The Toronto Argonauts (10-8) took on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (11-7) on Sunday night in the 111th Grey Cup from B.C. Place Stadium in Vancouver, British Columbia. This was the ninth time that Toronto and Winnipeg clashed for the Grey Cup trophy.
In the eight previous meetings, Toronto won all eight matchups dating back to 1937. The other years they met in the Grey Cup were 1938, 1942, 1945-47, 1950, and 2022. The last time Toronto and Winnipeg met for the Grey Cup was two years ago when Toronto defensive lineman Robbie Smith blocked Sergio Castillo’s field goal and Toronto beat Winnipeg 24-23. It was Toronto’s 18th championship in franchise history.
The Grey Cup was named after Earl Gray, who was a Governor General of Canada. The University of Toronto won the first Grey Cup in 1909 over the Parkdale Canoe Club.
Toronto was going for number 19, while Winnipeg looked to win its 13th title in history. The Blue Bombers came into this game losing two straight Grey Cup games. Once the festivities were done, it was time to play football.
First Quarter:
Winnipeg got the ball to start the game from their 37-yard line after Lucky Whitehead returned the opening kickoff for 16 yards. Before Winnipeg ran its first play of the game, a procedure penalty on quarterback Zach Collaros backed them up five yards. Collaros completed a three-yard pass to Ontaria Wilson then the drive stalled.
Toronto returner Janarion Grant returned Jamieson Sheahan’s 45-yard punt for a 23-yard return to reach their 53-yard line with 12:53 left. Toronto running back Ka’Deem Carey began the drive with a three-yard run. Six plays later from the Blue Bombers’ 39-yard line, quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed a short pass to Deonta McMahon, who avoided one tackle for a gain of 29 yards reaching the Blue Bombers’ 10-yard line.
Toronto running back Ka’Deem Carey had two carries for 9 yards to face third down. They tried to get Winnipeg to jump but took a procedure penalty and kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 13-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 7:56 left of the first quarter.
On Winnipeg’s next possession, they went two-and-out. Winnipeg punter Jamieson Sheahan punted the ball 50 yards in the direction of Toronto return Janarion Grant. Grant returned the punt for five yards getting tackled on their 25-yard line with 6:43 left.
Toronto running back Ka’Deem Carey began the next drive with a 5-yard run, followed by quarterback Nick Arbuckle throwing a 6-yard pass to Makai Polk to reach their 36-yard line. In the two drives, Arbuckle completed two passes for a loss of 10 yards as Winnipeg’s defense was ready for the screenplays. Winnipeg returned Lucky Whitehead returned a 53-yard punt by John Haggerty for 12 yards to reach their 12-yard line with 3:32 left of the first quarter.
On the second play, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw a 49-yard pass to Ontaria Wilson reaching the Argonauts’ 17-yard line. On the next play, Collaros completed a 7-yard pass to Kevens Clercius, followed by Brady Oliveira’s 7-yard run to reach the Argonauts’ 3-yard line. Then, backup quarterback Terry Wilson scored a 3-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead with one second left to cap off a five-play drive for 67 yards in three and a half minutes.
On the kickoff, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo kicked the ball for 65 yards that went out of bounds and Toronto started its next drive from midfield. On the last play of the first quarter, Nick Arbuckle completed a 5-yard pass to Janarion Grant to reach their 55-yard line.
Winnipeg had 70 yards on offense (59 yards passing, 11 yards rushing), three first downs, 1 for 1 in the red zone, and the team was penalized one time for five yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 3 of 6 passes for 59 yards.
Toronto had 72 yards on offense (44 yards passing, 28 yards rushing), 4 first downs, 0 for 1 in the red zone, and the team was penalized two times for 15 yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 7 of 7 passes for 44 yards.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Nick Arbuckle completed a pass to Damonte Coxie for no gain before John Haggerty punted the ball 37 yards to Lucky Whitehead for a 12-yard return to reach their 30-yard line. In the next two possessions, Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira rushed for five yards then the drive stalled.
Then, Toronto running back Ka’Deem Carey rushed for three yards then their drive stalled. Winnipeg got the ball back with 11:03 left of the second quarter from their 26-yard line after Lucky Whitehead returned a 60-yard punt by John Haggerty for a 17-yard run.
Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira started the next drive with two carries for 21 yards to reach their 30-yard line. Next, quarterback Zach Collaros completed three passes for 55 yards to reach the Argonauts’ 8-yard line. Two plays later, Toronto defensive lineman Robbie Smith sacked Collaros for a four-yard loss then kicker Sergio Castillo made a 20-yard field goal for a 10-3 lead with 6:12 left before halftime.
Toronto began the next drive with a procedure penalty on offensive lineman Gregor MacKellar backing them up five yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle started the drive by completing two passes for 22 yards to reach the Blue Bombers’ 53-yard line. Next, running back Ka’Deem Carey rushed for two yards, followed by Arbuckle completing a 36-yard pass to Damonte Coxie to reach the Blue Bombers’ 15-yard line.
Running back Daniel Adeboboye rushed for two yards then Toronto went backwards. Wide receiver Makai Polk was called for an offsides penalty, followed by Nick Arbuckle getting sacked by Willie Jefferson for a 10-yard loss. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 35-yard field goal and Toronto trailed Winnipeg 10-6 with 2:10 left of the second quarter. He was injured on the field goal holding his right ankle.
On the second play for Winnipeg, quarterback Zach Collaros threw a long pass intended for Keric Wheatfall but Toronto defensive back Benjie Franklin was there to make the interception on their 28-yard line with 1:42 left before halftime.
Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle began the next drive completing 2 of 4 passes for 28 yards to reach the Blue Bombers’ 54-yard line. He would later complete two more passes for 16 yards to reach the Blue Bombers’ 38-yard line then kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 45-yard field goal and Toronto trailed Winnipeg 10-9 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Winnipeg had 148 yards on offense (114 yards passing, 40 yards rushing, 6 yards lost), 6 first downs, 1 for 2 in the red zone, and the team was penalized two times for 15 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 6 of 12 passes (50%) for 114 yards, and one interception.
Running back Brady Oliveira had six carries for 37 yards, and backup quarterback Terry Wilson had one carry for three yards and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson completed four catches for 85 yards, while Kenny Lawler made one catch for 22 yards. Winnipeg’s defense made two tackles for loss and one sack.
Toronto had 171 yards on offense (146 yards passing, 35 yards rushing, 10 yards lost), 9 first downs, 0 for 2 in the red zone, and the team was penalized five times for 35 yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 15 of 18 passes (83%) for 146 yards.
Running back Ka’Deem Carey had 8 carries for 33 yards, while Daniel Adeboboye had one carry for two yards. Wide receiver Makai Polk made three catches for 34 yards, while Deonta McMahon made one catch for 29 yards, and Damonte Coxie made three catches for 29 yards. Toronto’s defense made 13 tackles, one sack, and one interception.
Third Quarter:
Toronto returner Janarion Grant started the third quarter returning a 62-yard kickoff by Sergio Castillo for a gain of 25 yards to reach their 43-yard line. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle began the drive by throwing an 8-yard pass to David Ungerer III, followed by a four-yard run to reach their 55-yard line then the drive stalled.
Toronto punter John Haggerty punted the ball 67 yards into the endzone where Winnipeg returner Lucky Whitehead conceded the single point and the game was tied 10-10 with 12:20 left of the third quarter.
Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira began the drive with a 5-yard run then the drive stalled. Toronto got the ball back on their 8-yard line with 10:58 left. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle started the drive by throwing three consecutive passes for 32 yards to reach their 35-yard line.
Next, running back Ka’Deem Carey rushed for seven yards, followed by Arbuckle completing a six-yard pass to Ka’Deem Carey to reach their 53-yard line. Two plays later, Winnipeg’s defense blitzed Arbuckle with Willie Jefferson forcing the ball out of Arbuckle’s hand but Toronto recovered it on their 46-yard line.
Toronto punter John Haggerty punted the ball 54 yards to Winnipeg returner Lucky Whitehead. Whitehead was not able to make the catch fumbling the ball in the process and it was recovered by Toronto linebacker Frank Sopik on the Blue Bombers’ 17-yard line.
On the first play, Nick Arbuckle completed a short pass to Kevin Mital, who spun around to avoid a tackle before running in for a 17-yard touchdown giving Toronto a 17-10 lead with 5:49 left of the third quarter.
Winnipeg went two-and-out on their next possession. On the first play for Toronto, quarterback Nick Arbuckle’s pass intended for Damonte Coxie was overthrown and intercepted by Terrell Bonds on their 40-yard line.
Running back Brady Oliveira had two carries for 38 yards, including a 35-yard run to reach the Argonauts’ 32-yard line before the drive stalled. Quarterback Zach Collaros’s finger was bleeding during the drive with 2:29 left. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 40-yard field goal and Winnipeg trailed Toronto 17-13 with 1:56 left of the third quarter.
Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed two passes for six yards then the drive stalled. Toronto punter John Haggerty’s punt was blocked by Brandon Alexander and he recovered it. However, Winnipeg was called for illegal interference and Toronto got a fresh set of downs to begin the fourth quarter up 17-13.
Fourth Quarter:
Two plays into the fourth quarter, Toronto quarterback Nick Arbuckle’s pass was intercepted by Willie Jefferson, who ran for four yards before getting tackled on the Argonauts’ 30-yard line. Terry Wilson was the new quarterback for Winnipeg while Collaros was getting his bloody finger taken care of. Winnipeg ended up going two-and-out and kicker Sergio Castillo made a 23-yard field goal and Winnipeg trailed Toronto 17-16 with 12:25 left of the game.
Toronto running back Ka’Deem Carey started the next drive with two carries for 27 yards to reach the Blue Bombers’ 43-yard line. Toronto’s offense moved the ball to the Blue Bombers’ 17-yard line. On the next play, Nick Arbuckle threw a 17-yard touchdown pass to Dejon Brissett for a 24-16 lead with 7:08 left of the game to cap off an eight-play drive for 70 yards.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros’s pass intended for Ontaria Wilson was intercepted by DaShaun Amos and he returned it for 45 yards before getting tackled on the Blue Bombers’ 16-yard line with 6:24 left of the game. Toronto went two-and-out then kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made a 14-yard field goal for a 27-16 lead with 5:10 left of the fourth quarter.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros completed two passes for 22 yards to reach the Argonauts’ 53-yard line. On the next play, Collaros’s pass was intercepted by Robert Priester for a pick-six 61-yard touchdown, which is the second-longest interception return for a touchdown in Grey Cup history. Toronto extended their lead to 34-16 with 3:12 left of the game.
When Winnipeg got the ball back, quarterback Zach Collaros’s pass was intercepted by Wynton McManis for a 58-yard return before he was tripped up on the Blue Bombers’ 4-yard line. Toronto running back Ka’Deem Carey scored the four-yard touchdown for a 41-16 lead with 2:14 left of the game.
Winnipeg got the ball with 2:09 left starting on their 36-yard line. Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball up to the Argonauts’ 1-yard line before running back Brady Oliveira scored the touchdown. They would get the two-point conversion and Winnipeg trailed Toronto 41-24 with 47 seconds left. Toronto backup quarterback Cameron Dukes finished the game taking three kneel downs and the Toronto Argonauts defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 41-24 to win the 111th Grey Cup.
It’s Toronto’s 19th championship in franchise history and Winnipeg has now lost three straight Grey Cup title games. Toronto quarterback was named Grey Cup MVP, and wide receiver Dejon Brissett was named the Grey Cup’s Most Outstanding Canadian. In addition, Toronto scored 27 points off of turnovers.
Final Stats:
Toronto had 322 yards on offense (252 yards passing, 92 yards rushing, 22 yards lost), 20 first downs, 3 for 6 in the red zone, and the team was penalized 10 times for 83 yards. Quarterback Nick Arbuckle completed 26 of 37 passes (70.2%) for 252 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and two carries for 11 yards. Running back Ka’Deem Carey had 15 carries for 79 yards, one touchdown, and three catches for 10 yards.
Wide receiver Dejon Brissett made three catches for 45 yards, and one touchdown, while Makai Polk made four catches for 42 yards. Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu made 4 of 4 field goals with a long of 45 yards. Toronto’s defense made 26 tackles, one sack, five turnovers, four interceptions, one touchdown, and eight tackles on special teams.
Winnipeg had 283 yards on offense (202 yards passing, 87 yards rushing, 6 yards lost), 15 first downs, 2 for 4 in the red zone, and the team was penalized five times for 28 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 15 of 30 passes (50%) for 202 yards, and four interceptions. This is the third year in a row that Collaros did not throw a touchdown in the Grey Cup. Running back Brady Oliveira had 11 carries for 84 yards, one touchdown, and two catches for 18 yards.
Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson made five catches for 99 yards, while Kenny Lawler made two catches for 27 yards. Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made 3 of 3 field goals with a long of 40 yards. Winnipeg’s defense made 46 tackles, three tackles for loss, two sacks, two interceptions, and six tackles on special teams.
