Bombers, Argos set to clash in 109th Grey Cup at Mosaic Stadium

The CFL will crown its 2022 champion Sunday night at Mosaic Stadium.

After a year filled with highs, lows, touchdowns, turnovers and everything in between, the Grey Cup game will take place between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Toronto Argonauts. Kickoff for the game is set for 5 p.m.

The Bombers are trying to cement their status as a dynasty by winning their third straight Grey Cup title. The last time a team won three in a row was the then-Edmonton Eskimos, who won five in a row (1978-82).

Meanwhile, the Argos are trying to pull off the upset and knock off the CFL’s top team.

A lot of the attention leading up to the game has been on the status of Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros.

Collaros suffered an ankle injury that forced him to leave the West Division final early. His first time practising ahead of the Grey Cup was on Friday.

“I’m ready to go. I’ll be ready to play,” Collaros told reporters Thursday.  “I’ve just been doing what I can to be ready to get out there to play, just listening to the training staff and doing everything I can to prepare to help my team win the game so it has been good.”

Early in his career, Collaros had terrible injury luck and there was a time some people felt his career was over.

But he has bounced back since joining the Bombers, winning the past two Grey Cups as well as back-to-back awards as the CFL’s most outstanding player. During the regular season, Collaros threw for 4,183 yards and 37 touchdowns.

“I’m very grateful to ever be in this moment. This is why you play the game,” said Collaros, who led the Bombers to a league-best 15-3-0 record in the regular season. “I’m just grateful to be here.”

On the other sideline, Argos quarterback McLeod Bethel-Thompson is looking to win his first Grey Cup ring as a starting quarterback. He was the backup to Ricky Ray when the Argos won it in 2017.

Bethel-Thompson threw for a league-high 4,731 yards to go along with 23 touchdowns in the 2022 regular season as the Argos went 11-7-0.

While it would be an accomplishment for Bethel-Thompson to knock off the defending champions, he said getting the Grey Cup ring isn’t why he wants to win on Sunday.

“I am so dedicated and grateful for the opportunity to stand out on the field (Sunday) and watch my brothers raise that trophy and to see that look in their eyes and see the work they have put in to get to that moment. That’s it. It’s not about me,” Bethel-Thompson said.

Another major storyline coming into the game is Argos running back Andrew Harris taking on his former team in the big game. Harris spent five seasons with Winnipeg — playing in his hometown — and was an integral part of the Bombers’ Grey Cup wins in 2019 and 2021.

“It’s an exciting time. This is what you play for and what you get ready for,” Harris said.

Harris, who was allowed to go to free agency by the Bombers and then signed with Toronto, admits it was tough to go so far away from his home.

“Making a sacrifice like that, with my daughter especially, she understood it,” Harris said.

His 14-year-old daughter Hazel is repaying his sacrifice with one of her own.

“She hit me up this week and said, ‘I want to come to the Grey Cup,’ and I’m shocked because she hates being cold, so she is making a sacrifice for me now because she knows how important this was to me,” Harris said.

“We’ve both grown from this and we miss each other like crazy but it’s just telling that she wants to come freeze outside and watch her dad play.”

One player who will try to stop Harris from having a big game is Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill.

While the 34-year-old has three previous Grey Cup titles, he said every one is special.

“Every journey is a little bit different but you can’t discount how special it is to get here,” Bighill said. “(I’m) absolutely pumped to be back and the energy is super high and I can’t wait for (Sunday).”

Bighill expects Harris to run with a chip on his shoulder in the game.

“He’s a great competitor and it’s fun to play against the best so I can’t wait,” Bighill said.

While the Bombers organization is chasing a third straight title, Bighill said the team still views it as its first crack at it since there are some guys who are making their championship game debuts.

“We can use our experience from the previous trips to help these guys understand how special it is to be here. It is not normal to be able to do this all the time,” Bighill said.

A Grey Cup meeting between the two clubs is a rarity, with the last one coming during the 1950 Grey Cup game dubbed the Mud Bowl.

Prior to that game at Toronto’s Varsity Stadium, a large amount of snow fell and the equipment used to clear the field damaged the turf. It also rained during the game, creating less-than-ideal conditions.

Environment Canada is expecting a high of -1 C on Sunday with a mix of sun and cloud but wind gusts up to 50 kilometres per hour.