Argonauts bemoan three gifted TDs in high-scoring loss at Winnipeg
WINNIPEG — Trey Vaval told himself to relax before playing his seventh CFL game on Friday.
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The Blue Bombers rookie did that in his head, but not with his feet.
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The defensive back from Montana dazzled a sold-out crowd when he returned a kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown and followed up with a 97-yard punt return for a major that helped Winnipeg snap a three-game CFL losing streak with a 40-31 victory over the Toronto Argonauts.
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'(I was like), 'Man, just buy in, just believe and trust God and don't stress,'' Vaval said. 'Cause like, this is a stressful game, especially as a rookie. I'm out there being the returner and I don't want to mess up. I'm carrying the organization in my hands when I have that ball. So, I just kind of relaxed today, trusted my blockers and hit the hole.'
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His first and second touchdowns of the CFL season impressed his teammates and the Argonauts.
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'Defence stepped up for us huge there down the stretch,' said Blue Bombers quarterback Chris Streveler, who started in place of injured Zach Collaros (neck).
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'Special teams, returning two kicks is a massive game-changer. Back and forth all night. We've got to get better, I've' got to get better, but it's ultimately easier to learn from a win than it is a loss.'
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Streveler completed 17 of 21 pass attempts for 173 yards with three interceptions as Winnipeg improved to 4-3. He also ran four times for 25 yards and one touchdown in front of the team's ninth consecutive sellout at Princess Auto Stadium.
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The Argonauts dropped to 2-6.
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'It was huge,' Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said of Vaval's scores. 'We gifted them three touchdowns, two on special teams and then the fumble.
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'We're not playing good enough football to overcome some of that stuff. But we had a chance, just didn't make enough plays. Our special-teams units, we've got to find a way to get better. A lot of missed tackles out there.'
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Nick Arbuckle was 22-of-39 passing for 327 yards with one interception and two TDs for the Argonauts.
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He was disappointed the offence got stopped from the one- and two-yard lines midway through the third quarter and had to settle for a field goal. Running back Khalan Laborn was tripped up by Arbuckle on the second attempt.
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'But we still had chances throughout the game,' Arbuckle said. 'Our defence did such an incredible job giving us opportunities after opportunities to potentially win the game at the end and, unfortunately, we couldn't capitalize.'
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