96th Grey Cup
Encyclopedia
The 96th Grey Cup was held in Montreal
, Quebec
at Olympic Stadium
on November 23, 2008. The Eastern Division Champion Montreal Alouettes
hosted the Western Division Champion Calgary Stampeders
. The Stampeders won the game 22-14, with quarterback Henry Burris
winning the MVP award. It was the first time Montreal had hosted the Grey Cup
since 2001
, the first time since the 2002 Grey Cup
that the host city played for the Grey Cup, and the first time since the 58th Grey Cup
in 1970 that the Alouettes and Stampeders had met for the national championship. Hoping to break the record for highest attendance for a Grey Cup game, the organizers expanded Olympic Stadium to almost 70,000 seats. A crowd of 66,308 attended the game, failing to break the record of 68,318
set in 1977, but good enough to be the second-highest attended Grey Cup game of all time. Montreal has now played host to the four largest Grey Cup games in Canadian history.
since they started broadcasting the Grey Cup. In Canada, the game was telecast solely on the cable channel TSN
and its French-language sister network RDS
. Internationally, both Versus
, telecasting in the United States, and Canadian Forces Radio and Television
, broadcasting to Canadian forces internationally, used the TSN feed and graphics.
The game was available in HD on both TSN HD and RDS HD and shown in HD in the United States on Voom HD Networks
's WorldSport. It was also seen online at ESPN360.com.
. Musical events included Porn Flakes, Kellylee Evans, Rock Story, Véronique Labbé, Guy Bélanger, Take the Boys, White Faze, Marc Parent et Wang Dang Doodle, Angel Forrest, Young Soul, and Sylvie Desgroseilliers (Motown Show).
The Montreal Canadiens
' decision to retire the jersey of Patrick Roy
the same weekend caused controversy, as some felt that the hockey team — the city's dominant sports franchise — was trying to take attention away from the Montreal Alouettes and the CFL during their championship game weekend.
, also at the Big O in Montreal (68,318). The attendance was reported at 66,308 during the TSN broadcast of the game. In so doing, the 2008 game displaced the 2001 Grey Cup
, for second-best attendance (65,255 in 2001, also played in Montreal).
Tickets were priced from $84 in the balcony to $274 in the platinum section. Tickets had three pre-sale days, one during the 95th Grey Cup
, one in December and one during Super Bowl XLII
. Regular tickets went on sale in March 2008.
; FGs Sandro DeAngelis
(5); cons., DeAngelis (1).
Montreal Alouettes (14) - TDs, Avon Cobourne
; FGs Damon Duval
(2); single
Duval (1); cons., Duval (1).
First Quarter
Second Quarter
Third Quarter
Fourth Quarter
Calgary
quarterback
, Henry Burris
threw for 328 yards and one touchdown, leading all rushers with 79 yards, while kicker Sandro DeAngelis
kicked five field goals as the Calgary Stampeders
rallied for a 22-14 victory over the Montreal Alouettes
to win the Grey Cup
, in front of the 66,305 Montreal
faithful at Olympic Stadium
.
For his efforts, Henry Burris was named the game's Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player, while kicker Sandro DeAngelis kicked five field goals, connecting from 44, 12, 21, 30 and 50 yards out and took home the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian honours.
The game got off to a slow start with a Damon Duval
14 yard chip shot field goal for Montreal representing all the scoring in the first quarter. The drive was highlighted by a 55-yard completion from Alouettes' quarterback Anthony Calvillo
to Jamel Richardson
. Sandro DeAngelis answered back in the second quarter with a 44-yard field goal to put the Calgary Stampeders back on even terms at 3-3.
However, the Montreal Alouettes responded when Montreal linebacker
, Reggie Hunt
intercepted a Henry Burris pass, giving the Alouettes the ball near midfield. The Alouettes offence drove the ball deep into Calgary territory before running back
, Avon Cobourne
scored the game's first touchdown in the second quarter on a 16-yard run. Then, special teams standout Larry Taylor
gave the Alouettes great field position again with a 42-yard punt return. Duval again stepped in and made good on his 19-yard attempt to extend the Montreal lead to 13-3.
With momentum on the home team's side, the Calgary Stampeders responded late in the first half when Henry Burris threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Brett Ralph
, cutting the Montreal lead to 13-10 heading into halftime and taking momentum away from Montreal.
In the second half of the game, it was all Calgary Stampeders. In the third quarter, Sandro DeAngelis kicked his second field goal of the game to tie the game 13-13. Montreal took a 14-13 lead after Damon Duval added a punt single, but that was all the offence that Montreal was able to muster in the second half of the game.
On Calgary's next possession, Henry Burris put together a 75-yard drive, including runs of 14 and 29 yards for first downs, which led to a short field goal kick from DeAngelis to give Calgary a 16-14 lead.
Montreal's offence started to threaten, but the Calgary defence responded. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Anthony Calvillo was intercecpted by Calgary's Dwight Anderson
that led to another field goal by DeAngelis to give the Stampeders a 19-14 advantage. Then midway through the game, the Alouettes threatened to regain the lead before an errant Calvillo pass was intercepted by Shannon James, which quieted the Olympic Stadium crowd. Sandro DeAngelis then kicked a 50-yard field goal to extend the Calgary lead to eight points and seal their victory, becoming Grey Cup champions for the first time since 2001.
Stampeders wide receiver, Nikolas Lewis chipped in with 11 catches for 122 yards for the Calgary offence, while Montreal's Jamel Richardson led all receivers with 123 yards and Ben Cahoon
was able to catch for 95 yards through the air. However, Anthony Calvillo, who edged out Henry Burris to become the regular season's Most Outstanding Player threw for no touchdowns, got intercepted twice and dropped to a 1-5 record in his Grey Cup appearances.
Jake Ireland
officiated in his 15th Grey Cup game. This also marked his final game as an official after calling 555 games in his 30-year CFL career.
Venue: Canad Inns Stadium
, Winnipeg
, Manitoba
The Edmonton Eskimos
claimed the victory on a cold, windy afternoon at Canad Inns Stadium
before 27,493 spectators by defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
, 29-21 to become the first West Division
team to earn a playoff win as a crossover squad since the CFL
adopted the concept in 1996
.
In the first quarter, Winnipeg would take an early 8-0 lead when quarterback
Kevin Glenn
threw a 78-yard touchdown pass to Romby Bryant
, while kicker
Alexis Serna
earned one point on a missed 23-yard field goal attempt. Before the end of the first quarter, Noel Prefontaine
would kick a 23-yard field goal to make it 8-3 Blue Bombers, which would eventually lead to the Eskimos offensive burst.
The Eskimo charge began in the second quarter after a poor Serna punt into a gusting 30-km/h wind caused a 25-yard return by Tristan Jackson
to the Blue Bombers' 32-yard line, which eventually led to a A.J. Harris 1-yard rushing touchdown to make it a 10-8 Edmonton lead. Two minutes after Edmonton would take the lead, the Blue Bombers would answer back with a touchdown on a Jason Armstead
93-yard punt return, which became a franchise record to give Winnipeg a 15-10 lead, however the Eskimos would eventually take the game over after that point. Right after a 28-yard field goal by Noel Prefontaine, Eskimos' defensive end
Fred Perry would tip and intercept
a Kevin Glenn pass for a 31-yard interception return to give the Eskimos a 20-15 lead, which proved to be the turning point in the game. At the end of the second quarter the Eskimos ended up scoring 18 unanswered points and never looked back.
At the 6 minute mark of the third quarter, A.J. Harris would score his second rushing touchdown of the game, which ended Edmonton's scoring in the game and gave them a 29-15 lead. In the game, Eskimos' quarterback Ricky Ray
effectively used a short passing strategy to finish the game going 27-of-37 for 303 yards with no interceptions and ran for 25 yards. Ray's favourite weapons in the game were running backs A.J. Harris who rushed for 33 yards on 13 carries and made four receptions for 38 yards, while Calvin McCarty
had seven catches for 52 yards. However, the Eskimos defence was the main reason for their victory on Saturday.
Going into the game, the Blue Bomber rushing duo of Fred Reid
and Joe Smith
was touted to give the home team an edge in the game, but neither of them were able to find the end zone after rushing for a combined 119 rushing yards (Reid, 80; Smith, 39). Even when Winnipeg had a promising drive going late in the third, the Eskimo defence were able to snuff it out after Lenny Williams forced Joe Smith to fumble the ball after a 21-yard gain, which was eventually recovered by Edmonton's Jason Goss
. In addition, when Winnipeg had the wind advantage in the fourth quarter they would only manage two Serna field goals to round up their score to 21.
Winnipeg quarterback, Kevin Glenn would only manage 15 completions on 34 attempts for 233 yards and threw for one touchdown and the costly interception to Fred Perry, while Milt Stegall
managed 56 receiving yards on 5 receptions, which could possibly be his final appearance in the CFL.
While the Winnipeg season comes to an end, Edmonton will now head to Montreal
to face their long-time Grey Cup rivals, the Montreal Alouettes
, but this time it is for the right to play in the Grey Cup
.
Venue: Mosaic Stadium, Regina, Saskatchewan
Buck Pierce
and Stefan Logan
lead the BC Lions
to victory on Saturday, defeating the defending Grey Cup champions
, in front of a sold out and ravenous "Rider Nation" crowd at Mosaic Stadium, 33-12 in the West Semi-Final.
On offence, Lions' quarterback
, Buck Pierce completed 23 of 31 passes for 221 yards and threw a 14-yard touchdown
pass to fullback
, Lyle Green
for the game's first touchdown score with just two minutes left in the second quarter. The second Lions' touchdown occurred with just one minute left in the third quarter when quarterback Jarious Jackson
, who would come in on 1-yard situations made a trick play and completed a 31-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
, Geroy Simon
, who was left wide open. In addition, Lions' running back
, Stefan Logan ran for 153 yards on 18 carries in the win.
While the Lions' offence was successful, the same could not be said for the Roughriders who turned over the ball seven times in the game. In addition, quarterback, Michael Bishop
struggled by only completing 14 of 27 passes for only 172 yards and threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball twice. Bishop would eventually be replaced by Darian Durant
after he threw an interception, which led to the third Lions' touchdown on a 54-yard interception return by Ryan Phillips who recorded two two interceptions in the game. Furthermore, running back Wes Cates
only rushed for 23 yards on nine carries, while all the scores for the Roughriders came from field-goals as kicker
, Luca Congi
went four for four in the game.
With the victory, the Lions now head to Calgary
to face the Stampeders
in the West Final.
Two days later, Riders QB Michael Bishop would be placed on waivers.
Venue: Olympic Stadium
, Montreal
, Quebec
Montreal
's wide receiver
, Larry Taylor
was hardly the name on everyone's lips as the CFL's East final got underway on Saturday afternoon, since this game was billed as a showdown between quarterbacks Anthony Calvillo
and Edmonton
's Ricky Ray
, both of whom are regarded as the league's best pivots with the winner playing in the Grey Cup
finals. However, Larry Taylor would rush two punt returns to score two touchdowns and lead the Montreal Alouettes
to a 36-26 win to play in front of their home fans in the 98th Grey Cup.
Although, in the early stages of the game, the Edmonton Eskimos
had the early advantage as they put the opening points on the board using a play that had nothing to do with either quarterback. As Montreal lined up to punt on their own 24, Edmonton lineman, Justin Cooper blew right through a hole that opened when the snapper and right guard blocked opposite directions and there was no one in the backfield to pick up the rush. Cooper almost caught Montreal kicker, Damon Duval
's kick right off the foot, but was still able to deflect the football which eventually bounced into the Montreal end zone in which Cooper would recover for a touchdown to give the Eskimos a 7-0 lead.
After a Damon Duval field goal made it 7-3, Edmonton's Ricky Ray came back with his own drive that led to a Noel Prefontaine
45-yard field goal, which gave Edmonton a 10-3 lead. Prefontaine would eventually would add another field goal kicking a 22-yarder, five minutes into the second quarter for a 13-3 Edmonton lead. However, the Eskimos were unable to generate any momentum with their opening lead. Despite outplaying the hosts for about 21 of the 24 minutes, Edmonton would see their early lead disappear.
Trailing 13-5 after Edmonton surrendered a safety, the Alouettes offence finally got on track as Anthony Calvillo began to get the protection that he is used to from the line that led to a nine-play, 75-yard drive ending in an eight-yard toss off a post pattern to Alouettes' wide receiver, Jamel Richardson
to score the first touchdown of the game for Montreal. Then the Montreal defence would hold the Edmonton offence to a quick two and out, which forced Noel Prefontaine to punt the ball away that landed into the hands of Larry Taylor who was able to get a couple of key blocks and made a nice cut back to run the ball for 62 yards for the touchdown, giving the Alouettes its first lead with 1:07 left in the second quarter. All of a sudden an eight-point Edmonton lead evaporated into a 19-13 Montreal lead heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Montreal offence continued their scoring surge, first on a long, strange drive that included two drops of perfect passes from Anthony Calvillo and seemed to end with a touchdown run by backup quarterback Adrian McPherson
. However, the touchdown was called back due to an inadvertent whistle, but Montreal running back
, Avon Cobourne
would run in to the endzone to give the Alouettes a 26-13 lead. The other key moment in that drive for the Alouettes, was an injury to Eskimos defensive back
, Jason Goss
that forced Edmonton to make a couple of changes to their defensive setup, which the Alouettes offence were able to exploit. Damon Duval would also kick his second field goal of the game to give the Montreal Alouettes a comfortable 29-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Leading 29-13 in the fourth quarter, the Montreal Alouettes would add to their lead when Larry Taylor scored his second punt reception touchdown when he received a Noel Prefontaine punt on the Alouettes 13-yard line after four perfect blocks opened a huge hole up in the middle to give Montreal a 23-point lead. The Eskimos tried to mount a comeback after scoring two touchdowns with the first, being from Ricky Ray who put together a 55-yard passing play for a touchdown to Kelly Campbell
, and then Tristan Jackson
was able to close the gap to 10 points after he scored a touchdown on a long punt return. But a missed two-point conversion would seal the victory for the Montreal Alouettes, despite an Edmonton recovery on an on-side kick that set up a last gasp, which quickly ran out of steam.
Anthony Calvillo finished the day 20-for-32, 295 yards and a touchdown as the Eskimos' defence did a good job of keeping him under control, although, Montreal received a superb 140 yards in total offence from running back, Avon Cobourne, working off a sore ankle, including 52 on the ground. Ricky Ray, meanwhile, tossed the ball an astonishing 49 times (26 receptions for 339 yards and a touchdown) as part of an offensive game plan that simply ignored a running game completely. Already boasting the league's worst ground attack, Edmonton's coaching staff put Ray in a tactical straightjacket by running just three times all game for just three yards.
Venue: McMahon Stadium
, Calgary
, Alberta
The BC Lions
inability to defeat the Calgary Stampeders
in 2008
, continued in the Western Final as the Lions inability to take advantage of numerous offensive opportunities proved to be their undoing as the Calgary Stampeders advanced to the Grey Cup
championship game for the first time in seven years. The Stampeders bend-but-not-break defence limited the BC Lions to six field goals earning a 22-18 win at McMahon Stadium
.
The BC Lions did a great job moving the ball in the first half as they had 229 yards of total offence compared to only Calgary's 89, which was also helped by running back
, Stefan Logan
who was outstanding in the first half, rushing for 94 yards on 13 carries against a Stampeder defence that was specifically designed to stop the run. However, the BC Lions were not able to finish, which would come back to hurt them before halftime.
Already leading 3-0, Lions quarterback
, Buck Pierce
led his club on a long first-quarter drive that should have produced a touchdown, but a hard throw into the end zone bounced in and out of receiver, Ryan Grice-Mullen
's hands that resulted in a 30-yard field goal by Paul McCallum
, to increase the Lions lead to 6-0. After another Calgary punt, the BC Lions put together another impressive offensive drive that was highlighted by a 12-yard run from backup quarterback, Jarious Jackson
, who was in for one play and was complemented with nice receptions by receivers, Jason Clermont
and Geroy Simon
. But the Stampeders defence again stood their ground and the Lions would take another McCallum (35-yarder) field goal to increase their lead, 9-0. After giving up a safety, the BC Lions put another impressive offensive drive as Buck Pierce had a favourable situation with a first down on the Calgary 23 yard line. However, after a Stefan Logan three-yard run and an overthrow in the end zone for Jason Clermont, McCallum had to come in to kick his fourth field goal of the first half for a 12-2 Lions lead.
With one minute remaining in the second quarter, Stampeders quarterback, Henry Burris
, would put together a quick five-play drive that resulted in a touchdown pass to receiver, Ken-Yon Rambo
who pulled the ball in behind Lions cornerback, Dante Marsh
with nine seconds left on the clock to cut the lead to 12-9 into halftime and giving Calgary the momentum.
In the third quarter, the BC Lions again threatened to score a touchdown to increase their lead, however, Calgary's defensive end, Mike Labinjo
made two consecutive tackles on the goal line to prevent a Lions touchdown early in the second half, which caused Paul McCallum to kick a 12-yard field goal, his fifth of the game to make it 15-9, Lions. However, Calgary kicker, Sandro DeAngelis
would kick two field goals in the third quarter to tie the game 15-15, heading into the fourth quarter.
The Stampeders would build on that momentum, when quarterback, Henry Burris and the Calgary offence would put together an eight-play drive in the fourth quarter that was capped by Burris's one-yard touchdown run at 11:57 to give the Stampeders its first lead of the game, 22-15. A few minutes later, Paul McCallum would kick his sixth field goal of the game from 30 yards to cut Calgary's lead to four points, but the Lions would not be able to score anymore points as they were held in check for the remainder of the game by the Stampeders' stellar defence, especially cornerback, Brandon Browner
who intercepted a Buck Pierce pass with 1:19 remaining in the game. However, the star of the game was Mike Labinjo, who not only made two key tackles to prevent a BC Lions touchdown in the third quarter, but he recorded two sacks and forced a fumble in the game.
Although Lions' quarterback, Buck Pierce started strong and completed 16-of-29 passes for 262 yards, his inability to get a touchdown for the Lions' offence proved to be costly, especially throwing an interception at the late stages of the game. His counterpart and finalist for this year's most outstanding player award
, Henry Burris had a slow start in the first half and threw for one interception, as well, but was able to bounce back and complete 17-of-27 passes for 236 yards and was able to throw one touchdown completion and rushed in for the winning touchdown that proved to be the difference in the game.
With the win, the Calgary Stampeders will head to Montreal
and play against the hometown, Montreal Alouettes
for the chance to win their sixth Grey Cup in team history.
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
at Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...
on November 23, 2008. The Eastern Division Champion Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
hosted the Western Division Champion Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
. The Stampeders won the game 22-14, with quarterback Henry Burris
Henry Burris
Henry Burris, Jr. is a professional Canadian and former American football player. Burris plays the quarterback position with the Canadian Football League Calgary Stampeders. Burris spent one year as a reserve quarterback for the National Football League's Chicago Bears...
winning the MVP award. It was the first time Montreal had hosted the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
since 2001
89th Grey Cup
The 89th Grey Cup was held in 2001 in Montreal. The Calgary Stampeders claimed their fifth championship in team history with a 27-19 win over the East Division champions and heavily favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers....
, the first time since the 2002 Grey Cup
90th Grey Cup
The 90th Grey Cup was the 2002 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes on November 24 at Commonwealth Stadium, in Edmonton, Alberta...
that the host city played for the Grey Cup, and the first time since the 58th Grey Cup
58th Grey Cup
The 58th Grey Cup was played on November 28, 1970 before 32,669 fans at Exhibition Stadium at Toronto. The Montreal Alouettes defeated the Calgary Stampeders 23 to 10...
in 1970 that the Alouettes and Stampeders had met for the national championship. Hoping to break the record for highest attendance for a Grey Cup game, the organizers expanded Olympic Stadium to almost 70,000 seats. A crowd of 66,308 attended the game, failing to break the record of 68,318
CFL attendance
To date, a CFL game has drawn in excess of 50,000 spectators 107 times. It happened for the first six times in 1976, when Toronto's Exhibition Stadium was renovated to accommodate the Toronto Blue Jays, and its capacity was enlarged to become the first stadium capable of holding such a large crowd...
set in 1977, but good enough to be the second-highest attended Grey Cup game of all time. Montreal has now played host to the four largest Grey Cup games in Canadian history.
Broadcast
This was the first Grey Cup not to be broadcast on CBC TelevisionCBC Television
CBC Television is a Canadian television network owned by the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, the national public broadcaster.Although the CBC is supported by public funding, the television network supplements this funding with commercial advertising revenue, in contrast to CBC Radio which are...
since they started broadcasting the Grey Cup. In Canada, the game was telecast solely on the cable channel TSN
The Sports Network
The Sports Network, commonly abbreviated as TSN, is a Canadian English language Category C specialty channel and is Canada's leading English language sports TV channel. TSN premiered in 1984, in the first group of Canadian specialty cable channels...
and its French-language sister network RDS
Réseau des sports
Réseau des sports , is a Canadian French language Category C specialty channel showing sports and sport-related shows. It is available in 2.5 million homes, and is owned by CTV Specialty Television Inc....
. Internationally, both Versus
Versus (TV channel)
Versus is a sports-oriented cable television channel in the United States. It was previously known as Outdoor Life Network and was launched on July 1, 1995, focusing on fishing, hunting, and other outdoor sports...
, telecasting in the United States, and Canadian Forces Radio and Television
Canadian Forces Radio and Television
English: Canadian Forces Radio and Television , French: Radiotélévision des Forces canadiennes , is a television and radio network system broadcast by satellite to those members of the Canadian Forces ground forces who are serving overseas in places such as the Middle East, Africa and Europe and,...
, broadcasting to Canadian forces internationally, used the TSN feed and graphics.
The game was available in HD on both TSN HD and RDS HD and shown in HD in the United States on Voom HD Networks
Voom
Voom HD Networks was a group of 15 original high-definition television channels owned by Rainbow Media, a subsidiary of Cablevision. The channels were produced in true High Definition with Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound and were the largest suite of HD channels in the world...
's WorldSport. It was also seen online at ESPN360.com.
Events
Much like in 2001, there was a Grey Cup Village at the Dorchester SquareDorchester Square
Dorchester Square is a large urban square in downtown Montreal. Together with Place du Canada, the area is just over 21,000 m2 or 2.1 ha of manicured and protected urban parkland bordered by René Lévesque Boulevard to the south, Peel Street to the west, Metcalfe to the east and Dominion Square to...
. Musical events included Porn Flakes, Kellylee Evans, Rock Story, Véronique Labbé, Guy Bélanger, Take the Boys, White Faze, Marc Parent et Wang Dang Doodle, Angel Forrest, Young Soul, and Sylvie Desgroseilliers (Motown Show).
The Montreal Canadiens
Montreal Canadiens
The Montreal Canadiens are a professional ice hockey team based in Montreal, Quebec, Canada. They are members of the Northeast Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . The club is officially known as ...
' decision to retire the jersey of Patrick Roy
Patrick Roy
Patrick Edward Armand Roy is a former Canadian ice hockey goaltender. Nicknamed "Saint Patrick," Roy split his professional career between the Montreal Canadiens, whom he played with for 10 years, and the Colorado Avalanche, whom he played with for 8 years, both of the National Hockey League...
the same weekend caused controversy, as some felt that the hockey team — the city's dominant sports franchise — was trying to take attention away from the Montreal Alouettes and the CFL during their championship game weekend.
Attendance
The organizers of the 96th Grey Cup hoped to break the 70,000 attendance mark. The current record for highest attendance was set at the 1977 Grey Cup65th Grey Cup
The 65th Grey Cup, played on November 27, 1977 and also known as The Ice Bowl, was the 1977 Grey Cup Canadian Football League championship final between the Montreal Alouettes and the Edmonton Eskimos...
, also at the Big O in Montreal (68,318). The attendance was reported at 66,308 during the TSN broadcast of the game. In so doing, the 2008 game displaced the 2001 Grey Cup
89th Grey Cup
The 89th Grey Cup was held in 2001 in Montreal. The Calgary Stampeders claimed their fifth championship in team history with a 27-19 win over the East Division champions and heavily favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers....
, for second-best attendance (65,255 in 2001, also played in Montreal).
Tickets were priced from $84 in the balcony to $274 in the platinum section. Tickets had three pre-sale days, one during the 95th Grey Cup
95th Grey Cup
The 95th Grey Cup was held in Toronto at the Rogers Centre on November 25, 2007. The Grey Cup, first awarded in 1909, is the championship game of the Canadian Football League. It was played between the Saskatchewan Roughriders and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, with the Roughriders winning 23-19...
, one in December and one during Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII
Super Bowl XLII was an American football game on February 3, 2008 that featured the National Football Conference champion New York Giants and the American Football Conference champion New England Patriots to decide the National Football League champion for the 2007 season...
. Regular tickets went on sale in March 2008.
Game summary
Calgary Stampeders (22) - TDs, Brett RalphBrett Ralph
Brett Ralph is a former professional Canadian football receiver, who most recently played with the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders. He is the younger brother of fellow CFL receiver Brock Ralph....
; FGs Sandro DeAngelis
Sandro DeAngelis
Sandro DeAngelis is a gridiron football placekicker with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He has also been a member of the Calgary Stampeders and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. DeAngelis is the most accurate kicker in CFL history and he won his first Grey Cup championship with the...
(5); cons., DeAngelis (1).
Montreal Alouettes (14) - TDs, Avon Cobourne
Avon Cobourne
Avon Cobourne is a football running back in the Canadian Football League. He currently plays for the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats...
; FGs Damon Duval
Damon Duval
Damon Duval is a professional Kicker and Punter for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. Raised by his mother, Cynthia, Damon attended Central High School in Harrison, Tennessee. At age 13, he played professional soccer in the United States Indoor Soccer League as a Striker for...
(2); single
Single (football)
In Canadian football, a single is awarded when the ball is kicked into the end zone by any legal means, other than a successful field goal, and the receiving team does not return, or kick, the ball out of its end zone...
Duval (1); cons., Duval (1).
First Quarter
- MTL – FG Duval 14-yard field goal (10:45)
Second Quarter
- CGY – FG DeAngelis 44-yard field goal (14:08)
- MTL – TD Cobourne 16-yard run (8:05) (Duval convert)
- MTL – FG Duval 19-yard field goal (3:11)
- CGY – TD Ralph 20-yard pass from Burris (1:08) (DeAngelis convert)
Third Quarter
- CGY – FG DeAngelis 12-yard field goal (5:53)
- MTL – Single Duval 63-yard kick went out-of-bounds 9 yards deep in end zone
- CGY – FG DeAngelis 21-yard field goal (0:10)
Fourth Quarter
- CGY – FG DeAngelis 30-yard field goal (12:34)
- CGY – FG DeAngelis 50-yard field goal (4:34)
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, Henry Burris
Henry Burris
Henry Burris, Jr. is a professional Canadian and former American football player. Burris plays the quarterback position with the Canadian Football League Calgary Stampeders. Burris spent one year as a reserve quarterback for the National Football League's Chicago Bears...
threw for 328 yards and one touchdown, leading all rushers with 79 yards, while kicker Sandro DeAngelis
Sandro DeAngelis
Sandro DeAngelis is a gridiron football placekicker with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He has also been a member of the Calgary Stampeders and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. DeAngelis is the most accurate kicker in CFL history and he won his first Grey Cup championship with the...
kicked five field goals as the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
rallied for a 22-14 victory over the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
to win the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
, in front of the 66,305 Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
faithful at Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...
.
For his efforts, Henry Burris was named the game's Grey Cup's Most Valuable Player, while kicker Sandro DeAngelis kicked five field goals, connecting from 44, 12, 21, 30 and 50 yards out and took home the Grey Cup's Most Valuable Canadian honours.
The game got off to a slow start with a Damon Duval
Damon Duval
Damon Duval is a professional Kicker and Punter for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. Raised by his mother, Cynthia, Damon attended Central High School in Harrison, Tennessee. At age 13, he played professional soccer in the United States Indoor Soccer League as a Striker for...
14 yard chip shot field goal for Montreal representing all the scoring in the first quarter. The drive was highlighted by a 55-yard completion from Alouettes' quarterback Anthony Calvillo
Anthony Calvillo
Anthony Calvillo is a Canadian Football League quarterback, currently playing for the Montreal Alouettes. He is the all-time professional football passing yards leader and first in all-time CFL passing yards...
to Jamel Richardson
Jamel Richardson
Jamel Richardson is a Canadian football slotback for the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. Richardson attended Corcoran High School before he was a two year All-Foothill Conference in Basketball and All-American in Football at Victor Valley College where he led the state in receptions and...
. Sandro DeAngelis answered back in the second quarter with a 44-yard field goal to put the Calgary Stampeders back on even terms at 3-3.
However, the Montreal Alouettes responded when Montreal linebacker
Linebacker
A linebacker is a position in American football that was invented by football coach Fielding H. Yost of the University of Michigan. Linebackers are members of the defensive team, and line up approximately three to five yards behind the line of scrimmage, behind the defensive linemen...
, Reggie Hunt
Reggie Hunt
Reggie Hunt is a retired former professional gridiron football linebacker. He most recently played for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Scottish Claymores as a street free agent in 2001...
intercepted a Henry Burris pass, giving the Alouettes the ball near midfield. The Alouettes offence drove the ball deep into Calgary territory before running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, Avon Cobourne
Avon Cobourne
Avon Cobourne is a football running back in the Canadian Football League. He currently plays for the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats...
scored the game's first touchdown in the second quarter on a 16-yard run. Then, special teams standout Larry Taylor
Larry Taylor
Larry Taylor is an American bass guitarist, best known for his work as a member of Canned Heat from 1967. Before joining Canned Heat he had been a session bassist for The Monkees and Jerry Lee Lewis...
gave the Alouettes great field position again with a 42-yard punt return. Duval again stepped in and made good on his 19-yard attempt to extend the Montreal lead to 13-3.
With momentum on the home team's side, the Calgary Stampeders responded late in the first half when Henry Burris threw a 20-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
Brett Ralph
Brett Ralph
Brett Ralph is a former professional Canadian football receiver, who most recently played with the Canadian Football League's Calgary Stampeders. He is the younger brother of fellow CFL receiver Brock Ralph....
, cutting the Montreal lead to 13-10 heading into halftime and taking momentum away from Montreal.
In the second half of the game, it was all Calgary Stampeders. In the third quarter, Sandro DeAngelis kicked his second field goal of the game to tie the game 13-13. Montreal took a 14-13 lead after Damon Duval added a punt single, but that was all the offence that Montreal was able to muster in the second half of the game.
On Calgary's next possession, Henry Burris put together a 75-yard drive, including runs of 14 and 29 yards for first downs, which led to a short field goal kick from DeAngelis to give Calgary a 16-14 lead.
Montreal's offence started to threaten, but the Calgary defence responded. On the first play of the fourth quarter, Anthony Calvillo was intercecpted by Calgary's Dwight Anderson
Dwight Anderson
Dwight Anthony Anderson is an American former professional basketball player.-Early years:Anderson graduated from Roth High School in Dayton. He played for the University of Kentucky 1978-1980, scoring 13 PPG on 50FG%...
that led to another field goal by DeAngelis to give the Stampeders a 19-14 advantage. Then midway through the game, the Alouettes threatened to regain the lead before an errant Calvillo pass was intercepted by Shannon James, which quieted the Olympic Stadium crowd. Sandro DeAngelis then kicked a 50-yard field goal to extend the Calgary lead to eight points and seal their victory, becoming Grey Cup champions for the first time since 2001.
Stampeders wide receiver, Nikolas Lewis chipped in with 11 catches for 122 yards for the Calgary offence, while Montreal's Jamel Richardson led all receivers with 123 yards and Ben Cahoon
Ben Cahoon
Ben Cahoon is a former professional Canadian football slotback in the Canadian Football League who spent his entire career with the Montreal Alouettes...
was able to catch for 95 yards through the air. However, Anthony Calvillo, who edged out Henry Burris to become the regular season's Most Outstanding Player threw for no touchdowns, got intercepted twice and dropped to a 1-5 record in his Grey Cup appearances.
Notable game facts
RefereeOfficial (Canadian football)
An official in Canadian football is a person who has responsibility in enforcing the rules and maintaining the order of the game.-Equipment:Canadian football officials generally use the following equipment:...
Jake Ireland
Jake Ireland
John "Jake" Ireland is a former referee in the Canadian Football League, who wore uniform number 62, and current lead replay official for the league's instant replay command centre.-Life:...
officiated in his 15th Grey Cup game. This also marked his final game as an official after calling 555 games in his 30-year CFL career.
East Semi-Final
Date and time: Saturday, November 8, 12:00 PM Central Standard TimeVenue: Canad Inns Stadium
Canad Inns Stadium
Canad Inns Stadium is a Canadian football stadium located north of Polo Park Shopping Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Stadium, named for hotel chain Canad Inns, and originally completed in 1953, seats 29,533 for football...
, Winnipeg
Winnipeg
Winnipeg is the capital and largest city of Manitoba, Canada, and is the primary municipality of the Winnipeg Capital Region, with more than half of Manitoba's population. It is located near the longitudinal centre of North America, at the confluence of the Red and Assiniboine Rivers .The name...
, Manitoba
Manitoba
Manitoba is a Canadian prairie province with an area of . The province has over 110,000 lakes and has a largely continental climate because of its flat topography. Agriculture, mostly concentrated in the fertile southern and western parts of the province, is vital to the province's economy; other...
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Eskimos Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895... |
3 | 18 | 8 | 0 | 29 |
| Winnipeg Blue Bombers Winnipeg Blue Bombers The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded... |
8 | 7 | 0 | 6 | 21 |
The Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
claimed the victory on a cold, windy afternoon at Canad Inns Stadium
Canad Inns Stadium
Canad Inns Stadium is a Canadian football stadium located north of Polo Park Shopping Centre in Winnipeg, Manitoba. The Stadium, named for hotel chain Canad Inns, and originally completed in 1953, seats 29,533 for football...
before 27,493 spectators by defeating the Winnipeg Blue Bombers
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are a Canadian football team based in Winnipeg, Manitoba. They are currently members of the East Division of the Canadian Football League . They play their home games at Canad Inns Stadium, and plan to move to a new stadium for the 2012 season.The Blue Bombers were founded...
, 29-21 to become the first West Division
Canadian Football League West Division
The West Division is one of the two regional divisions of the Canadian Football League. Although the CFL was not founded until 1958, the West Division and its clubs are descended from earlier leagues.-Pre-1936:...
team to earn a playoff win as a crossover squad since the CFL
Canadian Football League
The Canadian Football League or CFL is a professional sports league located in Canada. The CFL is the highest level of competition in Canadian football, a form of gridiron football closely related to American football....
adopted the concept in 1996
1996 CFL season
The 1996 Canadian Football League season is considered to be the 43rd season in modern-day Canadian football, although it is officially the 39th Canadian Football League season.-CFL News in 1996:...
.
In the first quarter, Winnipeg would take an early 8-0 lead when quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
Kevin Glenn
Kevin Glenn
Kevin Glenn, Jr. is a professional Canadian football quarterback for the Hamilton Tiger-Cats of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Saskatchewan Roughriders as an undrafted free agent in 2001...
threw a 78-yard touchdown pass to Romby Bryant
Romby Bryant
Romby Bryant is a Canadian football wide receiver for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Arizona Cardinals as an undrafted free agent in 2004. He played college football at Tulsa...
, while kicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
Alexis Serna
Alexis Serna
Alexis Serna is a free agent placekicker and punter in the Canadian Football League. He graduated from A. B. Miller High School in Fontana, California. He was the starting placekicker and punter for the Oregon State University football team, the Oregon State Beavers, from 2004-2007...
earned one point on a missed 23-yard field goal attempt. Before the end of the first quarter, Noel Prefontaine
Noel Prefontaine
Noel Prefontaine is a professional Canadian football punter / kicker with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.- Early years :...
would kick a 23-yard field goal to make it 8-3 Blue Bombers, which would eventually lead to the Eskimos offensive burst.
The Eskimo charge began in the second quarter after a poor Serna punt into a gusting 30-km/h wind caused a 25-yard return by Tristan Jackson
Tristan Jackson
Tristan Jackson is a professional Canadian football defensive back for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He was signed as a street free agent by the Eskimos in 2008. He played college football for the Central Arkansas Bears...
to the Blue Bombers' 32-yard line, which eventually led to a A.J. Harris 1-yard rushing touchdown to make it a 10-8 Edmonton lead. Two minutes after Edmonton would take the lead, the Blue Bombers would answer back with a touchdown on a Jason Armstead
Jason Armstead
Jason Armstead is a professional Canadian football and American football kick returner and wide receiver for the Edmonton Eskimos in the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Pittsburgh Steelers as an undrafted free agent in 2003...
93-yard punt return, which became a franchise record to give Winnipeg a 15-10 lead, however the Eskimos would eventually take the game over after that point. Right after a 28-yard field goal by Noel Prefontaine, Eskimos' defensive end
Defensive end
Defensive end is the name of a defensive position in the sport of American and Canadian football.This position has designated the players at each end of the defensive line, but changes in formations have substantially changed how the position is played over the years...
Fred Perry would tip and intercept
Intercept
Intercept may refer to:*X-intercept, the point where a line crosses the x-axis*Y-intercept, the point where a line crosses the y-axis*Interception *The Mona Intercept, a 1980 thriller novel by Donald Hamilton...
a Kevin Glenn pass for a 31-yard interception return to give the Eskimos a 20-15 lead, which proved to be the turning point in the game. At the end of the second quarter the Eskimos ended up scoring 18 unanswered points and never looked back.
At the 6 minute mark of the third quarter, A.J. Harris would score his second rushing touchdown of the game, which ended Edmonton's scoring in the game and gave them a 29-15 lead. In the game, Eskimos' quarterback Ricky Ray
Ricky Ray
Ricky Ray is a Canadian and American football quarterback who has played in the Canadian Football League and af2, as well as spending time on a roster in the National Football League...
effectively used a short passing strategy to finish the game going 27-of-37 for 303 yards with no interceptions and ran for 25 yards. Ray's favourite weapons in the game were running backs A.J. Harris who rushed for 33 yards on 13 carries and made four receptions for 38 yards, while Calvin McCarty
Calvin McCarty
Calvin McCarty is a professional Canadian football running back for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted by the Eskimos in the fourth round of the 2007 CFL Draft. He played college football for the Western Washington Vikings....
had seven catches for 52 yards. However, the Eskimos defence was the main reason for their victory on Saturday.
Going into the game, the Blue Bomber rushing duo of Fred Reid
Fred Reid (Canadian football)
Fred Reid is a Canadian football running back for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. He was originally signed by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers as an undrafted free agent in 2005...
and Joe Smith
Joe Smith (football player)
Joseph O’Brien "Joe" Smith is a professional football player in the Canadian Football League who is a free agent. Smith plays the running back position...
was touted to give the home team an edge in the game, but neither of them were able to find the end zone after rushing for a combined 119 rushing yards (Reid, 80; Smith, 39). Even when Winnipeg had a promising drive going late in the third, the Eskimo defence were able to snuff it out after Lenny Williams forced Joe Smith to fumble the ball after a 21-yard gain, which was eventually recovered by Edmonton's Jason Goss
Jason Goss
Jason Goss is a Canadian football defensive back who is currently a free agent. He was most recently with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He has played five seasons in the CFL and was named CFL All-Star in 2008.Goss was released by the Eskimos on December 16, 2010.-References:...
. In addition, when Winnipeg had the wind advantage in the fourth quarter they would only manage two Serna field goals to round up their score to 21.
Winnipeg quarterback, Kevin Glenn would only manage 15 completions on 34 attempts for 233 yards and threw for one touchdown and the costly interception to Fred Perry, while Milt Stegall
Milt Stegall
Milton Eugene Stegall is a retired professional gridiron football player who played 17 years of professional football, three years in the National Football League with the Cincinnati Bengals and 14 years in the Canadian Football League with the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.Stegall was an All-Star...
managed 56 receiving yards on 5 receptions, which could possibly be his final appearance in the CFL.
While the Winnipeg season comes to an end, Edmonton will now head to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
to face their long-time Grey Cup rivals, the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
, but this time it is for the right to play in the Grey Cup
James S. Dixon Trophy
The James S. Dixon Trophy is a Canadian Football League trophy, formerly awarded to the East Division champions. The winner of this trophy faced the winner of the N. J. Taylor Trophy for the Grey Cup. Both the James S. Dixon Trophy and N. J. Taylor Trophy were retired in 2004.The Dixon Trophy was...
.
West Semi-Final
Date and time: Saturday, November 8, 3:30 PM Central Standard TimeVenue: Mosaic Stadium, Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina, Saskatchewan
Regina is the capital city of the Canadian province of Saskatchewan. The city is the second-largest in the province and a cultural and commercial centre for southern Saskatchewan. It is governed by Regina City Council. Regina is the cathedral city of the Roman Catholic and Romanian Orthodox...
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC Lions BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954... |
7 | 9 | 10 | 7 | 33 |
| Saskatchewan Roughriders Saskatchewan Roughriders The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor... |
0 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 12 |
Buck Pierce
Buck Pierce
Buck James Pierce is a professional Canadian football quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. Pierce signed with the Blue Bombers for the 2010 CFL season after he was released by the BC Lions, the team he spent the first five years of his professional career with...
and Stefan Logan
Stefan Logan
Stefan Logan is a wide receiver, running back and return specialist for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2007...
lead the BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
to victory on Saturday, defeating the defending Grey Cup champions
Saskatchewan Roughriders
The Saskatchewan Roughriders are a Canadian Football League team based in Regina, Saskatchewan. They were founded in 1910. They play their home games at 2940 10th Avenue in Regina, which has been the team's home base for its entire history, even prior to the construction of Mosaic Stadium at Taylor...
, in front of a sold out and ravenous "Rider Nation" crowd at Mosaic Stadium, 33-12 in the West Semi-Final.
On offence, Lions' quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, Buck Pierce completed 23 of 31 passes for 221 yards and threw a 14-yard touchdown
Touchdown
A touchdown is a means of scoring in American and Canadian football. Whether running, passing, returning a kickoff or punt, or recovering a turnover, a team scores a touchdown by advancing the ball into the opponent's end zone.-Description:...
pass to fullback
Fullback (American football)
A fullback is a position in the offensive backfield in American and Canadian football, and is one of the two running back positions along with the halfback...
, Lyle Green
Lyle Green
Lyle Green is a gridiron football fullback who is a free agent. He most recently played for the BC Lions.Green went to the University of Toledo. With the Lions he is number 28...
for the game's first touchdown score with just two minutes left in the second quarter. The second Lions' touchdown occurred with just one minute left in the third quarter when quarterback Jarious Jackson
Jarious Jackson
Jarious K. Jackson is an American and Canadian football quarterback who is currently playing for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League.-High school:...
, who would come in on 1-yard situations made a trick play and completed a 31-yard touchdown pass to wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, Geroy Simon
Geroy Simon
Geroy Simon is a professional Canadian football slotback with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League...
, who was left wide open. In addition, Lions' running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, Stefan Logan ran for 153 yards on 18 carries in the win.
While the Lions' offence was successful, the same could not be said for the Roughriders who turned over the ball seven times in the game. In addition, quarterback, Michael Bishop
Michael Bishop (football player)
Michael Paul Bishop is a professional football quarterback who is currently on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Practice Squad. He was drafted in the seventh round of the 1999 NFL Draft by the New England Patriots....
struggled by only completing 14 of 27 passes for only 172 yards and threw three interceptions and fumbled the ball twice. Bishop would eventually be replaced by Darian Durant
Darian Durant
Darian Bernard Durant is a professional American football quarterback who plays for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League . He played college football at the University of North Carolina...
after he threw an interception, which led to the third Lions' touchdown on a 54-yard interception return by Ryan Phillips who recorded two two interceptions in the game. Furthermore, running back Wes Cates
Wes Cates
Wes Cates is a professional Canadian football running back who is currently a member of the Saskatchewan Roughriders football club in the Canadian Football League.-College career:...
only rushed for 23 yards on nine carries, while all the scores for the Roughriders came from field-goals as kicker
Placekicker
Placekicker, or simply kicker , is the title of the player in American and Canadian football who is responsible for the kicking duties of field goals, extra points...
, Luca Congi
Luca Congi
Luca Congi is a punter/placekicker playing for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League....
went four for four in the game.
With the victory, the Lions now head to Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
to face the Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
in the West Final.
Two days later, Riders QB Michael Bishop would be placed on waivers.
East Final
Date and time: Saturday, November 15, 1:00 PM Eastern Standard TimeEastern Standard Time
Eastern Standard Time may refer to:*North American Eastern Time Zone, UTC-5*Australian Eastern Standard Time, UTC+10*An album by Hip Hop group Kooley High...
Venue: Olympic Stadium
Olympic Stadium (Montreal)
The Olympic Stadium is a multi-purpose stadium in the Hochelaga-Maisonneuve district of Montreal, Quebec, Canada built as the main venue for the 1976 Summer Olympics...
, Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
, Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Edmonton Eskimos Edmonton Eskimos The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895... |
7 | 6 | 0 | 13 | 26 |
| Montreal Alouettes Montreal Alouettes The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions... |
3 | 16 | 10 | 7 | 36 |
Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
's wide receiver
Wide receiver
A wide receiver is an offensive position in American and Canadian football, and is the key player in most of the passing plays. Only players in the backfield or the ends on the line are eligible to catch a forward pass. The two players who begin play at the ends of the offensive line are eligible...
, Larry Taylor
Larry Taylor (Canadian football)
Larry Taylor is a gridiron football wide receiver and kick returner for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League. He originally signed with the Montreal Alouettes as a free agent in 2008...
was hardly the name on everyone's lips as the CFL's East final got underway on Saturday afternoon, since this game was billed as a showdown between quarterbacks Anthony Calvillo
Anthony Calvillo
Anthony Calvillo is a Canadian Football League quarterback, currently playing for the Montreal Alouettes. He is the all-time professional football passing yards leader and first in all-time CFL passing yards...
and Edmonton
Edmonton
Edmonton is the capital of the Canadian province of Alberta and is the province's second-largest city. Edmonton is located on the North Saskatchewan River and is the centre of the Edmonton Capital Region, which is surrounded by the central region of the province.The city and its census...
's Ricky Ray
Ricky Ray
Ricky Ray is a Canadian and American football quarterback who has played in the Canadian Football League and af2, as well as spending time on a roster in the National Football League...
, both of whom are regarded as the league's best pivots with the winner playing in the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
finals. However, Larry Taylor would rush two punt returns to score two touchdowns and lead the Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
to a 36-26 win to play in front of their home fans in the 98th Grey Cup.
Although, in the early stages of the game, the Edmonton Eskimos
Edmonton Eskimos
The Edmonton Eskimos are a Canadian football team based in Edmonton, Alberta. They currently play in the West Division of the Canadian Football League . Edmonton is currently the third-youngest franchise in the CFL, although there were clubs with the name Edmonton Eskimos as early as 1895...
had the early advantage as they put the opening points on the board using a play that had nothing to do with either quarterback. As Montreal lined up to punt on their own 24, Edmonton lineman, Justin Cooper blew right through a hole that opened when the snapper and right guard blocked opposite directions and there was no one in the backfield to pick up the rush. Cooper almost caught Montreal kicker, Damon Duval
Damon Duval
Damon Duval is a professional Kicker and Punter for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. Raised by his mother, Cynthia, Damon attended Central High School in Harrison, Tennessee. At age 13, he played professional soccer in the United States Indoor Soccer League as a Striker for...
's kick right off the foot, but was still able to deflect the football which eventually bounced into the Montreal end zone in which Cooper would recover for a touchdown to give the Eskimos a 7-0 lead.
After a Damon Duval field goal made it 7-3, Edmonton's Ricky Ray came back with his own drive that led to a Noel Prefontaine
Noel Prefontaine
Noel Prefontaine is a professional Canadian football punter / kicker with the Toronto Argonauts of the Canadian Football League.- Early years :...
45-yard field goal, which gave Edmonton a 10-3 lead. Prefontaine would eventually would add another field goal kicking a 22-yarder, five minutes into the second quarter for a 13-3 Edmonton lead. However, the Eskimos were unable to generate any momentum with their opening lead. Despite outplaying the hosts for about 21 of the 24 minutes, Edmonton would see their early lead disappear.
Trailing 13-5 after Edmonton surrendered a safety, the Alouettes offence finally got on track as Anthony Calvillo began to get the protection that he is used to from the line that led to a nine-play, 75-yard drive ending in an eight-yard toss off a post pattern to Alouettes' wide receiver, Jamel Richardson
Jamel Richardson
Jamel Richardson is a Canadian football slotback for the Montreal Alouettes of the CFL. Richardson attended Corcoran High School before he was a two year All-Foothill Conference in Basketball and All-American in Football at Victor Valley College where he led the state in receptions and...
to score the first touchdown of the game for Montreal. Then the Montreal defence would hold the Edmonton offence to a quick two and out, which forced Noel Prefontaine to punt the ball away that landed into the hands of Larry Taylor who was able to get a couple of key blocks and made a nice cut back to run the ball for 62 yards for the touchdown, giving the Alouettes its first lead with 1:07 left in the second quarter. All of a sudden an eight-point Edmonton lead evaporated into a 19-13 Montreal lead heading into halftime.
In the third quarter, the Montreal offence continued their scoring surge, first on a long, strange drive that included two drops of perfect passes from Anthony Calvillo and seemed to end with a touchdown run by backup quarterback Adrian McPherson
Adrian McPherson
Adrian Jamal McPherson is a quarterback for the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He was drafted by the New Orleans Saints in the fifth round of the 2005 NFL Draft...
. However, the touchdown was called back due to an inadvertent whistle, but Montreal running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, Avon Cobourne
Avon Cobourne
Avon Cobourne is a football running back in the Canadian Football League. He currently plays for the CFL's Hamilton Tiger-Cats...
would run in to the endzone to give the Alouettes a 26-13 lead. The other key moment in that drive for the Alouettes, was an injury to Eskimos defensive back
Defensive back
In American football and Canadian football, defensive backs are the players on the defensive team who take positions somewhat back from the line of scrimmage; they are distinguished from the defensive line players and linebackers, who take positions directly behind or close to the line of...
, Jason Goss
Jason Goss
Jason Goss is a Canadian football defensive back who is currently a free agent. He was most recently with the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He has played five seasons in the CFL and was named CFL All-Star in 2008.Goss was released by the Eskimos on December 16, 2010.-References:...
that forced Edmonton to make a couple of changes to their defensive setup, which the Alouettes offence were able to exploit. Damon Duval would also kick his second field goal of the game to give the Montreal Alouettes a comfortable 29-13 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Leading 29-13 in the fourth quarter, the Montreal Alouettes would add to their lead when Larry Taylor scored his second punt reception touchdown when he received a Noel Prefontaine punt on the Alouettes 13-yard line after four perfect blocks opened a huge hole up in the middle to give Montreal a 23-point lead. The Eskimos tried to mount a comeback after scoring two touchdowns with the first, being from Ricky Ray who put together a 55-yard passing play for a touchdown to Kelly Campbell
Kelly Campbell
LeVaughn Kelly Campbell is a Canadian football wide receiver for the Edmonton Eskimos of the Canadian Football League. He was signed by the Minnesota Vikings as an undrafted free agent in 2002...
, and then Tristan Jackson
Tristan Jackson
Tristan Jackson is a professional Canadian football defensive back for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League. He was signed as a street free agent by the Eskimos in 2008. He played college football for the Central Arkansas Bears...
was able to close the gap to 10 points after he scored a touchdown on a long punt return. But a missed two-point conversion would seal the victory for the Montreal Alouettes, despite an Edmonton recovery on an on-side kick that set up a last gasp, which quickly ran out of steam.
Anthony Calvillo finished the day 20-for-32, 295 yards and a touchdown as the Eskimos' defence did a good job of keeping him under control, although, Montreal received a superb 140 yards in total offence from running back, Avon Cobourne, working off a sore ankle, including 52 on the ground. Ricky Ray, meanwhile, tossed the ball an astonishing 49 times (26 receptions for 339 yards and a touchdown) as part of an offensive game plan that simply ignored a running game completely. Already boasting the league's worst ground attack, Edmonton's coaching staff put Ray in a tactical straightjacket by running just three times all game for just three yards.
West Final
Date and time: Saturday, November 15, 2:30 PM Mountain Standard TimeVenue: McMahon Stadium
McMahon Stadium
McMahon Stadium is a Canadian football stadium located in Calgary, Alberta. The stadium is owned by the University of Calgary and operated by the McMahon Stadium Society....
, Calgary
Calgary
Calgary is a city in the Province of Alberta, Canada. It is located in the south of the province, in an area of foothills and prairie, approximately east of the front ranges of the Canadian Rockies...
, Alberta
Alberta
Alberta is a province of Canada. It had an estimated population of 3.7 million in 2010 making it the most populous of Canada's three prairie provinces...
| Team | Q1 | Q2 | Q3 | Q4 | Total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| BC Lions BC Lions The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954... |
6 | 6 | 3 | 3 | 18 |
| Calgary Stampeders Calgary Stampeders The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium... |
0 | 9 | 6 | 7 | 22 |
The BC Lions
BC Lions
The BC Lions are a professional Canadian football team competing in the West Division of Canadian Football League . Based in Vancouver, British Columbia, the Lions play their home games at BC Place Stadium in Downtown Vancouver, having previously played at Empire Stadium in East Vancouver from 1954...
inability to defeat the Calgary Stampeders
Calgary Stampeders
The Calgary Stampeders are a Canadian Football League team based in Calgary, Alberta and named in reference to the Calgary Stampede. The Stampeders play their home games at McMahon Stadium...
in 2008
2008 CFL season
The 2008 CFL season was the 55th season of modern Canadian professional football. Officially, it was the 51st season for the league. It was also the first CFL season in which all of the league's regular season and post-season games, including the Grey Cup game, were aired on TSN. This meant the CFL...
, continued in the Western Final as the Lions inability to take advantage of numerous offensive opportunities proved to be their undoing as the Calgary Stampeders advanced to the Grey Cup
Grey Cup
The Grey Cup is both the name of the championship of the Canadian Football League and the name of the trophy awarded to the victorious team. It is Canada's largest annual sports and television event, regularly drawing a Canadian viewing audience of about 3 to 4 million individuals...
championship game for the first time in seven years. The Stampeders bend-but-not-break defence limited the BC Lions to six field goals earning a 22-18 win at McMahon Stadium
McMahon Stadium
McMahon Stadium is a Canadian football stadium located in Calgary, Alberta. The stadium is owned by the University of Calgary and operated by the McMahon Stadium Society....
.
The BC Lions did a great job moving the ball in the first half as they had 229 yards of total offence compared to only Calgary's 89, which was also helped by running back
Running back
A running back is a gridiron football position, who is typically lined up in the offensive backfield. The primary roles of a running back are to receive handoffs from the quarterback for a rushing play, to catch passes from out of the backfield, and to block.There are usually one or two running...
, Stefan Logan
Stefan Logan
Stefan Logan is a wide receiver, running back and return specialist for the Detroit Lions of the National Football League. He was signed by the Miami Dolphins as an undrafted free agent in 2007...
who was outstanding in the first half, rushing for 94 yards on 13 carries against a Stampeder defence that was specifically designed to stop the run. However, the BC Lions were not able to finish, which would come back to hurt them before halftime.
Already leading 3-0, Lions quarterback
Quarterback
Quarterback is a position in American and Canadian football. Quarterbacks are members of the offensive team and line up directly behind the offensive line...
, Buck Pierce
Buck Pierce
Buck James Pierce is a professional Canadian football quarterback for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers of the Canadian Football League. Pierce signed with the Blue Bombers for the 2010 CFL season after he was released by the BC Lions, the team he spent the first five years of his professional career with...
led his club on a long first-quarter drive that should have produced a touchdown, but a hard throw into the end zone bounced in and out of receiver, Ryan Grice-Mullen
Ryan Grice-Mullen
Ryan Grice-Mullen is a Canadian football wide receiver for the Edmonton Eskimos. He most recently was a member of the Hartford Colonials. He was signed by the Houston Texans as an undrafted free agent in 2008...
's hands that resulted in a 30-yard field goal by Paul McCallum
Paul McCallum
Paul McCallum is a professional Canadian football player currently playing as a placekicker and punter for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League...
, to increase the Lions lead to 6-0. After another Calgary punt, the BC Lions put together another impressive offensive drive that was highlighted by a 12-yard run from backup quarterback, Jarious Jackson
Jarious Jackson
Jarious K. Jackson is an American and Canadian football quarterback who is currently playing for the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League.-High school:...
, who was in for one play and was complemented with nice receptions by receivers, Jason Clermont
Jason Clermont
Jason Clermont is a professional Canadian football slotback for the Saskatchewan Roughriders of the Canadian Football League . Clermont started his professional career with the BC Lions after being selected in the 2002 CFL Draft...
and Geroy Simon
Geroy Simon
Geroy Simon is a professional Canadian football slotback with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League...
. But the Stampeders defence again stood their ground and the Lions would take another McCallum (35-yarder) field goal to increase their lead, 9-0. After giving up a safety, the BC Lions put another impressive offensive drive as Buck Pierce had a favourable situation with a first down on the Calgary 23 yard line. However, after a Stefan Logan three-yard run and an overthrow in the end zone for Jason Clermont, McCallum had to come in to kick his fourth field goal of the first half for a 12-2 Lions lead.
With one minute remaining in the second quarter, Stampeders quarterback, Henry Burris
Henry Burris
Henry Burris, Jr. is a professional Canadian and former American football player. Burris plays the quarterback position with the Canadian Football League Calgary Stampeders. Burris spent one year as a reserve quarterback for the National Football League's Chicago Bears...
, would put together a quick five-play drive that resulted in a touchdown pass to receiver, Ken-Yon Rambo
Ken-Yon Rambo
Ken-Yon Rambo is a professional American and Canadian football wide receiver, currently with the Canadian Football League team Calgary Stampeders.-Early life:...
who pulled the ball in behind Lions cornerback, Dante Marsh
Dante Marsh
Dante Marsh is a cornerback with the BC Lions of the Canadian Football League. Marsh attended college at Fresno State.-Professional career:...
with nine seconds left on the clock to cut the lead to 12-9 into halftime and giving Calgary the momentum.
In the third quarter, the BC Lions again threatened to score a touchdown to increase their lead, however, Calgary's defensive end, Mike Labinjo
Mike Labinjo
Mike Labinjo aka "Binjo" is a former professional Canadian football defensive end for the Calgary Stampeders of the Canadian Football League.-Early life:Labinjo was born in Toronto and attended St. Michael's College School...
made two consecutive tackles on the goal line to prevent a Lions touchdown early in the second half, which caused Paul McCallum to kick a 12-yard field goal, his fifth of the game to make it 15-9, Lions. However, Calgary kicker, Sandro DeAngelis
Sandro DeAngelis
Sandro DeAngelis is a gridiron football placekicker with the Montreal Alouettes of the Canadian Football League. He has also been a member of the Calgary Stampeders and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. DeAngelis is the most accurate kicker in CFL history and he won his first Grey Cup championship with the...
would kick two field goals in the third quarter to tie the game 15-15, heading into the fourth quarter.
The Stampeders would build on that momentum, when quarterback, Henry Burris and the Calgary offence would put together an eight-play drive in the fourth quarter that was capped by Burris's one-yard touchdown run at 11:57 to give the Stampeders its first lead of the game, 22-15. A few minutes later, Paul McCallum would kick his sixth field goal of the game from 30 yards to cut Calgary's lead to four points, but the Lions would not be able to score anymore points as they were held in check for the remainder of the game by the Stampeders' stellar defence, especially cornerback, Brandon Browner
Brandon Browner
Brandon Browner is a cornerback for the Seattle Seahawks of the National Football league.-High school career:Browner was a Prep Star West All-Region and All-Valley Mission League selection at Sylmar High School as a senior. He also earned Mission League MVP honors. As a junior, Browner played at...
who intercepted a Buck Pierce pass with 1:19 remaining in the game. However, the star of the game was Mike Labinjo, who not only made two key tackles to prevent a BC Lions touchdown in the third quarter, but he recorded two sacks and forced a fumble in the game.
Although Lions' quarterback, Buck Pierce started strong and completed 16-of-29 passes for 262 yards, his inability to get a touchdown for the Lions' offence proved to be costly, especially throwing an interception at the late stages of the game. His counterpart and finalist for this year's most outstanding player award
Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy
The Jeff Nicklin Memorial Trophy is a trophy awarded to the Canadian Football League West Division's Most Outstanding Player, chosen from the nominees from each team in the division...
, Henry Burris had a slow start in the first half and threw for one interception, as well, but was able to bounce back and complete 17-of-27 passes for 236 yards and was able to throw one touchdown completion and rushed in for the winning touchdown that proved to be the difference in the game.
With the win, the Calgary Stampeders will head to Montreal
Montreal
Montreal is a city in Canada. It is the largest city in the province of Quebec, the second-largest city in Canada and the seventh largest in North America...
and play against the hometown, Montreal Alouettes
Montreal Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes are a Canadian Football League team based in Montreal, Quebec.The current franchise named the Alouettes moved to Montreal from Baltimore, Maryland, in 1996 where they had been known as the Baltimore Stallions...
for the chance to win their sixth Grey Cup in team history.