The Ottawa REDBLACKS fell to 0-2 on the season after dropping their Saturday afternoon contest to the Argos 44-24.
There were some positives for the home team, who were debuting their new white uniforms after revealing them to the public earlier this week.
Ottawa’s defence was able to create five turnovers from the Argos offence, including four Chad Kelly interceptions.
Alonzo Addae got the first REDBLACKS turnover, picking off the Argo quarterback around midfield on a pass intended for Kevin Mital. Addae would miss most of the second half after going down with an injury. His replacement, Scott Hutter, added a pair of interceptions of his own after taking over at free safety.
The final REDBLACKS turnover belonged to national linebacker Lucas Cormier, who capped off his pick with a 22-yard return. He also got a little help from his teammate Shakur Brown, who recovered Cormier’s fumble at the end of the play.
Linebacker Myles Morgan was also among the positives on the REDBLACKS defence. The former Notre Dame linebacker was all over the field, registering 10 defensive tackles, including two tackles for loss and a third-down stop where he hurdled over the pile to stop Kelly short of the first down marker.
Halifax native Aidan John picked up the lone sack for the REDBLACKS defence.
Offensively, the REDBLACKS were led by receiver Ayden Eberhardt, who brought in eight of his 13 targets, including two incredible leaping grabs where he vaulted over his defender to bring in the pass. The Colorado native also hauled in the lone Ottawa touchdown of the afternoon.
Jake Maier completed 25 of his 40 pass attempts for 281 yards with one touchdown and two interceptions.
Greg Bell added 60 all-purpose yards, while Geno Lewis and Kalil Pimpleton posted 48 and 43 receiving yards respectively.
Kicker Brett Lauther remained perfect on the season, converting all five of his field goal attempts, including a 51-yarder in the third quarter which cut the Toronto lead to eight.
Ottawa will look to get into the win column for the first time next week when they head to Percival Molson Stadium for a meeting with the Montreal Alouettes on Sunday. Montreal is currently 2-0 but has a meeting with the Edmonton Elks later this afternoon.
The REDBLACKS will likely return to the field on Wednesday for the first day of practice.
