TORONTO — Chad Kelly and the Toronto Argonauts delivered quite a homecoming Thursday. Brady Lidster’s 11-yard field goal with 11 seconds remaining capped a wild fourth quarter as Toronto earned a 33-30 win over the Calgary Stampeders in the Argos’ first game this season at BMO Field. Lidster’s boot came after Toronto’s defence stopped Dedrick Mills on third-and-one, giving the offence possession at its 54-yard line with 1:32 remaining. From there, Kelly — who threw four interceptions in the contest — drove the Argos to the Calgary four-yard line, setting up Lidster’s kick. “If I’m not aggressive, then they might start calling me Checkdown Charlie,” Kelly said. “That’s not how I play the game. “I obviously take what the defence gives me, meaning sometimes I have to calm it down a little bit. When it matters most, that’s when you’ve got to execute at a higher level … I’ve got to do a lot better to put us in better situations but we’ll clean it up.” Calgary (4-5) had one last chance from its 47-yard line with three seconds remaining but Toronto’s Benji Franklin intercepted Vernon Adams Jr.’s Hail Mary pass. Toronto (4-4) opened its season playing seven straight road games as FIFA men’s World Cup games were being played at BMO Field. The Argos’ last home contest was a 47-29 loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Oct. 4, 2025, a span of 306 days. Before a loud, energetic gathering of 16,160, Kelly finished 30-of-43 passing for 349 yards with a touchdown. The start was Kelly’s first at BMO Field since October 2024 as he missed all of last season recovering from a leg injury suffered during the 2024 East Division final. Kelly’s last regular-season home game was a 38-31 win over Ottawa on Oct. 19. Before Thursday, his last appearance at BMO Field was Nov. 2, 2024 — a span of 642 days — when he threw for 358 yards and four TDs and ran for another in the Argos’ 58-38 East Division semifinal win over the Redblacks. “It’s always great to be home to find that soft spot, that medium where you’re like, ‘Oh, I feel comfortable,’” said Kelly. “It just feels good to be back home … I’m looking forward to cleaning some things up and getting better.” The World Cup forced Toronto to remain at Alumni Stadium in Guelph, Ont., after training camp. Argos head coach Mike Miller felt that time together actually helped Thursday night. “We had chances to become a cohesive unit and it was us all the time, “Miller said. “You get pretty comfortable, you get pretty close. “You kind of felt that resolve out there today … there was a belief, you could feel it on the sideline and you can definitely feel it in that locker room. It (BMO Field atmosphere) was electric, we were able to feed off of it. We missed it being on the road.” Miller said despite Kelly’s struggles, he never considered making a quarterback change. “There’s always going to be throws we wish we had back but Chad gives us a chance every week,” Miller said. “I’m sure glad he’s an Argo, I love working with him. “Passionate, a generous teammate, he puts it on the line.” Adams Jr. was 12-of-24 passing for 159 yards and two interceptions, his first of the season. Calgary’s defence forced five turnovers (four interceptions and a fumble recovery) with Adrian Greene registering a pick-six. Sam Hicks’s 40-yard TD run at 9:57 gave Toronto a 30-27 lead. But Jude McTamney’s 46-yard field goal made it 30-30. Lidster’s 19-yard field goal at 1:42 cut Calgary’s lead to 24-23. McTamney hit from 32 yards out at 4:46 to make it a four-point game. Greene stepped in front of Toronto’s Kevin Mital and went 67 yards for the TD to put Calgary ahead 24-20 at 9:42 of the third. James Burnip’s 51-yard single at 2:40 put the Argos ahead 20-17. Hicks, with two, and Janarion Grant scored Toronto’s other touchdowns. Lidster booted four field goals and two converts. Quincy Vaughn and Adams Jr. had Calgary’s other touchdowns. McTamney added three field goals and three converts. Lidster’s 52-yard field goal to end the second quarter staked Toronto to a 19-17 halftime advantage. It followed Adams’s six-yard TD run at 14:23 that put Calgary ahead 17-16. But it was Grant who delivered the half’s biggest play. His 64-yard punt return TD at 4:37 put Toronto ahead 13-7 after the unsuccessful convert attempt. The return was Grant’s second of the season and 12th of his career, moving him into second all-time behind Hall of Famer Henry (Gizmo) Williams (26). “The guy is special,” Kelly said of Grant. “He’s going to go down as one of the best, if not the best. “He just sees holes differently.” McTamney’s 27-yard kick cut Toronto’s lead to 13-10 at 9:30. But Lidster countered with a 33-yard field goal at 12:40. Hicks made it 7-7 with a five-yard TD catch at 9:11. Vaughn opened the scoring with a one-yard run at 3:36. It came two plays after Damon Webb’s 45-yard return of Hicks’s fumble on Toronto’s first offensive play. This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 6, 2026. Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
