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The (Cameron) Dukes of Hazzard: Argonauts Win 35-27 In Season Opener

Griff Bordignon Jun 10, 2024

Opening Night at BMO Field

Hello, folks, and welcome to opening night at BMO Field for the 2024 Toronto Argonauts season. The team underwent some changes throughout the offseason, and most importantly, Cameron Dukes is now the starting quarterback for Toronto. His first test comes against the Western powerhouse and Grey Cup hopeful, the BC Lions.
The Shepherdsville, Kentucky native is still unknown to the Double Blue faithful, but let’s see how he performs under the bright BMO Field lights on this June opening night. This time last year against BC, he was the backup quarterback and was mostly used in short-yardage situations.

During warm-ups, Dukes appeared calm, cool, and collected, jamming out as the song “Kiss Kiss” by Chris Brown and T-Pain played over the BMO loudspeakers. As the game started, Dukes utilized his weapons to his advantage, such as Ka’Deem Carey, Dejon Brissett, DaVaris Daniels, and others.

Dukes’ Debut

Dukes and newcomer Ka’Deem Carey were getting into a rhythm as the two found chemistry, which led to Dukes scoring his first touchdown of the season as Carey carried the ball into the end zone for the Double Blue.

However, Dukes started to struggle with ball security as he was sacked, and BC’s Tibo Debaillie scooped up the fumble and ran it back for a touchdown, giving BC a commanding 20-6 lead.

Throughout his first home start, Cameron Dukes showed flashes of good play but also had some bad moments. He is a work in progress, but as the game progressed, Dukes found the end zone once again, and the Argos were back in the game late in the first half. This was followed by getting the ball with 50 seconds left in the half, and while Dukes couldn’t reach the end zone, he got the team into field goal range, making the score 20-16 at halftime.

Second-Half Surge

Dukes started the second half strong as he continued to work with Ka’Deem Carey and Dejon Brissett. Dukes and Brissett connected for a 26-yard touchdown, regaining the lead for Toronto.

Dukes held his own but needed help to win, make timely throws, and execute plays at the right moments in the game. The advantage of being the short-yardage man last year is that he learned to make plays on his feet. He will be a story to watch throughout the season, and it will be exciting to see how he performs through his first nine starts of the year. After a stellar defensive performance, Dukes ran a quarterback sneak, and the final score was 35-27, with Toronto winning their season opener despite being a +215 underdog earlier in the week.


Post-Game Reactions

I had the chance to speak with Cam and Coach Dinwiddie about tonight’s game, and here is what they had to say:

“It was a learning experience for me, but I know I can get better. It will be exciting to see my improvement as the season goes on.” – Cameron Dukes
“Cam did a great job tonight, and we’re proud of his performance. He’s a work in progress, but we’re excited to see his growth throughout the season.” – Coach Dinwiddie

Overall, tonight was a learning experience for Cam, but he knows he can improve, and it will be exciting to watch his development as the season progresses.

Griff Bordignon

Hi, my name is Griff and I'm a complete sports nut. I love to play sports, watch sports and most importantly bet on sports too. If I'm not watching or betting on sports, you can find me on the golf course, between the pipes as your average beer league goaltender. Although sports take up most of my life, I also love spending time with my two dogs, streaming usually a 90's Simpson's or attempting to read more books.

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