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WINNIPEG – Janarion Grant will have a special place in the history of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, but he saw his remarkable achievement on Thursday as a special teams effort.
Grant scored two touchdowns for 76- and 83-yard touchdowns in his CFL debut to give the Bombers exclusive possession of first place in the Western Division with a 26-24 victory over the Calgary Stampeders.
It was only the eighth time in CFL history that a player scored two touchdowns in a kickoff return and the first for a Bombers player.
"Really, it was my teammates," Grant said. "They made the hole for me and I just did the rest. I'm just grateful to them for being able to block for me so that I can reach the end zone. "
Keith Stokes of Montreal was the last to record a pair of deflated TD discs back in 2002. Nobody recorded three.
The Bombers ended a two-game losing streak and broke their record at 6-2 in front of 25,354 fans at IG Field. Calgary (5-3) had a series of three consecutive wins.
Winnipeg quarterback Matt Nichols called the victory "gigantic".
"I can not even tell you how 6-2 is different from 5-3," Nichols said. "To beat a team that we play three times this year, we have a back at the end to end the season with them, which could make the season's series a big difference."
Winnipeg has won seven consecutive home games since last season, making it the longest home streak since the seven players of the 2002 and 2003 seasons.
The Stampeders made it a close match in the final minutes of the game when quarterback Nick Arbuckle came closer to Eric Rogers for an 11-yard touchdown with a time remaining at 2:24. René Paredes was successful in converting Winnipeg 's lead to 26-24.
However, Arbuckle let his finger slip between Winnipeg defenseman Winston Rose 1:24 into the end. Winnipeg moved the ball and overtook the clock.
Winnipeg kicker Justin Medlock scored goals of 27, 23, 55 and 10 yards, plus two converted.
Arbuckle ran in a pair of TD's 13 and 1 yards. Paredes started a 47-yard field goal and made a pair of converts.
Nichols completed 18 of 22 pbad attempts for 177 yards without any touchdowns or interceptions. Arbuckle was 22 of 35 for 260 yards with one touchdown and two selections.
One of Arbuckle's interceptions was a leading-edge attack by Bombers defenseman Marcus Sayles with six seconds left in the first half and a 20-14 lead over Winnipeg.
"When you lose by two, this business figure at the end of the half weighs heavily on you," said Arbuckle.
Winnipeg led 10-7 after the first quarter, 20-14 at half-time and 23-14 after three quarters.
Calgary running back Romar Morris left the game in the second quarter after being attacked by linebacker Adam Bighill.
Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson said he appeared to have torn the Achilles tendon in his left leg. In the West Division final last year, Morris broke the Achilles tendon.
Calgary has now allowed two kick returns for touchdowns in two games this season.
"It's very disappointing," Dickenson said. "You can see them grow … We have to find people who are proud to cover the kicks and make sure the work is done."
Grant entered the Winnipeg squad after an injury and incoherent play from other Winnipeg players.
The 25-year-old Florida native recalled has a punt return and a touchdown kick return for a touchdown at a college match in 2015 when his Rutgers University team played against Arkansas.
Grant used a speed spike to score the 76-yard kick return for a TD at 6:50 of the first quarter, bolstering Winnipeg's lead to 10-0 after a Medlock center placement.
Arbuckle scored a 13-yard TD at 10:56 of the first goal, followed by a one meter run for the third at 2:36 of the second quarter, giving Calgary a lead from 14-10. Sayles was called for a pbad interference in the end zone before the dive.
Grant recorded his return kickoff of 83 yards for a touchdown at 13:22 of the second period to bring him back to 20-14. It was the 16th return kick for a touchdown in the league this season.
After Grant's fumble on a punt, the Stamps recovered on Winnipeg's 22-yard line, but Sayles was intercepted in the end zone.
Medlock scored a 55-yard goal at 3:27 of the third quarter, Paredes managed a 47-yard semi-final at 3:12 of the fourth quarter and Medlock kicked 10 yards at 8:54 after Terry Williams made a Calgary kick and lost the ball.
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