MONTREAL — Nick Arbuckle wore a look of shock, relief and wonder on Saturday evening, in the wake of the Toronto Argonauts’ 30-28 Eastern Final win over the Montreal Alouettes.
Arbuckle, named the starting quarterback for the team in next week’s 111th Grey Cup game moments earlier by head coach Ryan Dinwiddie, had essentially landed the plane for his team after Chad Kelly reportedly broke his tibia on the field and was stretchered to a nearby hospital. TSN’s Dave Naylor reported later in the evening that Kelly would have surgery that night to address the issue.
Arbuckle entered into an already intense playoff game in the wake of a Kelly injury that at least opened the door to a collapse of a finish against their rivals. The 31-year-old six-year vet played it cool when he stepped under centre, making 5-8 passes for 73 yards. Most important, he didn’t lose the ball against an Alouettes’ defence that had to be thinking the fresh-into-the-frying-pan QB might be primed for a turnover. Arbuckle got the Argos out of a pair of second-and-long situations late in the game, helped punch his team’s ticket to its second Grey Cup appearance in three years and through unfortunate circumstances, will be one of the biggest storylines of this coming week.
Here are three ways that Arbuckle and the Argos can make this massive last-minute adjustment work to their favour, as they get set to face the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in the 111th Grey Cup on Sunday, Nov. 17.
2024 CFL PLAYOFFS
» Argos outlast Alouettes to advance to 111th Grey Cup
» Argos’ QB Chad Kelly injures leg; leaves game on stretcher
» Five In A Row: Bombers punch ticket to 111th Grey Cup
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BEEN THERE, DONE THAT
It was the flashback that Ryan Dinwiddie absolutely didn’t want to have in that moment. Watching Kelly collapse to the ground after trying to stand on his injured right leg, Dinwiddie had to have thought back to the 2007 Eastern Final. Dinwiddie was a backup QB with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and saw starting QB Kevin Glenn go down with a broken arm in the fourth quarter. Dinwiddie made his first-ever CFL start in the 95th Grey Cup. The Bombers fell to the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Saskatchewan DB James Johnson recorded three interceptions in the game.
“I trust Nick. I believe in Nick. We didn’t change our game plan when he went in. We were aggressive. Fortunately, Nick’s played in big games,” Dinwiddie said. “That was my first time playing in the Grey Cup. 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.’”
There may be no better coach in the CFL for this very situation than Dinwiddie, who lived it as a player and can translate his experience into making the coming week manageable for Arbuckle.
A DEFENCE AND SPECIAL TEAMS THAT CAN STEP UP
The Argos have been hot through the final third of the season and now through two playoff games, flexing a three-phased attack that’s capable of winning games from a number of angles. That was especially on display in the Eastern Final. When Kelly started slow through the first half, the Argos’ defence went to work, with Benjie Franklin scoring on a pick six to take an early lead as part of what would be a six turnover day for them.
Janarion Grant had been somewhat quiet through the second half of the season, with the four return touchdowns he scored in the first part of the season speaking volumes for what he’s capable of. When an Als’ punt took a strange bounce to create an opening for the incoming Grant, he reminded everyone of just how lethal he can be, especially in playoff games. Grant scooped up that bouncing ball with an orb of defenders around it, found an edge and was gone up the sideline and into the end zone for the touchdown.
Defensive touchdowns and kick or punt return scores are the kinds of things that swing games and in November can live forever in the lore of a championship team. The Argos’ defence had two pick sixes in their Eastern Semi-Final win over Ottawa. Against Montreal, Grant gave them life with a return touchdown. The Argos can confidently head into Sunday’s game knowing that their defence and special teams unit — that includes kicker Liriam Hajruallahu, who was a perfect 3-3 in the Eastern Final — can contribute in a number of ways.
A GOLDEN (OR GREY) OPPORTUNITY
Arbuckle brings a solid resume into this tremendous opportunity. He came into the league in 2018 with the Calgary Stampeders and played well in relief of Bo Levi Mitchell in 2019, winning four of seven games while Mitchell recovered from a shoulder injury. The pandemic altered his opportunity with the Ottawa REDBLACKS and in 2021 with the Argonauts, lost the starting job to veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson. Arbuckle knows the CFL well. His in-game reps and start count are lower than he thought they would be at this point in his career, but there won’t be much that the Blue Bombers will be able to surprise him with on Grey Cup Sunday.
On Friday, Dinwiddie spoke about the importance of Kelly not trying to do too much in the early stages in his highly anticipated playoff rematch with the Als. The messaging this coming week could be the same for Arbuckle. If he plays his game and stays within himself, he can have success. For a player who just a few years ago was touted as the next great backup on his way to being a starter, the 111th Grey Cup will provide the kind of scenario that kids dream about when they’re playing football with their friends.
Arbuckle is thrown into the spotlight this coming week and has the chance to win one game to get a championship. It’s instantly one of the best stories of this Grey Cup.