Argonauts dethrone Blue Bombers to win 1st Grey Cup title since 2017
CBC
A.J. Ouellette and Boris Bede gave the Toronto Argonauts a one-point advantage, then Robbie Smith made it stand up.
Ouellette's five-yard touchdown run in the fourth quarter rallied Toronto to a stirring 24-23 Grey Cup upset of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday night in Regina. Ouellette's second TD of the game came at 11:36 with Bede's convert giving the upstart Argos their slender advantage.
"All I ever wanted is to be great," Muamba told TSN after the game. "I put in the work. The truth is sometimes you don't see the result right away, but if you're persistent enough, consistent enough, it'll happen.
"Eleven years in, so many things have happened over the course of my career, to be able to do it with this group of guys, I'm so elated."
After sacking Collaros on second down, Smith got to the Bombers star again on third down. But he was flagged for a facemask penalty that helped Winnipeg drive to the Toronto 40-yard line.
But the six-foot-two, 245-pound Smith, a third-year player from Wilfrid Laurier, made up for the penalty by blocking Marc Liegghio's 47-yard attempt. Toronto got the ball at its 14-yard line with 43 seconds remaining and was able to run out the clock for the stunning victory.
WATCH | Argonauts take down Blue Bombers for 18th Grey Cup title:
Argos players earned $16,000 for the victory while Bombers players will receive $8,000 apiece. Toronto will celebrate the 18 Grey Cup in franchise history with a public rally Thursday at Maple Leaf Square.
"I've been telling people all year Robbie is an up-and-coming star in this league," said Toronto defensive tackle Ja'Gared Davis, who earned his second CFL title in his sixth straight championship appearance. "If you don't know who he is, you better get to know him.
"We preached to him all year and every game he showed more and more and why he's going to be a household name for years to come."
Smith wasn't Toronto's only unsung hero. Backup quarterback Chad Kelly engineered the five-play, 36-yard drive Ouellette capped. Kelly, the nephew of former NFL star Jim Kelly, replaced veteran McLeod Bethel-Thompson, who suffered a dislocated right thumb.
Kelly delivered a crucial 20-yard run on second-and-15 to the Winnipeg 15-yard line that kept the drive going. The march was set up by Javon Leake's 44-yard punt return to the Bombers' 31 with 6:07 remaining.
"You never expect to have to put your backup quarterback into that situation," said Ryan Dinwiddie, Toronto's second-year head coach. "That second-and-15 scramble... that changed the game right there.
"Now you can see why Chad is so darn confident, he didn't bat an eye. He was ready for the stage."
