The University of Toronto Varsity Blues football team fell to the visiting York Lions by a score of 19-17 in the 54th annual Red & Blue Bowl on Saturday, September 21 at Varsity Stadium.

With this loss the Blues fall to 1-4 on the campaign and the Lions pick-up their first Argo Cup victory in three years.

The Lions opened the scoring with a field goal by York's Tucker Almert. The Varsity Blues quickly responded with a 12-yard field goal by Sam Henke to tie the game at 3-3 by the end of the first quarter.

In the second quarter, York added two points with a team safety, but Toronto struck back with a 16-yard touchdown pass from second-year quarterback Kaleb O'Donoghue to first-year receiver Dane Hurley, giving the Varsity Blues a 10-5 lead. Just before halftime, Almert kicked a 44-yard field goal, narrowing the Blues' lead to 10-8.

The third quarter saw York take the lead with another Almert field goal, making it 11-10. Toronto managed to tie the game at 11-11 after a rouge at the end of the quarter.

York broke the tie early in the fourth quarter with a 75-yard touchdown run by Avontae McKoy, followed by Almert's extra point, bringing the score to 18-11. The Lions extended their lead with a rouge, pushing it to 19-11 with ten minutes left.
The Varsity Blues mounted a late-game drive, culminating in a second touchdown connection between O'Donoghue and Hurley, this time for 15 yards. However, with only 36 seconds left, Toronto couldn't secure enough time to complete the comeback, leaving the final score at 19-17.

Toronto outgained York in total offense, 392 yards to 266, with O'Donoghue throwing for 329 yards and two touchdowns. Chris Joseph led the receiving corps with 150 yards on seven receptions.

The Blues look to bounce back on September 28 when they travel to Windsor to take on the No. 6 Windsor Lancers. Kickoff is set for 7 p.m. The game will be streamed online via oua.tv.