What we learned from the Toronto Argonauts win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats

The Toronto Argonauts knew they needed to make ammends to their fans for a dreadful result against the Ottawa Redblacks. They made sure to send their fans home happy with a thrilling come-from-behind victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

Those in attendance at BMO Field were treated to a spirited physical affair which opened a stretch of games where Toronto and Hamilton will play each other three more times over their next four games.

Here are some thoughts from the 34-20 Argos win that they will look to build off of as they try to gain separation in the East Division.

First quarter struggles continue

What makes the Argonauts slow starts concerning is how outmatched they look at times especially in the opening quarter.

Against Hamilton they only had one first down in the first quarter and were outgained 181 to 23 yards. It was looking like a game the Tiger-Cats were going to take complete control of considering how productive they were on offence.

In the second quarter the Argos started to get some momentum through the air putting up 74 net yards but could only muster two field goals. On their last drive of the first half, it looked like they were in a position get within the goal line but a dropped pass by Eric Rogers forced the team to settle for three points instead.

The Argos also struggled mightily on second down in this game putting up 77 yards on second down averaging 3.7 yards per play. If they intend on being a contending team this season, that is an area they need to improve on the most.

"We've got to start faster, we all know that," head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said. "We've got to go look at what we're doing schematically again.

"But the nice part is we make our halftime adjustments and we play well at the end. We've just got to play better in the first half."

Fortunately for Toronto, they managed to keep the score respectable enough to set the stage for a second-half comeback but they have seen in their three losses this season that their slow starts can be their downfall.

Defence provided offence with a chance to get on track

After finding themselves down 10-0 going into the second quarter, the Argos defence realized they needed to tighten things up.

After allowing 181 net yards in the opening quarter, Toronto followed that up by allowing just 34 yards and four points. It also set the stage for the offence to cut into the deficit even if they could only manage a pair of field goals.

More importantly, the second half performance from the defence was more of what we’ve come to expect from this group. Similarly to their loss to the Winnipeg Blue Bombers earlier this season, Toronto held Hamilton out of the endzone in the second half as they conceded only two field goals.

The Tiger-Cats were able to find success with most of their short to mid throws but Dane Evans lacked the accuracy to really push the ball deep when they needed. Losing Bralon Addison certainly played a role in that as Hamilton lost their most dependable offensive player in the first quarter.

Wynton McManis matched his season high of 10 tackles (not including one on special teams) and sits fourth in the league with 46 on the season.

Once again, Cam Phillips provides necessary spark on offence

Getting Rogers and DaVaris DAniels back in the lineup was crucial for the Argos offence. They proved to be dependable targets for McLeod Bethel-Thompson especially Daniels who had 73 yards on four catched in this game.

However, one player stood out above the rest especially with the team needing a big play and that was Cam Phillips.

After a slower start to his season, Phillips once again showed his ability to get open deep catching a 49-yard pass on the first drive of the second half.

On the next play Bethel-Thompson looked like he was going to be sacked but eluded the Tiger-Cats defender giving Phillips enough time to get open in the endzone for the touchdown. They were able to convert on the two-point attempt with Harris going untouched in the endzone on a short pass.

Considering how much of a struggle it has been to convert on plays in the redzone, specifically on the goal line, that’s a series Toronto can look back on and hopefully learn from.

Special temas provides turning point

This was a physical game especially on special teams when you look back at some of the tackles made by both teams.

However, it was a mental mistake by Lawrence Woods who decided to not let a punt go into the endzone which proved to be a turning point in this game. It was a costly play that pinned Hamilton deep in their own end on the three-yard line and were then forced to concede the safety following a two-and-out.

After some questionable comments from Nik Lewis about Boris Bede, the Argos kicker responded by making three of his four field goal attempts. The only miss was one on a muffed snap from the Argos replacement long snapper that the holder just got down which likely threw off Bede’s timing and led to a single point.

Toronto picked the best time to get their second special teams touchdown of the season (first blocked punt) after Trevor Hoyte blocked the punt which was returned by Benoit Marion to give the Argos the 24-17 lead.

The play was designed by special teams coordinator Mickey Donovan who believed the team would find great success against Hamilton’s punt team.

"Mickey felt good about it," Dinwiddie said after the game. "We came close on the one before that," Dinwiddie said about the blocked punt. "And then we had the awareness to go get the ball, scoop and score.

"I think there was probably six guys who could've scored on that play."

Up until this point, Toronto’s special teams had been anything but special and while it’s still a work in progress, the ability to get a touchdown at a key part of the game shows the importance of winning the game all three phases.

CFL’s scheduling takes away from Argos-Ticats rivalry

Usually any game involving the Tiger-Cats attracts a substantial crowd at BMO Field with many fans usually making the trip form Hamilton.

Only 11,623 fans were in attendance on Saturday night but obviously there were many factors that impacted the number.

It was a busy night on the Toronto event calendar with a Lady Gaga and Drake concert happening at the same time. Not only that but the CFL did both teams no favours with the way they did the schedule.

Initially when I saw the schedule, I thought there was a mistake when it was outlined that the Argos and Tiger-Cats would play each other four times in a five-game span. At no point in recent memory have two CFL teams played each other that much in such a short period.

It’s not uncommon for teams to have a play each other on back-to-back weeks as there are usually home and home series in the CFL. However, a historic rivalry like the Argos-Ticats one shouldn’t lose its lustre because the league decided to plan the schedule like this.

What’s enticing fans to watch two teams play each other so many times in a short period? Both fanbases are usually gearing for the rivalry to get going with the Labour Day Classic, instead, some will likely be glad to see this experiment come to an end.

Even the players admit they aren’t a fan of this approach from the league but can only do what’s expected of them.

"It's not great," Bethel-Thompson said about the team’s upcoming schedule. "We're going to be so sick of playing each other by (third and fourth games) but right now it's just one at a time.

"It's another opponent five days away. It's going to be a chess match of how much do we change, now much do they change? It's going to be a physical game, they have championship DNA there, they're going to bring it and it's in their house. We've got to get our bodies right and prepare for war again.”

*A previous version of this article stated that the blocked punt return was the first special teams touchdown of the season but it was the second. They recorded their first when they recovered a fumble on a kickoff return against Saskatchewan.