Boatmen Reign Supreme: Argos win the 111th Grey Cup

VANCOUVER — The Toronto Argonauts were the hottest team in the league going into the playoffs. That momentum took them all the way to a win in the 111th Grey Cup.

The Argos used a dominant defensive effort to top the favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers 41-24. Nick Arbuckle, filling in for injured Argos’ starting quarterback Chad Kelly, threw for over 250 yards with a pair of touchdowns and a pair of interceptions.

The win gives the Argos their 19th-ever Grey Cup and marks the second time in three years that they have taken one at the expense of the Bombers, who made their fifth consecutive appearance in the game.

Arbuckle connected with eight different receivers to lead a balanced offensive attack.

Zach Collaros dealt with an injured finger in the second half, but returned to play. He threw three of his four interceptions after the injury occurred. Collaros finished the night 15-30 for 202 yards.

Rookie Ontaria Wilson led the Bombers’ receivers with 99 yards on five catches.

The Duke of Sussex Prince Harry helped get things going with an appearance at the game at BC Place, while The Jonas Brothers rocked an enthralled crowd of 52,439 at BC Place in the Twisted Tea Grey Cup Halftime Show.

111th GREY CUP

First half action photos.

The Argos’ defence made quick work out of the Bombers’ first offensive drive, taming a crowd that was famished for a big Winnipeg play.

After a 23-yard return from Janarion Grant, Arbuckle showed a lot of poise in his first drive of the day. The peak of his 11-play, 51-yard drive came when he converted a second-and-17 to Deonta McMahon to get in scoring range. Lirim Hajrullahu converted a 16-yard field goal to open the scoring at 7:03 of the first quarter.

Collaros made just two of his first five passes for just three yards before he connected with Ontaria Wilson for a 49-yard pickup to move to Toronto’s 10-yard line. That drive also saw Oliveira get hist first touches of the day, before backup quarterback Terry Wilson came into the game and forced his way into the end zone from three yards out at 14:38. Sergio Castillo‘s convert put the Bombers up 7-3 with just a second left to play in the game’s opening quarter.

The Bombers appeared to be headed for a similar scoring play when Collaros found Kenny Lawler for a 22-yard gain to get to Toronto’s 35-yard line. With Collaros hungry for more, the Argos’ defence came up big at its eight-yard line. Jake Ceresna forced Collaros to throw the ball out of bounds and then d-lineman Robbie Smith sacked Collaros on second down, bringing Castillo out to hit a 19-yard field goal that gave the Bombers a 10-3 lead at 8:46 of the second quarter.

After Arbuckle found Damonte Coxie for a 39-yard gain to get to the Bombers’ 13-yard line, it was Winnipeg’s defence that made a key stop. Willie Jefferson sacked Arbuckle, turning what could have been a touchdown into a 34-yard Hajrullahu field goal to make it a 10-6 game at 12:47. The veteran kicker had a body make contact with him after the make, that left him limping on the sidelines as he watched his teammates.

The Argos got one more shot at a score, thanks to defensive back Benjie Franklin, who intercepted Collaros as he looked for Keric Wheatfall. Hajrullahu, visibly impacted by the earlier hit, coolly sent a 45-yard field goal through the uprights with 21 seconds left in the half. The Bombers went into the locker room at the break holding a 10-9 advantage.

The Argos’ first offensive drive of the third quarter fizzled midfield, but punter John Haggerty managed to tie the game at 10 aside with a 67-yard punt at 2:28.

The third quarter featured a pair of big defensive plays. With the Argos’ plodding their way up the field, Jefferson got to Arbuckle and forced a fumble and while the Argos recovered, they were forced to punt. Bombers’ returner Lucky Whitehead had the ball popped loose from him at his team’s 17-yard line and recovered by the Argos’ Jack Cassar, setting up the Argos’ offence in a prime scoring situation.

Arbuckle only needed one play to find rookie receiver Kevin Mital, who ran the ball in for the team’s first touchdown of the day. Hajrullahu’s extra point went through at 9:11, putting his team in front 17-10.

The Bombers tried to take any momentum earned on that touchdown away immediately. Arbuckle looked for Damonte Coxie on the sideline, but was picked off by Terrell Bonds, getting the Bombers’ fans in the building up on their feet and lively again. The energy stayed high as Oliveira broke through for a 35-yard gain to the Argos’ 35-yard line. Castillo finished off the quick drive with a 40-yard field goal to make it a 17-13 game at 12:42.

The third quarter closed with a frenetic sequence of events. Haggerty had his punt blocked by Michael Ayers at end of third quarter. Officials called Winnipeg’s Kyrie Wilson for a push in the melee which led to a loose ball interference call, giving Toronto a first down. Two plays later, Arbuckle was intercepted by Jefferson, which got the Bombers to the red zone. With Collaros out of the game momentarily to have a bleeding finger on his throwing hand attended to, Wilson came into the game but was unable to finish the drive. Castillo hit from 23-yards out at 2:23 of the fourth quarter, making it a one-point game, with the Argos up 17-16.

After those unsettling plays, Arbuckle settled in for a poised, eight-play, 68-yard that featured a gutsy seven-yard run, before he capped it with a 17-yard touchdown pass to Dejon Brissett. Hajrullahu’s convert gave the Argos a 24-16 lead over the Bombers at 7:52.

Collaros returned to the game with his hand bandaged, but immediately looked deep on a pass, but was intercepted by DaShaun Amos, who ran the ball back deep into Winnipeg territory. A penalty moved the Argos to the eight-yard line. The Bombers’ defence held and forced Hajrullahu back onto the field, where he sent 14-yard field goal through to put his team up 27-16.

The Argos’ defence looked for the dagger in the game when Robert Priester intercepted Collaros and ran it 61 yards for the score. Hajrullahu’s convert pushed the score to 34-16 at 12:07, as the Argo fans in the building began to celebrate. Linebacker Wynton McManis added to the party as the clock ticked down, pulling in a tipped Collaros pass for the Argos’ fourth pick of the night.

Argos head coach Ryan Dinwiddie got an early Gatorade shower from the Argos’ sideline, with the party getting underway early.

For the Bombers, Brady Oliveira broke the plane with 47 seconds to play, but by that point many of their fans had filed out of the stadium. The Argos’ supporters cheered their team on as the final seconds ticked away, with the players rushing the field to begin a party that will last all week.