But it’s hard to knock the guy for how he played, how he competed, how he led, fearless and more than willing to throw it up in the air and have his receiver make a play on the ball. “(We) didn’t do it”, he said after suffering through a 33-21 loss to Toronto before 17,214 fans at BMO Field on a warm late-summer day.
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“I’ve always prepared like I am the starter, even when I was the fifth quarterback on the roster”, LeFevour said.
“Essentially he had zero reps in our offence prior to this week so we kind of let him, within our system, read things the way he was comfortable with because there just wasn’t enough time to get him to do it the way we’d want it to be done”.
Collaros threw his 15th TD pass in five games since coming off the injured list on August 13, but was also intercepted three times.
Collaros, who had thrown for 14 touchdowns in the last four games, spent a fair bit of time Sunday picking himself up off the ground. I’ve tried my best. “But I don’t think they did much of anything new. We had a chance to win right up to the very end”, he said.
“I’m sure it’s correctable mistakes”, he added. Lirim Hajrullahu made it 10-0 with a 36-yard boot at 11:50 before connecting from 24 yards out at 3:34 of the second following T.J. Heath’s first of two interceptions.
“We didn’t convert down in the scoring area a couple of times that could’ve put us back into the game”, Hamilton coach Kent Austin said. “We didn’t do that”.
Shut out in the opening quarter, unable to score in the third period, the Ticats produced all but one of their points in the second period, the Argos adjusting well from Monday’s debacle on defence when they had no clue how to stop the Tabbies unless Hamilton was stopping itself. The big Ticat was limited to 41 yards on six carries Sunday and had several sessions with the Hamilton trainers.
The Argonauts defence stepped up, holding Hamilton to a single point in the second half off a missed field goal. His 46-yard field goal attempt in the fourth quarter sailed wide, his first flubbed kick since July 1. Whitaker’s 36-yard touchdown run early in the third quarter came at a crucial point, giving the Argos the lead after Hamilton scored 20 unanswered points.
Bootlegs, running the option play, inside handoffs, downfield heaves, running with the football or throwing on the run, Dan LeFevour and the Argos offence went to all lengths Sunday at BMO Field. That led to a Maher field goal and a one-yard Jeremiah Masoli TD dive.
LeFevour led the Argos on a great first-half drive that should have ended in a touchdown had Kenny Shaw not dropped the ball.
LeFevour’s best friend on this day would be Brandon Whitaker, who helped the Argos establish a run game and came in handy on check-downs.
The timeline could have Ray back on the field as early as October 2 against the Montreal Alouettes or as late as October 15, when the Argos host the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
“It’s been very hard the last couple of weeks, when they’re doing what you want them to do and they come up just a bit short, ” said Milanovich.
Said Collaros: “We’ve got to really take a good look at the (game) film”.
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Added Collaros: “Do we have to flush it and move on? Yes”. Yeah. But we have to learn something and get better. We can’t have another game like this.
