Toronto Argonauts: Players who stood out in the pre-season opener

The Toronto Argonauts got their pre-season off to a good start with a victory over the Montreal Alouettes with a couple of standouts from the game.

The Toronto Argonauts defence was the story in their 24-20 pre-season win over the Montreal Alouettes as the team gets their first taste of game action. With the many changes on defence made in the offseason there was a lot of intrigue to see how they would come together and they got off to an impressive start.

Granted that Montreal was not putting out the top tier players the entire game much like the Argos did not have their starters out there for more than one series.

Despite that, it was interesting to see how aggressive the team was and their abiliity to close in on the ball. Head coach Marc Trestman made a point to say that there will be changes to come over the next couple of weeks as most of the team adjusts to the CFL game.

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On the offensive side of the ball, the expected starters only played one series and did not look out of place including quarterback Ricky Ray who went three-for-three throwing for 26 yards. The Argos relied more on quick passes rather than trying to force plays deep which was similar to what they did at times last season.

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Akwasi Owusu-Ansah

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After his season ended after four games with a torn pectoral muscle, Owusu-Ansah made his presence known early in the game. On the first play of the second drive he intercepted a pass by Alouettes starting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. and ran it back 41 yards for the touchdown. In his rookie season with the Argos, the 28-year old made 40 tackles, four interceptions and a forced fumble.

Jimmy Ralph

The 24-year Canadian made the most of his opportunity in the game with a magnificent 37-yard catch. That would set up a touchdown for him and the first scoring play for the Argos on offence.

He spoke with Frank Ziccarelli of the Toronto Sun about his family’s sporting tradition. His game surely made an impression on the coaching staff but it will be tough competition for him to make the team.

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