In a see-saw defensive battle for most of the game, a touchdown in the last three minutes allowed the Edmonton Eskimos to defeat the Ottawa Redblacks 26-20 at the 103rd Grey Cup.
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“Adversity; we’re used to it, and we practice these types of situations at practice all the time”, he said.
“For them to be on the field with the confetti flying and seeing that Grey Cup and being able to give me a hug, that meant a lot”, said Reilly.
“We had a great season, that’s what we had”, fullback Patrick Lavoie said.
“It’s not anger it’s disappointment”, said Ottawa head coach Rick Campbell.
Fans from all over the country were treated to a game that had everything you’d want in a championship game: back and forth action with a comeback win that ended in dramatic fashion.
Two PI calls on a late drive on Sunday night led to Edmonton’s game-winning touchdown in the fourth quarter, the second of which was called after Eskimos head coach Chris Jones challenged a non-call.
Edmonton’s defence got speed-bagged to start the game – Henry Burris & Co. drove the offence to two TDs on their first two possessions – but was absolutely stifling in the second half, limiting the Redblacks to 93 yards total offence.
Shamawd Chambers ended a frustrating 2015 season with a bang.
“It’s something that’s special and something I’ll never take for granted”. “And then it’s been four years to finally get the opportunity to get back to it”.
In the final quarter, the Redblacks’ lead was down to 20-18 until Lynch’s one-yard punch proved to be the knockout blow.
“As the Edmonton Eskimos take home the historic cup once more, I think of all the youth who have drawn inspiration from this year’s players, and who dream of one day winning Canadian football’s highest honour”.
The franchise went on to win nine Grey Cups in 15 appearances but folded in 1996 after a string of sub-par seasons.
“For me, it was re-connecting, re-introducing our players to this community and getting them to understand how important they are to this community and how important this football team is to this community”. Chris Milo added a convert, single and two field goals.
“We had opportunities to turn the tide and we just didn’t make the plays, whether it was me missing a throw or making a play or something”, Burris said.
Following Whyte’s 24-yard field goal at 9:14, Reilly hit Bowman with a 23-yard touchdown pass 12:41. After a series of momentum shifts, the Esks had a 17-16 lead at the break. “The people have been great and I’d love to come back”.
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The thinking from those around the league is the rich Roughriders could pay Jones well north of $500,000 per season, which would make it hard for him to say no. CFL insiders also told the Sun this season that Jones and Eskimos GM Ed Hervey aren’t exactly BFFs.
