It looks like coach Bart Andrus is calling for the left-hander.
Stephen Reaves, who did not dress for a Toronto Argonauts game until October, will start Saturday’s season finale against the Montreal Alouettes, according to the Toronto Sun.
The Tampa native saw his first CFL action last week against the Edmonton Eskimos in a 36-10 loss.
Coming in for Kerry Joseph, Reaves went 10-for-16 with 122 yards passing. He threw two interceptions but also completed Toronto’s lone touchdown strike.
“We’re curious,” Argos head coach Andrus said to the Sun on Tuesday. “We thought he showed some things the other night [in relief of Joseph against the Eskimos].
“He’s young, he’s a rookie, he made some mistakes, but he had some promise. It’s a different kind of pressure to start a game rather than coming off the bench.”
His second quarter was sharp, and it was that 15-minute session during which the Argos scored all 10 of their points.
However, Reaves’s second half wasn’t quite as good, throwing for both of his interceptions and ended up being unable to finish the game after taking a big hit while trying to make a tackled following a pick.
Although Montreal has already clinched first place in the East division, they will still prove to be a stiff challenge for the Argos on Saturday.
Since they will have a week off during the semi-finals, scheduled for Nov. 15, the Alouettes will likely want to get a number of their starters in against Toronto to guard against becoming rusty.
“It’s a tough situation team-wise, but I’m excited to get in there and start the game,” Reaves said to the Sun after practice on Tuesday.
“You want to end the year strong because it is the last thing you do. Hopefully it gives me a shot for next year.”
He will become the third quarterback to start a game for Toronto this season, following Joseph and Cody Pickett.
Reaves last started in 2007 with the Southern Mississippi Golden Eagles in college. He started five games that season, completing 62.9 per cent of his passes for 943 yards.
A more concerning stat of his, as was somewhat indicative in the lone bit of CFL action, was Reaves’s eight interceptions against just three touchdowns.
His best single game in college came on Oct. 21, 2007, as he led his Golden Eagles to a 33-24 victory over Marshall.
In that game, Reaves was 23-for-30 with 310 yards passing and a touchdown.
Last season, Reaves was a coaching intern with the Oakland Raiders.
The hope for the Argonauts is that the interest in strategy and knowledge of the game can help him pick up the CFL version faster than some of his American counterparts have.
