The Toronto Argonauts lost 24-17 to the BC Lions at BMO Field on Saturday without allowing a touchdown. All 24 BC points came on field goals by Sean Whyte, who went 8-for-8 to set a Lions franchise record. Toronto was stopped at the BC one-yard line on third down with 11 seconds remaining. Nick Arbuckle made his first start of the season in place of Chad Kelly, and head coach Mike Miller said the performance gave his team a chance to win.

“It’s a tough loss. Any loss is tough. Losing by 1 yard or half a yard on the last play is devastating,” Arbuckle said. “I felt like our defense played really well against a high-powered offense and gave us another opportunity there at the end to win it. And the guys played so good. Our O-line did really well. Running backs made plays. All the receivers did incredible.”

The Quarterback Change

Arbuckle found out Friday morning that he was starting in place of Kelly. Miller said he reassesses the roster every day.

“What I do say is I assess it every day. And that’s how it went along the week. Chad and I had a conversation and we felt that was the best thing moving forward into this game. So that was just as I tell you guys, I reassess everybody every day and that’s just how that went,” Miller said.

Miller said he expects Kelly back after the bye week but will continue to reassess him. Arbuckle said he was caught off guard by the switch.

“I was honestly thinking it was going to go the other way. Chad is just such a tough guy and warrior. He’s battled through things like this before where he gets banged up and he’s not able to practice full and take every rep throughout the week. But he always ended up playing. … I was surprised yesterday at 8 AM when I heard it,” Arbuckle said.

Ungerer III Leads the Receivers

David Ungerer III caught all 12 of his targets for 124 yards and a 36-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter. He is one of three Toronto receivers over 1,000 receiving yards this season, along with Damonte Coxie and Tyler Kahmann, who passed the mark in this game. Ungerer III said the transition from Kelly to Arbuckle at quarterback was smooth because of the work the two put in together away from the field.

“Nick makes it so easy for us because he’s just so highly intelligent and he’s such a great teacher. He’s going to be an unbelievable coach one day. The transition from Chad and Nick was not that difficult as far as schematically and being prepared for the game,” Ungerer III said.

Ungerer III also pointed to his history against BC. “Historically, I haven’t played that great against them. Last year when Robert Carter came back or was playing for them, I didn’t play very well, and I know how good of a player he is, how good of a defense they have. So today I was really focused on just being the best version of myself and kind of making up for that, my performance last year. So it felt good to play well against them. But at the end of the day, we need a W,” he said.

Arbuckle confirmed that “Hungry Man” is his nickname for Ungerer III. “That’s my nickname for him. He’s great. He’s my roommate on the road everywhere we go for the past 2 years. My train buddy here in Toronto, after every day after practice to go back home. We spend countless hours together in-season, offseason. I think that chemistry obviously shows up on the field. He’s a student of the game and understands where to find the windows at,” Arbuckle said.

Ungerer III credited the offense as a whole. “Offensive line deserves a massive amount of credit for that because there’s not a single thing that any of us skill players could do without those O-linemen. … Coaches working to put us in spots to be able to make plays, quarterbacks doing what they do. Everybody has a piece into success on the football field, especially on offense,” he said.

Defense Holds BC Without a Touchdown

Toronto’s defense kept the Lions out of the end zone. Safety Bubba Bolden said the unit played well but wanted more. “It was a tough loss, honestly. Defense, we played good. How I look at it, we should have came up with some more stops and helped the team,” Bolden said. Asked whether he is one of the better safeties or the best safety in the CFL, Bolden answered, “100%. 100%.”

Defensive lineman Shawn Lemon said keeping BC out of the end zone was something to build on.

“We played great. They didn’t score a touchdown. That’s one of the best quarterbacks in the CFL. So there’s a lot of good to get from that game. You just take the good and just improve,” Lemon said.

Lemon said the team’s confidence has not wavered. “Confidence is high. We can beat anybody in this league. We just got to come out and get a little bit more better,” he said. Asked about Ottawa, Toronto’s next opponent, Lemon said: “It’s not about Ottawa. It’s about this Argos team getting a little bit better. It’s not about any of our opponents. It’s just about us. Only team that can beat us is ourselves. And unfortunately, we beat ourselves tonight.”

Home Field and the Bye Week

Arbuckle pointed to Toronto’s grass surface. “I think being the only team that plays more than one game on grass helps. It’s a different surface for sure. You see a lot of their guys slipping. … Underneath the dry grass is nothing but mud. … Being able to play on it, knowing how to break, how to cut, how to rush the passer, is important. And I think that gives us an advantage,” he said.

With a bye week ahead, Arbuckle said the timing works in Toronto’s favor. “Having a bye at this point in the season is great. … There’s no way you get through this 18-game marathon without getting quite a few guys injured on the injured list or playing injured. I can’t imagine many people that are playing in their 16th game fully healthy right now. So a bye week right now helps a lot, helps us now push into the playoffs,” he said.

Lemon said the same. “It’s coming at a great time. Rest the body a little bit, get to see your families, just come back and understand what we grinded for when we get back,” he said.

Miller said the coaching staff had not yet turned its attention to the bye or to Ottawa, which Toronto visits on Friday, October 16. “Every thought we had was just going into this game. And now we’ll reassess that moving forward. We haven’t even really gotten that far down. Everything was all about BC,” Miller said.

Watch the Full Videos

Toronto Argonauts: Bubba Bolden | Post Game – October 3, 2026

Toronto Argonauts: Mike Miller | Post Game – October 3, 2026

Toronto Argonauts: David Ungerer III | Post Game – October 3, 2026

Toronto Argonauts: Shawn Lemon | Post Game – October 3, 2026

Toronto Argonauts: Nick Arbuckle | Post Game – October 3, 2026