Roughriders cash in on Argos’ self-inflicted wounds to post 28-24 win

REGINA — There will be no Toronto Argonauts sweep of Saskatchewan in 2026.

In front of a sold-out Mosaic Stadium, where 33,350 seats were filled for the CFL’s biggest crowd of the season, the hometown Roughriders used a noisy fan base to expose a few leaks in the Argonauts’ boat en route to a 28-24 win.

Reminiscent of a 12-round boxing match, the opening quarter featured the teams feeling each other out by trading short touchdown passes. Then the bout went from jabs to haymakers when Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly connected with Damonte Coxie for a 58-yard-hookup to set up a second Tyler Kahmann touchdown catch for a 13-7 Argo lead early in the second quarter.

But Toronto had trouble holding the momentum. Botched converts were especially problematic for the Argonauts in this game, resulting in a four-point swing.

After the second Toronto touchdown, receiver David Ungerer was caught on the wrong sideline, creating an illegal substitution penalty that marched the Point-After-Touchdown back 10 yards, resulting in the kick hitting the upright and the Argos missing out on a single point.

Then later, after a third Toronto touchdown, Argo kicker Brady Lidster’s kick was blocked by Mike Rose and returned 79 yards the other way by Marcus Sayles to give the Roughriders another two points.

Argos head coach Mike Miller says it would be unfair to blame the loss on his special teams unit.

“It really doesn’t come down to one play,” Miller said. “It changes the cosmetic of the game but we still have to overcome it. We had opportunities to do that and we weren’t able to.”

Chad Kelly, who went 28-of-38 passing for 416 yards with three touchdowns and one interception for the Argonauts, took some big hits in this game, including a pair of sacks, and had to leave momentarily in the third quarter, being relieved by backup Nick Arbuckle.

Kelly, who revealed after the game that he suffered a broken toe, blamed the defeat on self-inflicted wounds.

“I think we had seven two-and-outs today,” Kelly said. “On second-and-long, you’re trying to find the hole, right? And it might take a little longer for the hole to develop and you might have to hold (the ball) a little longer. They have a good defensive line and they’re very well coached. They have great players up front.”

Trailing 24-21 just before the three-minute warning, the ‘Riders lined up for an 11-yard field goal attempt to try and tie the game when Argo Tarvarus McFadden jumped offside, sparking a roar from the capacity crowd and giving Saskatchewan a fresh set of downs to set up a Tommy Stevens two-yard touchdown run to give the hosts a 28-24 lead.

For the Roughriders, quarterback Trevor Harris and receiver KeeSean Johnson rediscovered a rhythm that had been missing in their back-to-back losses before this game, connecting 10 times for 146 yards and a touchdown. Part of a 313-yard passing night for the quarterback who credited the supporting cast of other receivers for making it possible.

“Dhel (Duncan-Busby) made some big plays tonight. Shemar (Bridges) made a couple big catches and then we had (D’Sean) Mimbs make a big catch on second-and-15 to keep a drive alive,” Harris said. “So, everybody was kind of doing their part.”

Head coach Corey Mace suggested earlier in the week his team needed this game to prevent a two-game skid from deteriorating into something bigger. He saw the urgency from his squad.

“I thought it was more visible in the second half,” Mace said. “I thought we were doing some really good things in the first half but the ball just didn’t fall our way in certain situations.”

UP NEXT

Argonauts: Visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Monday, Sept. 7.

Roughriders: Host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday, Sept. 6.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 29, 2026.

Brendan McGuire, The Canadian Press