Bethel-Thompson delivers beneath highlight for Argonauts with Grey Cup in sight

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TORONTO – No one has been a much bigger critic of McLeod Bethel-Thompson’s play on the sphere than McLeod Bethel-Thompson himself.

In the most important recreation of the season, the Toronto Argonauts quarterback had his greatest efficiency throwing for 299 yards and two touchdowns in a 34-27 win within the East ultimate over the Montreal Alouettes to e book their ticket to the Grey Cup.

All week lengthy, the Argonauts burdened the significance of getting the ball within the endzone on offence and it was going to be as much as Bethel-Thompson to engineer the performs wanted to get them there. The workforce couldn’t have requested for a greater begin going up 21-3 early within the recreation executing on the possibilities that had been in entrance of them.

“We were where we needed to be at the right time in the right space,” Bethel-Thompson mentioned after the sport. “We’ve been wanting more touchdowns all year. That’s what this whole season has been about, getting to a place when you’re at your best when you need it most.”

“We felt we had a good plan. We knew what they were going to do and it was good to start fast and it was good to finish.”

While it wasn’t an ideal recreation for the 34-year-old, he averted the backbreaking errors and took benefit of all of the completely different weapons he had at his disposal.

No one was extra happy with what Bethel-Thompson was capable of accomplish than receiver DaVaris Daniels, who has at all times been impressed with how he continues to disregard the criticism thrown his means and be an instance each on and off the sphere.

“To see the work that he puts in, day in and day out and how he stays level-headed and how leads this team on a day-to-day basis it’s amazing how he’s able to be such a professional and to have those things day in and day out for us,” Daniels explained. “We rally behind him and his energy and couldn’t be more proud. We knew it was going to happen, we always had confidence in Mac, especially me, I would run through a wall for him. For him to finally have that game on the biggest stage when we needed it the most is everything.”

It didn’t take lengthy for Toronto to benefit from their first alternative on offence after Banks took the punt out of the endzone for a 31-yard return. AJ Ouellette took a display move down the sphere for 46 yards which ultimately led to operating again Andrew Harris dashing in for a six-yard landing run.

It was Harris’ first recreation again since having surgical procedure for a torn pectoral muscle that was supposed to shut the e book on his 2022 season. Instead, the 35-year-old did what he may to get again on the sphere and like he has executed the final three seasons, helped play a pivotal position in his workforce reaching the Grey Cup.

Adding veterans like Harris, Ja’Gared Davis, Brandon Banks and Wynton McManis was a giant focus from the entrance workplace as a result of they needed gamers who had been on the massive stage to assist elevate a gaggle that has struggled to get there.

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“I think it’s a level of maturity and a level of confidence that our other players recognize saying these guys have been there done that,” head coach Ryan Dinwiddie mentioned concerning the presence of the veteran performs. “Guys look up to them kind of rally around them and follow them. I think Andrew most importantly, he’s been the one that’s kind of got us going. Players gravitate towards him. It’s infectious I mean even myself I enjoy his leadership it’s every day I listen to him we talk all the time and you know you got a guy like that in the locker room you know it spreads across the rest of the guys.”

Unfortunately for Montreal, the frustration will sit with lots of the gamers, particularly after the workforce rallied from a 2-6 begin to the season and felt like they’d nearly as good of an opportunity to succeed in the Grey Cup however couldn’t make the performs after they wanted to.

Head coach Danny Maciocia appeared again on the trick play by Toronto the place they faked the quarterback sneak and turned it right into a 46-yard landing as one the place a scarcity of execution was pricey for his workforce.

Despite the powerful begin, the Alouettes remained in placing distance and wasted no time reducing into the Argonauts’ lead with William Stanback breaking free for a 52-yard landing run which allowed them to drag inside three factors after getting the two-point conversion.

However, they wanted their defence to present the offence alternatives to drag forward and that was the lacking ingredient that finally led to their season ending on Sunday.

“I felt we were going to come out and play a little bit better and we answered back when we came out of the locker room,” Maciocia mentioned. “We needed to counter and we needed a stop and we didn’t get it. You have to give them credit, they were able to answer back and make plays down the field.”

Toronto needed to guarantee that Montreal’s dashing assault wouldn’t be an element on this recreation and minus the landing from Stanback, the bottom recreation wasn’t as massive of an element because the Alouettes needed it to be.

What allowed Montreal to stay inside placing distance was quarterback Trevor Harris’ accuracy with the soccer as he went 25-of-30 for 362 yards however solely had one landing to indicate it ultimately.

“When it’s a seven point game and we score instead of kicking a few of those field goals it’s an extra seven points and maybe puts more pressure on them to score,” Harris defined. “Any time you can apply pressure to a team it’s going to change the outlook of the game.”

Another vivid spot for the Alouettes was Canadian rookie receiver Tyson Philpot who stepped up with eight catches for 127 yards and a landing. The 22-year-old benefitted from the additional consideration being paid to Eugene Lewis who had 5 receptions for 83 yards.

While Toronto’s secondary gave up a giant chunk of yards by way of the air, they’d a vital turnover as Jamal Peters pressured Kaion Julien-Grant to fumble the ball. The Alouettes additionally gave the Argos alternatives to maintain drives going with pricey penalties.

None had been extra detrimental than the facemask name on the ultimate drive which allowed the Argonauts to get a recent set of downs and the prospect to run down the clock and never let Montreal get one final probability to attempt to tie the sport.

With their spot within the Grey Cup secured, the Argonauts usually are not letting the results of at the moment’s recreation distract them from their final objective.

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“We were talking about yesterday they don’t we’ve had one of these roads right now (a road full of curve),” Dinwiddie defined. “We want to make sure it’s straight. Since our loss to Calgary at home earlier this season, look at who we’ve been. I think we’ve matured as a football club, guys understand what’s at stake, we got three goals done. We’re not too happy with the win tonight. This was just to give us a chance for our fourth goal.”

NOTES: The Argos misplaced a giant a part of their defence with Wynton McManis leaving within the second quarter holding his wrist after making an attempt to make a deal with on operating again Walter Fletcher. His standing for the Grey Cup is unsure till they’ll decide the precise nature of the harm.

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