Toronto Argonauts (2-5) are back in the win column, earning their first home victory of the season with a 31-17 win in a Grey Cup rematch against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3-3) on Saturday night at BMO Field.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Damonte Coxie-Nick Arbuckle connection looked unstoppable \u2014 the Toronto quarterback threw for 316 yards, while Coxie racked up a season-high 145 yards receiving on six receptions.<\/p>\n
Despite seeing his star wide receiver perform like this week in and week out (second overall in yardage league wide) Arbuckle continues to be in awe of what Coxie does on the field.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aHis balance through contact is out of this world, It\u2019s like he\u2019s like an alien out there,\u201d said Arbuckle. \u201cI\u2019ve seen big guys and strong guys who can\u2019t stay up through contact and he\u2019s able to do it somehow, some way.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Argos have had the Blue Bombers\u2019 number over the past two seasons, now winning the last four in a row including three in 2024. This was their first meeting since Toronto\u2019s 41-24 win in the 111th Grey Cup last November in Vancouver.\u00a0<\/p>\n
It hasn\u2019t been the start to the year that the Argos were expecting, to say the least, but head coach Ryan Dinwiddie remains optimistic about the team\u2019s future.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think we grew as a club, and in this locker room those losses can go either way,\u201d said Dinwiddie during his post-game presser. \u201cWe chose to make it a positive break.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverybody thought we were dead to the wolves last week, the way we lost that game. But we found a way to learn from it and build some confidence in it.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
This night couldn\u2019t have gone much worse for the Blue Bombers. The Argos defence held star wide receiver Nic Demski to just one reception and 46 yards \u2014 still enough to extend his streak to 77 straight games with a catch.\u00a0<\/p>\n
To make matters worse, quarterback Zach Collaros would leave the game to start the third quarter due to a neck injury sustained in their week seven matchup against the Calgary Stampeders. Chris Streveler would replace him, throwing for 148 yards and a touchdown pass in the second half.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Argos got off to a quick start in the opening frame. After stopping the Blue Bombers on their first drive, the Boatmen brought out some trickery as Nick Arbuckle tossed it back to wide receiver Janarion Grant, who lobbed it to Damonte Coxie for a gain of 41.\u00a0<\/p>\n
That play led to a 33-yard touchdown for Coxie.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Kicker Lirim Hajrullahu would go on to miss his first convert attempt of the year. He was a perfect 10\/10 prior to the miss.\u00a0<\/p>\n
The Kosovo native had an otherwise impressive game, hitting all six of his field goal attempts. Hajrullahu surpassed 1200 career points on the night.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Argos and Blue Bombers went on to fumble at the end of the first quarter, leading to points for both teams. The rainy conditions clearly affected both teams to start the game, but not for Coxie.<\/p>\n
\u201c\u200aWe just come out there and gotta understand that we can\u2019t control the weather, but we control our effort,\u201d said the star wide receiver.\u00a0<\/p>\n
However, it was all Toronto in the second.<\/p>\n
The Blue Bombers were outscored 16-0, following a touchdown from DaVarius Daniels, as well as three field goals from Hajrullahu. <\/p>\n
Collaros had two interceptions in the first half, including a wild interception where the ball bobbled off a hand, shoulder, and helmet before ultimately landing in the hands of defensive back Benjie Franklin.<\/p>\n
Argos led 25-10 at the half.\u00a0\u00a0<\/p>\n
Although the Blue Bombers outscored the defending Grey Cup champions in the second half, they couldn\u2019t quite close the gap. <\/p>\n
Winnipeg has now lost three games in a row, following back-to-back losses to the Stampeders in weeks five and seven.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Even with the win, Dinwiddie says there\u2019s still a lot the team needs to improve. Despite the Argos breaking out for their longest run of the season \u2013 a 30-yard rush up the middle for running back Khalan Laborn \u2013 the head coach says that it\u2019s still not where he expects the unit to be.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\u201cThe rushing game\u2019s gotta get better,\u201d he said. \u201cI know we had over 100 (yards), but we gotta be more dominant, no question about that.\u201d<\/p>\n
Up next: The Argos will look to keep the momentum going in a rematch against the Blue Bombers on Friday, this time at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
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