field goals of 22, 17 and 42 yards. He’s a 24-year-old from Mexico who was selected in the first round, ninth overall, of this year’s CFL global draft. He’s led the Mexican football league (Liga de Futbol Americano Profesional) in scoring five times and is the league’s all-time leading scorer and its all-time leading field goal kicker.
Quarterbacks Tyrie Adams and Dustin Crum opened and closed the scoring for the Redblacks with one-yard TD plunges while Siaosi Mariner caught a 57-yard TD toss from Adams and Keaton Bruggeling caught a three-yard TD pass from Crum to account for the other majors for Ottawa. Lewis Ward converted all four TDs and he also kicked field goals of 36 and 46 yards in the second quarter.
The Argos used four quarterbacks in the game – Bryan Scott, Cameron Dukes, Ben Holmes and Chad Kelly. They combined to complete 17 of 31 pass attempts for 252 yards. Holmes was intercepted once.
Dukes had four rushes for 26 yards while Andrew Harris had four carries for 11 yards and Ouellette had three carries for 18 yards.
Byrd caught three passes for 46 yards while Daniel Adeboboye had three catches for 10 yards. Dejon Brissett (56 yards) and Markeith Ambles (49 yards) had two receptions apiece.
Qwan’Tez Stiggers had five tackles while former Guelph Gryphon Royce Metchie, Jared Brinkman, JT Hassell, Keyshawn James, Mason Pierce, Casey Williams and Tyler Williams each had three tackles.
For Ottawa, Crum, Adams and Jake Dunniway completed 20 of 27 pass attempts for 250 yards and two TDs.
Crum also had nine carries for 67 yards and Amlicar Polk had eight rushes for 33 yards. Devonte Williams (20 yards) and Demontre Tuggle (three yards) had six carries apiece.
Jaquan Bray caught six passes for 48 yards while Bruggeling hauled in four passes for 20 yards and Emmanuel Butler (79 yards), Mariner (64 yards) and Daniel Oladejo (17 yards) each had two catches.
Chizi Umunakwe had five tackles for the Redblacks while Frankie Griffin and Damon Webb had four apiece and Ty’Reke James and Gary Johnson Jr. had three each.
Guelph native Tommy Nield, a wide receiver for the Argos, and former Gryphon Eric Starczala, an offensive lineman for the Redblacks, played in the game.
The Argos finish their preseason with losses in both of their games while the Redblacks split their preseason games with a win and a loss.
Ottawa is to begin its regular season June 10 with a game against the Montreal Alouettes in Montreal while the Argos are to get a bye in the opening week before hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at Toronto’s BMO Field June 18 at 7 p.m.
Thursday’s game brought the Argos’ three-week stay for their third consecutive training camp on the University of Guelph campus to an end. They are to be back next year.
- Guelph Sports Journal