Toronto Argonauts get their moment in Labour Day Classic win over Tiger-Cats

HAMILTON—For a moment, it looked like heartbreak was going to strike the Toronto Argonauts once again.

The Hamilton Tiger-Cats took the lead in the Labour Day Classic with just 18 seconds on the clock for Toronto to try and avoid another back-breaking loss.

Then Dejon Brissett made the play that will live in Labour Day lore. A circus catch in double coverage and fortunately for the receiver and the team, there was one second on the clock as his foot touched the sideline.

It's the type of break Argos haven’t been getting this season. Suddenly, with one field goal off the foot of Lirim Hajrullahu, the Argos flipped the script in enemy territory.

“Everything I did was on purpose. Just like it was scripted,” Brissett said after the game as he realized just how close he was to having his heroic moment taken away.

To be fair, if Brissett hadn't stepped out of bounds, he would've probably scored a touchdown as he hit the pylon while diving into the endzone.

For weeks, the Argos have been talking about being better than their record. Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie has repeated the line that this group is tougher than its mistakes show.

Quarterback Nick Arbuckle has insisted the offence has too much firepower to keep coming up empty in the clutch. Monday in Hamilton, those words finally had a scoreboard to back them up.

“I was convinced there were zero seconds left. I was furious,” Arbuckle admitted afterward. And yet, that fury turned to vindication. The quarterback who has worn more than his share of blame this season was the one to put Toronto in position to win it, climbing the pocket, trusting his receivers, and showing the poise of a Grey Cup MVP.

Dinwiddie, for his part, called it a teaching moment—though he’ll probably replay that Brissett sideline sprint in his head for years to come. He even admitted that he's going to hold on to that replay to show others what to do differently in that situation.

“Those guys didn’t bat an eye, and they showed their mental toughness,” he said. “We’re growing, we’re getting there.”

Sometimes, those moments serve as a reminder of just how different things could have looked this season if a few more of those plays had gone their way, especially in the final three minutes.

Up until this point, the Argonauts were 0-6 in games that were decided in the final three minutes. Looking back on those can provide the necessary lessons, but at the same time, you can't take those games back.

As Dinwiddie said, the Argos have shown growth across the board. Spencer Brown has added stability in the backfield with 90 yards rushing and another nine receptions for 64 yards. Jake Herslow and Arbuckle have combined for touchdowns in four straight games, including back-to-back with a pair of touchdown receptions.

It's no secret that during this stretch where the Argos offence has taken off, Arbuckle's numbers have been impressive. As Argos analyst Ben Grant explains, Arbuckle has been putting up elite numbers in games that have been close.

He also went toe-to-toe with a quarterback in Bo Levi Mitchell who was 7-0 on Labour Day and has been a frontrunner for the MOP award since the start of the season.

If Arbuckle keeps this up and the Argos make the playoffs, it'll be tough to leave him out of the conversation. The next six games will certainly have a lot to say about that.

Now, was this victory perfect? No, it wasn't, and it could have been different if that late touchdown by Kenny Lawler proved to be the dagger.

The Argos need to play cleaner football down the stretch if they want to chase down Montreal for second place or hold off whichever team in the West from making the crossover.

There were Tiger-Cats receivers who got free in coverage, and Arbuckle didn't have the cleanest pocket to work with as he had to scramble and move around to avoid pressure.

Surviving in Hamilton, in front of a hostile crowd, is another step in the right direction after their big win over the B.C. Lions. But the road doesn't get any easier as their next three games come against teams that are fighting for their playoff lives in Edmonton, Montreal and B.C.