Andrew Harris makes history at Mosaic, leading Argos to a messy victory over Riders

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Andrew Harris made several shortcomings for the Argonauts disappear on Sunday night at Mosaic Stadium in Regina.

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As the Boatmen tried their best to implode, the future Hall of Famer race imposed his will and skill with a display of power and mental toughness that won’t soon be forgotten.

In easily his best moment as an Argo – a day he would go down in CFL history – Harris rushed for 143 yards rushing and another 45 receiving – most of those that came in second half – as the Argos rallied to defeat the Saskatchewan Roughriders 31-21.

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It turned out to be a pretty bad night for head coach Ryan Dinwiddie, until the Argos were finally able to make enough plays to improve their record to 3-2.

The game had been rescheduled from Saturday following COVID among Riders players. But for most of the game, it looked like the Argos were in COVID protocol given the collective fog that plagued the team’s training and play.

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Harris was the exception and the main reason the Argos escaped with a win.

The only thing Harris didn’t do was find the end zone.

The winning margin came on a fire basket from Boris Bede that broke a 21-21 deadlock.

The Argos added a game-winning TD at the ensuing kickoff with 30 seconds left when the Riders’ Mario Alford, who returned a missed field goal late in the first half for a touchdown, attempted to in do way too much. He ended up fumbling for the ball inside the 10-yard line as Enoch Penny-Laryea recovered and ran into the end zone untouched.

For the second time in as many weeks, Harris made history. Last week, he passed Milt Stegall for fourth on the league’s career list for most scrimmage yards.

This week, Harris became the first Canadian and only the sixth player in CFL history to rush for 10,000 yards.

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“Ultimately, our team, as a whole, stuck together,” Harris said. “I am proud of our teammates.

« Personal achievements are great, but (on Sunday) I was very proud of my team and how we reacted to certain situations. »

So many things would go wrong, so many points left on the field, so many missteps, turnovers and questionable decision making and yet the Argos overcame all nonsense and idiocy to tie the game, 21-21, with 4: 49 to play. the fourth trimester.

Toronto shouldn’t have been in that position, but that was because the team was so bad.
His defence, save for a few blunders, held firm and forced a quick two-and-out after Toronto’s equalizer that would see McLeod Bethel-Thompson find a wide-open Cam Phillips in the back of the end zone.

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Brandon Banks managed the punt that followed and provided the Argos with great field position inside Riders territory.

The Argos made third and thumb anything but routine. After being stopped short of the goal line in the third and short of the first quarter, the Argos tried again later. This time they paused when the Riders came out of play as the chains were moved and a drive was sustained, eventually leading to a go-ahead touchdown.

Perhaps for the first time in football history, a club had every reason to fire its head coach at half-time.

And to think that Dinwiddie was named Coach of the Year in the East last season.

The decisions he made in the first 30 minutes on Sunday were excruciating, his game plan equally confusing and the consequences deadly.

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The Argos were facing an opponent whose quarterback had never started a game at the pro level and had receivers no one had heard of except Kian Schaffer-Baker.

All the Argos had to do was play smart and give the Riders no chance to gain momentum by simply protecting the ball.

Instead, they brought the exhausted Riders to life because Dinwiddie made rash decisions.

It’s amazing why a running back lines up seven yards from scrimmage with a QB in a shotgun formation on third down from the opponent’s one-yard line.

Sadly, that has happened before if you remember opening practice in BC when the Argos were shut down.
Equally perplexing on Sunday was the end of a half-cerebral cramp that would see Dinwiddie summon the fielding team to attempt a 61-yard field goal.

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Bede missed and Alford returned it 112 yards for a touchdown.

A stunning and incomprehensible first half for an Argos team that continually shot itself in the foot.
The failed field goal summed up the team’s utter incompetence in all phases as Saskatchewan took a 15-11 lead at intermission.

Every Riders point came gift-wrapped thanks to three Toronto turnovers and that ill-advised placement.

The Argos scored a third-quarter field goal on a turnover from the Riders, but then gave up a big play on missed coverage in the secondary, leading Saskatchewan to a three-pointer.

In Toronto’s next series, the Argos bottomed out. First came an aborted chip flicker that led to a bag. Then came a bad shot, which is not new, which led to a scoop and an apparent score by ex9Argo Charleston Hughes, whose first-half sack and strip led to a touchdown from the Saskatchewan when Jake Dolegala pitched his first major as a pro.

But Hughes’ score was canceled because he kicked the ball forward, which is not legal.

Still, it was another Argos turnover, but the defense showed a lot of fighting to keep the Riders to three points.

With the dizzying turn of events over, the Argos faced a 21-14 deficit at the end of the third quarter.

Early in the fourth quarter, they were stopped on third down to commit their fifth turnover of the game.

fzicarelli@postmedia.com