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GUELPH, Ont. — The Toronto Argonauts may have found their next top receiver.
Kevin Mital, the fifth overall pick in this year’s CFL draft, caught five passes for 104 yards and a touchdown as the Argonauts beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 25-14 in the teams’ final pre-season game on Friday at Alumni Stadium in Guelph, Ont.
Mital’s biggest play of the game came in the third quarter when he broke free down the sideline, caught a deep pass from quarterback Bryan Scott and broke a tackle en route to an 82-yard touchdown that gave Toronto a 19-3 lead.
“It was great. First one in the books, getting that one out of the way. I knew coming out of that break on the corner route, the ball was gonna be up there so I just gotta make a play and make a guy miss,” Mital said.
Mital was drafted out of Laval University following a decorated U Sports career which included the Hec Crighton Trophy as most outstanding player in 2022. He was also named the Vanier Cup MVP that season as the Rouge et Or won the national championship.
The 25-year-old missed the first week of camp, but Argos head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said he’s come a long quickly.
“Arrow’s up for him. (He’s) playing good football and we’ll find ways to package him, get him on the field,” Dinwiddie said.
Toronto took control of the game through the opening 20 minutes.
Presumptive Week 1 starting QB Cameron Dukes led the Argos on the first drive of the game, converting a critical second-and-10 with a 22-yard scramble before stalling out at the Ticats’ 10. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 17-yard field goal to give Toronto a 3-0 lead.
The offence was again forced to settle for a Hajrullahu field goal, a 29-yarder, on its second drive.
But Dukes finally got into the end zone on the following drive after defensive lineman Jared Brinkman recorded a sack-fumble against Ticats QB Taylor Powell and recovered on Hamilton’s 12-yard-line. Two plays later, the QB ran in untouched from the five for the first touchdown of the…
Source link : https://ca.sports.yahoo.com/news/mital-shines-argos-beat-tiger-015906858.html
Author : The Canadian Press
Publish date : 2024-06-01 03:15:11
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