How one former Sacramento State quarterback is stepping in for another in the CFL
One former Sacramento State quarterback will get his first start for a Canadian Football League team that’s been led by another ex-Hornet.
The Toronto Argonauts on Sunday announced that McLeod Bethel-Thompson will lead the way Thursday when the team hosts the Ottawa Redblacks. Bethel-Thompson will take over for James Franklin.
“We’re going to make a quarterback change,” Argonauts coach Marc Trestman said Sunday on the team’s website. “We’re going to let McLeod play this week.”
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">BREAKING: The <a href="https://twitter.com/TorontoArgos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@TorontoArgos</a> will hand the ball to QB McLeod Bethel-Thompson in Week 8, as per <a href="https://twitter.com/MikeHoganArgos?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@MikeHoganArgos</a>. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/CFL?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#CFL</a><br><br>Details: <a href="https://t.co/82Y4vpf8Av">https://t.co/82Y4vpf8Av</a> <a href="https://t.co/7ZI37dAyTS">pic.twitter.com/7ZI37dAyTS</a></p>— CFL (@CFL) <a href="https://twitter.com/CFL/status/1023642485267025920?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 29, 2018</a></blockquote> <script async src="https://platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script>
Franklin went 1-3 in his four starts as an injury replacement for Toronto’s main starter, Ricky Ray, who like Bethel-Thompson is also a Sacramento State product.
Ray has been out since June 23 with a neck injury and could miss the rest of the season, although the team has declined to confirm that. He was injured after being sacked by Ja’Gared Davis and Cordarro Law during a 41-7 loss to the Calgary Stampeders.
Ray, 38, has set records north of the border. He is the first quarterback in CFL history to win four Grey Cup titles.
That will leave some big shoes for Bethel-Thompson to fill, but he’s looking forward to getting some experience on the field.
“That’s the one thing I don’t have,” Bethel-Thompson said on the Argonauts’ website. “I feel like I have everything physically and mentally, but I don’t have the experience and that’s been my Achilles heel my entire career.”
He has seen preseason action with a handful of NFL teams, including the 49ers, and was on the rosters for the Minnesota Vikings and Philadelphia Eagles, but has not played a regular season down in the league.
Bethel-Thompson is in his second season with the Argonauts, but has yet to play in 2018. Last season, he appeared in two games and completed his only pass attempt in each contest. Overall, he’s 2 for 2 for 10 yards with no touchdowns or interceptions.
As for his game Thursday, on top of getting experience, Bethel-Thompson wants just one thing:
“A win,” he said. “A winning scoreboard. I think that’s all that matters.”
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
This story was originally published July 30, 2018 at 5:29 PM with the headline "How one former Sacramento State quarterback is stepping in for another in the CFL."