A veteran of six seasons in the CFL, Nick Arbuckle had never thrown a pass in the playoffs before taking the center position in the East Division final on Saturday against the Montreal Alouettes.

Filling in for the injured Chad Kelly, Arbuckle completed five of eight attempts for 73 yards as the Argonauts closed out the Alouettes with a 30-28 victory to secure a trip to the 111th Gray Cup.

The 31-year-old quarterback will have to do a lot more as the Argonauts try to surprise the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday in Vancouver.

Watch the Gray Cup LIVE on Sunday with a preview starting at 1 p.m. ET/10 a.m. PT before kickoff at 6 p.m. ET/3 p.m. PT on TSN, TSN.ca and the TSN app.

Arbuckle joined the Argonauts in May when the team needed depth while Kelly was suspended by the CFL. He spent the first part of the season supporting Cameron Dukes, but saw his playing time increase just before Kelly’s return, moving into the substitute role.

With Toronto’s spot as host of the Eastern semifinal secured, Arbuckle started the team’s final game of the season last month against the Edmonton Elks. He put his skills on display, completing 23 of 32 passes for 378 yards with two touchdowns and an interception as the Argonauts suffered a close 31-30 overtime loss. Those reps could prove invaluable with what little training remains before the Gray Cup.

The start of Sunday’s game marks an unlikely turning point in the career of Arbuckle, who was traded mid-season by the Argonauts in 2021 to the Elks and returned again by Edmonton a year later to the Ottawa Redblacks. He saw limited playing time in 2023 with Ottawa, completing 47 of 78 passes for 461 yards with four interceptions.

He admits that the door to continuing his playing career seemed to close after that.

“In May and April, I didn’t know if I was going to play football again,” Arbuckle said after Saturday’s victory against the Alouettes. The children are better and I’m ready.”

During his career, Arbuckle totaled 7,957 yards with a 67.8 percent completion percentage with 27 touchdowns and 32 interceptions.

The Argonauts are big underdogs at the Gray Cup

Toronto has been buoyed by defense and special teams during its two playoff victories and will need more to help slow down Zach Collaros and the Blue Bombers in the Gray Cup. The Argonauts have scored four touchdowns on turnovers and punt returns this season, and the non-offensive scores will go a long way in helping Arbuckle pull off the upset.

The Argonauts enter Sunday’s game as big Gray Cup underdogs, currently facing a 10.5-point spread in FanDuel while being listed at +390 to win.

Beating the Alouettes, who posted a 12-5-1 CFL record during the regular season, helped boost the Argonauts’ confidence, with Arbuckle saying the game was simply seen as a stepping stone.

“We couldn’t wait to go there and be able to shut everyone up,” Arbuckle said. “This team was right in our way. We didn’t care about trying to win the East final or anything like that. Our goal is before us.