MONTREAL — The Toronto Argonauts battled adversity to advance to the 111th Grey Cup with a win over the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday.
The Argos had to overcome turnovers, an injury to their starting quarterback and a late surge by the Alouettes to come away with a 30-28 win in the Eastern Final.
Toronto scored two non-offensive touchdowns, forced six turnovers and sacked the quarterback four times to punch their ticket to Vancouver. Running back Ka’Deem Carey added 92 yards on 12 carries and receiver Damonte Coxie caught five passes for 105 yards and a major as the two focal points for the Argos offence.
CFL.ca brings you three key stats from the Toronto Argonauts Eastern Final win over the Montreal Alouettes.
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71-YARD TD – JANARION GRANT’S RETURN MAJOR
The Boatmen were struggling to add points on offence all afternoon, but received a big boost from their special teams unit when Janarion Grant took a punt back 71 yards for seven points late in the first half.
The score cut Montreal’s lead to two points (16-14) and shifted momentum towards the visitors.
SIX – TURNOVERS FORCED BY TORONTO’S DEFENCE
Toronto’s defence was the story of the game, forcing six total turnovers, scoring on a pick six and sacking Cody Fajardo four times.
Defensive back Benjie Franklin picked off two balls, taking one all the way to the opposing end zone to add seven more points for the Double Blue. Linebacker Wynton McManis added two forced fumbles of his own to round up a dominant defensive effort for the Argonauts.
73 – PASSING YARDS FOR NICK ARBUCKLE
This might not seem like an impressive stat on a first look, but backup pivot Nick Arbuckle entered the game on a high-pressure situation after the injury to starter Chad Kelly. The backup then proceeded to guide the Argos to a field goal drive that extended the lead back to eight points, before adding a late game-sealing possession after the Alouettes had cut the lead back to two points.
Arbuckle’s performance was pivotal in icing the game and prevent the Alouettes from storming back to win the game.