Hajrullahu’s 34-yard field goal, great defense give Argos 16-14 OT win over Bombers

By Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press on July 27, 2024.

TORONTO – He gets credit for securing the Toronto Argonauts’ third home win, but Lirim Hajrullahu certainly had a lot of help. Hajrullahu’s 34-yard field goal in overtime gave Toronto a wild 16-14 victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday night. But it was the Argos’ defence that cemented the win, scoring the team’s only touchdown while forcing four turnovers and recording five sacks. “The defence played outstanding,” Hajrullahu said. “We also had a lot of great plays on special teams, a lot of guys were injured and still fighting injuries. “That defence, we needed it tonight. That’s what it took.” Hajrullahu connected on his game-winning kick after Winnipeg’s Sergio Castillo missed from 41 yards out on the first possession of overtime for a single. Toronto (4-3) earned its second win in five games and just its third in nine matchups against Winnipeg. But the Argos’ offense struggled to find consistency, allowing just 12 first downs and 205 net yards (including 96 yards rushing, 124 yards passing). Cameron Dukes started at quarterback, but after completing three of four passes for 34 yards, he was replaced by veteran Nick Arbuckle in the second quarter. Arbuckle completed 12 of 22 passes for just 87 yards. “Terrible,” Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said of his offense’s play. “We keep making the same mistakes on the simple things”¦we’re just not clicking on offense. “I have to look at what we’re doing well and what we’re not doing. Maybe it’s too much, should I oversimplify it? That was the worst offensive performance I’ve ever been a part of.” But Dinwiddie couldn’t say enough about Toronto’s defense. “The defense, credit to them, saved us offensively,” he said. “They made the plays and won the football game.” Winnipeg (2-6) suffered its second straight loss, falling to 0-4. And the Bombers’ situation isn’t getting any easier as they host the rested BC Lions (5-2) on Thursday night. After four straight Grey Cup appearances (winning two), Winnipeg finds itself in a very unfamiliar position. “It’s up to us to win games and we’re all we need in this room to do that,” veteran linebacker Adam Bighill said. “We’ve had opportunities to do that and we’ve found ways to let them slip away. “That’s unacceptable and clearly not what we’re used to doing. That can’t happen, we’ve got to do this the right way.” Winnipeg’s Zach Collaros hit Ontaria Wilson on a 55-yard TD strike at 11:02 of the fourth to make it 13-13. It came after Bighill stopped the Dukes on third-and-one at the Toronto 30-yard line. But Toronto’s defense forced a crucial turnover. Instead of attempting the go-ahead field goal, Winnipeg went for it on third-and-one, but Chris Streveler was stopped at the Bombers’ 21-yard line with 54 seconds left. After a scoreless third, Collaros looked for Nic Demski, but Toronto defenseman DaShaun Amos got his hand on the ball, which then bounced off Demski, allowing Tavarus McFadden to catch it. He ran 41 yards for the TD at 2:26 into his ’24 debut to break a 6-6 tie, much to the delight of the BMO Field gathering of 14,994. “(Amos) made a great pass breakup and the ball just bounced off everybody’s hands,” McFadden said with a laugh. “It just fell into mine and I thank God for that.” The ’24 season has certainly been a roller coaster for McFadden. The third-year Argo was released by the club during practice, started the season with Ottawa before being waived and returning to Toronto. “I have a saying that I live by and that is it’s God’s time, not yours,” McFadden said. “You can only control what you can control and when your number is called, you just have to be ready.” Collaros was 25 of 32 passing for 317 yards with a TD and an interception. Hajrullahu had two field goals and a convert in regulation time for Toronto. Castillo also shot two field goals and a convert in regulation time for Winnipeg. Hajrullahu’s 37-yard field goal at 12:14 of the second made it a 6-6 game at halftime. Castillo had a shot to put Winnipeg ahead, but missed from 42 yards out with 14 seconds left. The score went Toronto’s way, as Winnipeg controlled the first half, amassing 218 net offensive yards compared to just 69 for the Argos. Collaros was a solid 15-of-20 passing for 169 yards, but the Bombers’ offense was plagued by two dropped fumbles and Castillo’s miss. Castillo’s 40-yard boot at 8:06 gave Winnipeg a 6-3 lead. His 15-yard field goal at 9:57 of the first opened the scoring before Hajrullahu scored from 48 yards out with 4:41 left. NEXT Argonauts: Visit the Calgary Stampeders (3-4) on Sunday, Aug. 4. Blue Bombers: Host the BC Lions (5-2) on Thursday night. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 27, 2024. 32
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