Argos' emergency starter Arbuckle named Grey Cup MVP

Toronto Argonauts quarterback Nick Arbuckle was named the Most Valuable Player of the 111th Grey Cup on Sunday.

Argos wideout Dejon Brissett earned Most Outstanding Canadian honors.

Arbuckle completed 26 of 37 passes for 252 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions in the victory. He also added 11 rushing yards.

The 31-year-old's award-winning game will go down as one of the most unlikely and remarkable performances in Grey Cup history. Arbuckle spent the season as one of Toronto's backup QBs but was thrust into the starter's job when Chad Kelly suffered a leg injury in the East final.

Arbuckle, a six-year CFL veteran, joined the Argos in training camp after failing to stick in Ottawa. He had been considering retirement before Toronto called in late May.

"Without my family's faith and my wife's belief in me, and her sacrifices that she's made, and my kids have made ... we never thought that all of this would come," he told TSN's James Duthie. "Like you said, I was a few weeks away from calling it quits when I got this opportunity, and it's unbelievable."

The Georgia State product is the eighth Argos player to win Grey Cup MVP since the award returned to its current format in 1991. Arbuckle is also the club's first QB to claim the honor since Damon Allen in 2004.

Brissett, a native of Mississauga, Ontario, hauled in three receptions for 45 yards and a touchdown and recovered an onside kick on special teams. His 17-yard major in the fourth quarter made it a two-score game and kick-started Toronto's 24-point outburst in the final period.

The 28-year-old is the fifth Argos player to win the Dick Suderman Trophy, joining Mike Vanderjagt, Paul Masotti, Ricky Foley, and Henoc Muamba.