A football fan is seen prior to the 103rd Grey Cup between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Ottawa Redblacks, in Winnipeg, Man., on Sunday, Nov. 29, 2015.
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The former Central Washington quarterback was 21 of 35 for 269 yards and two touchdowns without an interception.
It was a defensive struggle in the second quarter, with Chris Milo increasing the Redblacks’ lead with a field goal before Reilly connected with Akeem Shavers for a two-yard touchdown before the half.
Edmonton caught fire when Reilly returned as the starter, reeling off 10 straight wins, culminating with the Grey Cup title.
The contest was a defensive battle, especially in the second half as Edmonton outscored Ottawa just 9-4.
Adarius Bowman and Shavers scored Edmonton’s touchdowns. I’ll see how I heal up in the off-season, see how the ankle is feeling and we’ll go from there. “And then it’s been four years to finally get the opportunity to get back to it”.
Mother Nature played nice with a clear sky and a temperature that hung around the -5°C range for most of the match. “I know what it means in the city to bring a championship home”, said nine-year veteran Calvin McCarty.
“We had a great season, that’s what we had”, fullback Patrick Lavoie said. Stafford argued with Edmonton head coach Chris Jones, begging him to throw the challenge flag, and finally Jones called time out. “It’s been an up-and-down season for me just because coming off a knee injury, you still have a lot of work to do when you actually get into the off-season, so I’m just happy I can walk off the field and I’m healthy”.
“It’s certainly special”, Reilly said. On Thursday, head coach Rick Campbell (coach of the year), quarterback Henry Burris (outstanding player), receiver Brad Sinopoli (top Canadian) and SirVincent Rogers (lineman) were honoured at the league’s awards banquet.
The game was a disappointment for Redblacks fans who thought their team might be crowned champions at the end of their second season.
“Give yourself a little bit of additional time just to make sure you have all the time that you need to get through security, but we are fully staffed and ready for all those departing fans”. “We don’t get exhausted, man. Coach [Chris] Jones, that’s a testament to what he does”.
“They made some plays”.
The 2015 Grey Cup wasn’t the ratings bonanza the Canadian Football League and Bell Media were hoping for, but it did stop a steep slide in the number of TV viewers going back several years.
“This (losing the Grey Cup game) sucks so bad, it’s unbelievable”. He said Edmonton’s so good in the fourth quarter because they thrive on tough circumstances and prepare for them.
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“I think it’s probably due to the fact that people are probably cheering against Edmonton as much as it is for the Redblacks”, he laughed.
