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TORONTO — The Toronto Argonauts didn’t necessarily need their defence to score points on Saturday against the Ottawa REDBLACKS at BMO Field, but it sure didn’t hurt.
The Argos were trying to stop the REDBLACKS from mounting a late comeback on Saturday’s Eastern Semi-Final when linebacker Wynton McManis and the defence stepped up to put the score beyond reach for the visitors.
“All my DBs, if I get the ball just be ready,” said the defender about a play in which he threw a lateral pass to teammate Tarvarus McFadden who then returned the ball all the way to the end zone. “Anyway you could change the game and help win this game as a team. It’s kind of being like minded, one of the things we want to make sure that we do all the time.”
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It was the first of two defensive scores for the Argonauts – defensive back Benjie Franklin added a 71-yard interception return for a score helping blow the game open at 58-32 – that essentially sealed the win and sent the Argonauts to a rematch against the Montreal Alouettes in the Eastern Final.
Despite the two big plays by the Argos defence, it was a game that featured both offences moving the ball to a combined 893 yards, with a back-and-forth first half that saw Ottawa go into halftime with a 23-20 lead. Toronto then found a way to impose its will in the second half to ultimately come away with a 58-38 win.
“Just settling everybody down. Let’s communicate. Let’s get back to what we do,” said McManis about the adjustments his team made throughout the game. The Boatmen allowed only three points in the third quarter while also shutting down Ottawa’s offence for most of the second half until a late touchdown by the REDBLACKS with the game out of hand rounded up the final score.
Toronto now heads to Montreal to face the Als on Saturday, November 9 for a rematch of the 2023 Eastern Final.