TORONTO — A familiar face stands in the way of Wynton McManis and the Toronto Argonauts moving into a tie for second place in the CFL’s East Division standings.
Toronto (5-8) hosts Montreal (6-7) in a key matchup Friday night. Making the start for the Alouettes will be McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who spent five seasons with the Argos (2017-19, 2021-22), winning two Grey Cups (2017, ’22).
The six-foot 220-pound McManis, Toronto’s starting middle linebacker, knows what makes Bethel-Thompson tick. The two were teammates in 2022 before Bethel-Thompson signed with the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers in 2023.
“I wouldn’t say it makes it any easier,” McManis said. “We know Mac (but) he doesn’t do a lot of the same things because he’s in a different system.
“We kind of know his strengths and weaknesses so we can gameplan around that … but I know he remembers a lot of the things we do well. I think this is going to be a fun one.”
Bethel-Thompson returned from the injured list last week to help Montreal end a five-game losing streak. The 37-year-old quarterback completed 20 of 26 passes for 379 yards and three TDs in a 48-31 road win over the CFL-leading Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-3).
Montreal is two points ahead of third-place Toronto in the East. The Argos earned a 31-30 home win – their third straight victory – last week over the Edmonton Elks on Lirim Hajrullahu’s 48-yard field goal on the game’s final play.
But even with a win Friday, Toronto would need help to finish second in the division. Montreal has already clinched the season series after winning the two previous meetings (28-10 on June 6, 26-25 on July 17).
Incumbent Davis Alexander started both games for Montreal. He’s currently on the six-game injured list with a hamstring ailment.
Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie expects Montreal to play somewhat differently this time around with Bethel-Thompson – who was Dinwiddie’s starter in 2022 – at quarterback.
“We’ve got to do the job on first down and keep him in second-and-long,” Dinwiddie said. “I think they’ll change their stripes a little bit and not be as RPO (run-pass option) as they were when they had Davis against us.
“I think they’ll let him throw the ball down the field, he’s got a big arm. So we’ve got to be ready for downfield shots.”
And to understand how important a win is to Toronto’s post-season hopes but not be overwhelmed by it, he added.
“I’ve told the guys to not let the magnitude of it get in the way,” Dinwiddie said. “It’s another football game but at the same time we understand how important it is.”
Bethel-Thompson had plenty of help last week in Regina. Canadian receiver Tyson Philpot caught all nine balls thrown his way for 238 yards and two touchdowns while running back Stevie Scott III ran for 125 yards on 19 carries.
Philpot’s output was the seventh-most by a Canadian receiver in league history while Scott III was the first Alouette to rush for over 100 yards in a game since 2023.
For the first time this season, Toronto will have a different starter under centre. Jarret Doege – pronounced DAY’-gee – will lead the offence after coming off the bench last week to rally the Argos past the Elks.
With incumbent Nick Arbuckle (calf) on the sidelines, Doege marched Toronto 40 yards in eight plays to set up Hajrullahu’s winning boot. The first-year Argo, who joined the team late in training camp, completed three of six passes for 35 yards in his first regular-season action with the CFL club.
Arbuckle had made 13 straight starts for Toronto but is now expected to miss two to three weeks. Arbuckle currently leads the CFL in pass attempts (465), completions (337) and yards (4,089) and is second in TDs (25) despite being sacked a league-high 34 times.
The six-foot-one 210-pound Doege will make just his second CFL start. He began his career in Canada with Edmonton (2023-24), appearing in 20 games (one start), completing 43 of 68 passes for 593 yards with four TDs and four interceptions.
Doege’s first start came as a rookie with Edmonton on June 30, 2023. The 27-year-old Texan completed 19 of 33 passes for 223 yards with a TD and three interceptions in a 26-7 road loss to the Ottawa Redblacks.
He signed with Toronto on May 27 and had one practice before helping the Argos earn a 30-23 exhibition win over Hamilton three days later.
“I thought he played well in the pre-season game and showed the potential that he has,” Dinwiddie said. “We’re comfortable with him.
“Obviously he’s got to go out and play a good game (but) we’ve got to call a good game for him as well.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 18, 2025.
Dan Ralph, The Canadian Press
