Edmonton backup quarterback Jordan Lynch plunged over the goal line with just under three and a half minutes left in regulation as the Eskimos defeated the Ottawa Redblacks 26-20 in the 103rd Grey Cup game.
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Lynch, the former Northern Illinois star in his rookie season with Eskimos, scored on a third-down play in a 20-degree chill. Meanwhile, the Eskimos are returning to the CFL championship game for the first time since 2005. The RedBlacks, in just their second season of existence, were trying to become the second team to win a Grey Cup one year after recording two wins or fewer but came up just short.
The game didn’t start well for Edmonton.
“I had to call a timeout, and I said, ‘Look at this because it’s too big a situation, and if it is (pass interference) then we need to throw a flag, ‘” Jones said.
Ottawa scored on its first two drives of the game but struggled to put up points after the first quarter.
“I had been in the league for half a season before 2011 and when we got to the Grey Cup and win it you just kind of assume that’s just how it is, it’s not hard to get there”, Reilly said. He was spectacular last week as Edmonton beat the reigning Grey Cup champion Calgary Stampeders in the West Final 45-31, throwing for 371 yards and scoring five total touchdowns in that game without turning the ball over.
“It’s not anger it’s disappointment”, Ottawa head coach Rick Campbell said when asked about his mood following tough loss for the Redblacks. “I thought I saw PI, and I saw for sure illegal contact, but I couldn’t get them to tell me for sure”.
In the first quarter, the Redblacks took an early 13-0 lead with touchdowns on their first two possessions before momentum shifted in Edmonton’s favour.
A Chris Milo 33 yard field goal, and a Sean Whyte miss from 35 yards out was the difference in the 3rd quarter as Ottawa led 19-18 heading into the final 15 minutes. “They found ways to make plays and to get us off the field …” That got the Eskimos’ offence going; Reilly hit Lawrence and Stafford, then ran twice and completed a touchdown pass to Bowman for 23 yards.
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The six-point lead after the touchdown was enough for Edmonton in what had been an offensively challenging second half for both teams. I feel bad that we lost but that’s the way it goes.
