All eyes are on quarterback Nick Arbuckle when the Toronto Argonauts face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 111th Grey Cup at B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver on Sunday.
Arbuckle is unexpectedly under center on the CFL’s grandest stage after the league’s 2023 Most Outstanding Player Chad Kelly sustained fractures to the fibula and tibia in the Argonauts’ 30-28 victory over the Montreal Alouettes in the East Division final.
Arbuckle made one start in the regular season, faring well in essentially a meaningless game for Toronto (10-8). The 31-year-old completed 23 of 32 passes for 378 yards with two touchdowns in a 31-30 loss to the Edmonton Elks on Oct. 25.
Arbuckle’s situation is a bit too familiar to Argonauts head coach Ryan Dinwiddie, who back in 2007 found himself starting in the Grey Cup for Winnipeg after fellow quarterback Kevin Glenn sustained a broken arm in the East final. Dinwiddie threw three interceptions and the Blue Bombers dropped a 23-19 decision to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the finale.
“I trust Nick, I believe in Nick,” Dinwiddie said. “We didn’t change our game plan when he went in, we were aggressive. Fortunately, Nick’s played in big games, unlike myself as that was my first time starting. I just told him I’m going to give him an advantageous opportunity to be successful compared to what our coaches asked us to do in 2007.”
Arbuckle can lean on running back Ka’Deem Carey (third in the CFL with 1,060 rushing yards) as Toronto tries to defeat Winnipeg (11-7) for the third time this season. The Argonauts posted a 16-14 win in overtime over the Blue Bombers on July 27 in Toronto and 14-11 on Oct. 11 in Winnipeg.
The Blue Bombers also fell to Toronto in the 2022 Grey Cup.
Winnipeg advanced to a fifth consecutive title game, claiming a 38-22 victory over Saskatchewan in the West Division final.
Zach Collaros, the 2021 and 2022 CFL Most Outstanding Player, threw for 301 yards and four touchdowns, with trusted target Kenny Lawler recording 177 receiving yards and three scores.
Lawler’s return from an eight-game absence after a season-opening injury has fueled Winnipeg, which has won eight in a row.
Collaros wasn’t interested in any win streaks or injury news related to Kelly — or his own team — for that matter.
“Those things don’t matter,” he said. “All that matters to us is our preparation. I know we haven’t scored a ton of points against this defense. So we’ve got our work cut out for us.”
–Field Level Media
