VANCOUVER - At long last, Kevin Glenn is going to get a chance to play in the Grey Cup.Glenn
threw for three touchdown passes as the Calgary Stampeders upset the
B.C. Lions 34-29 in the CFL West final on Sunday before a disappointed
crowd of 43,216 at B.C. Place Stadium.
The Stampeders, who
finished second in the West Division behind B.C. during the regular
season, will play the Toronto Argonauts in the CFL title game next
Sunday at Rogers Centre.
The loss denied the Lions a second straight Grey Cup.
Glenn
drew the starting quarterback assignment after Drew Tate fractured his
forearm in last weekend's West semifinal win over Saskatchewan, ending
his season.
Glenn has now earned a Grey Cup berth for the first time in his well-travelled, 12-year CFL career.
"It means a lot to actually be able to actually get a team there and actually be playing in the game,'' said Glenn.
He
was denied the opportunity in 2007 after he led the Winnipeg Blue
Bombers to victory in the East Final but, ironically, also suffered a
fractured arm. That year's Grey Cup, which the Bombers lost to the
Saskatchewan Roughriders with Winnipeg backup quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie
making his first start of the season, was also in Toronto.
Glenn,
a 33-year-old Detroit native was not expected to play much this season
after being acquired in an off-season trade from Hamilton as part of the
package for former Calgary QB Henry Burris.
Instead, Glenn played
most of the Stampeders' games, because Tate suffered an early-season
shoulder injury, and then was bypassed for the first playoff game.
Marquay
McDaniel, Maurice Price and Romby Bryant caught Glenn's touchdown
passes. Backup quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell ran for another TD, while
kicker Rene Paredes supplied the rest of Calgary's points.
"The
line gave me great protection and we were able to get behind their
(defensive backs) and throw the ball deep and take some shots, and
that's what we'll have to do when we get to Toronto,'' said Glenn, who
completed 15 of 24 pass attempts for 303 yards.
Lions defensive
back Korey Banks, on an interception, and receiver Nick Moore on a
last-minute reception, scored touchdowns for the hosts.
Paul McCallum provided B.C.'s other points by kicking five field goals.
"It's
a disappointing day,'' said Lions quarterback Travis Lulay, who
completed 33 of 46 passes for 274 yards. "You just hate to come up short
in the big one. You know this was a game to have an opportunity to play
for a championship, and Calgary earned it today.''
The game
marked a rare time in the CFL's modern era when two Canadian tailbacks
started for their respective clubs. Calgary's Jon Cornish led the league
in rushing during the regular season, the first Canadian to do so since
1988. B.C.'s Andrew Harris had the most yards from scrimmage, becoming
only the second Canadian to accomplish the feat since Terry Evanshen in
1967.
But it was Glenn who stole the show following an
interception that Banks returned for a B.C. touchdown. Although Glenn is
regarded as being slow afoot, the Lions did not register a sack.
"They
came with a good scheme and they came with a good understanding of what
we we're doing and what we're going to do and everything we did just
didn't work out,'' said B.C. defensive tackle Khalif Mitchell.
After
overthrowing McDaniel on Calgary's first play from scrimmage, Glenn
connected with him on a 68-yard touchdown pass. McDaniel was left wide
open in the middle of the field as a result of blown B.C. defensive
coverage. The touchdown, which came just 59 seconds into the game, was
the second-fastest in CFL playoff history.
"I think they didn't
cover down,'' said Glenn. "They came with an all-out blitz, and they may
have brought too many guys and not covered down with enough.
"That was the momentum, I think, that we needed early in the game to push us over to the end.''
Banks
drew the Lions even at 7-7 on his sensational 77-yard interception
return. But despite enabling the Lions to pull within a point, following
three McCallum field goals and lead just 17-16 at halftime, the Stamps
never trailed again.
With just under six minutes gone in the third
quarter, Glenn threw a 57-yard touchdown pass along the sideline to
Bryant, the hero of Calgary's last-minute semifinal victory over
Saskatchewan. The touchdown staked the Stamps to a 24-16 lead.
Later
in the third quarter, Calgary increased its lead to 31-16 on a
controversial touchdown. The sequence started as backup QB Mitchell came
in briefly and threw a 42-yard pass to Price to the B.C. one-yard line.
The Stamps thought they had scored as Price slid into the end zone
while being tackled by Byron Parker. Calgary lost a video review as the
replay clearly showed Price's knee hit the ground outside of the end
zone.
Mitchell was then unsuccessful on two attempted plunges. It
looked like the Lions had stopped him a third time as he attempted to
dive over defenders with the ball. However, officials signalled a
touchdown.
As Paredes was booting a convert, Lions coach Mike
Benevides threw a challenge flag to request a replay. But officials
allowed play to continue and no challenge was conducted, much to the
chagrin of an irate Benevides.
"I really thought it was a stop and
threw the flag on the ground knowing I (couldn't) challenge because it
looked like they went right into the (convert) and I asked (referee Kim
Murphy) and Kim said it had been reviewed in Toronto,'' said Benevides.
"Certainly from my look, it didn't look like it was a good go, but I
couldn't do anything at that point other than try to make sure that it
was reviewed, and Kim told me it was.''
Kickers McCallum and
Paredes produced the bulk of the fourth-quarter points by booting field
goals before Moore scored on a two-yard toss from Lulay with 59 seconds
left in the game. The touchdown pulled the Lions within five points.
But the wily Glenn then proceeded to run out the clock in preparation for his long-awaited chance to play in the Grey Cup.
Notes:
Calgary played without linebacker Juwan Simpson, who suffered an ankle
injury in the Western semifinal. ... Banks gave the Stampeders bench the
choke sign after he came out on the field and was restrained by
officials as he drew closer to Calgary's bench. ... B.C. offensive guard
Jesse Newman started in place of Dean Valli, who did not play because
of a knee injury. Rookie offensive guard Matt Norman, who rejoined the
team last week from teachers college at the University of Western
Ontario, took Valli's place in the lineup and served as a backup.
Newman, who spent 13 games on the injured list with a knee injury of his
own, is expected to retire.
______
MONTREAL - The Toronto Argonauts acquired Ricky Ray to get them to a
Grey Cup game on home turf and now they can say "mission accomplished.''
A
masterful Ray passed for 399 yards and dominated the ground game as
well as the Argonauts stunned the Montreal Alouettes 27-20 in
the CFL East Division final before 50,122 at Olympic Stadium on Sunday
afternoon.
"He took some big hits and hung in there,'' coach Scott
Milanovich said of his veteran quarterback. "I thought he played a
tremendous football game, but that's what he's here for.
"That's why he's the one we wanted.''
The
Argonauts reached the CFL championship game for the first time since
2004, when they won their 15th Grey Cup with a victory over B.C.
The
game next Sunday against the West Division champion Calgary Stampeders
will be played at Rogers Centre, the Argonauts' home field. They last
won a Grey Cup at home in 1952, lost one in Toronto in 1982 and now
they're home again in 2012 - each time exactly 30 years apart.
"It's
been a long season for us but we've stuck together and just played it
one game at a time,'' said Ray, acquired last winter in a trade from the
Edmonton Eskimos. "Now we've got the opportunity to do what we set out
to do.''
Ray threw a touchdown pass to Dontrelle Inman and Chad
Kackert scored on a long touchdown run. Swayze Waters added three field
goals for Toronto, which had lost to Montreal in three previous East
final meetings.
Chris Jennings and backup quarterback Adrian McPherson had touchdowns for Montreal. Sean Whyte added two field goals.
But
the Alouettes could muster only three second-half points, as Anthony
Calvillo was picked off twice by Marcus Ball and saw another pass pulled
out of the hands of Eric Deslauriers by Pacino Horne that was ruled a
fumble.
"The game's over, but you start thinking about the plays
that might have made a difference,'' said Calvillo. "For me there's
three - the two interceptions and one ball I missed on Jamel
(Richardson) early in the third quarter.
"Those are the plays that
are going to eat at me. I feel bad for everyone in this room. We all
fought hard to get that first round bye and we wasted a great
opportunity.''
The Argonauts star players shone and while
Montreal's had their moments, top receivers Richardson and S.J. Green
caught only five passes between them.
CFL receiving leader Chad
Owens piled up 207 receiving yards on 11 catches - a Toronto playoff
record - and was the main target of the veteran Ray who was throwing
strikes from the pocket all afternoon.
With kick returns thrown in, Owens had 346 all-purpose yards.
Kackert carried 13 times for 139 yards.
Montreal coach Marc Trestman said the Argonauts had the edge in all three phases of the game and deserved the win.
Still,
the Alouettes had a chance to tie the game with 39 seconds remaining.
But Brian Bratton couldn't hang onto a third-down pass in the end zone
that was tipped by Horne.
"He blocked my view and I think he tipped it a bit,'' a dejected Bratton aid. "It just changed the trajectory.
"Instead of going in my hands, it went off my hands on the opposite side. I never saw it.''
Some
wonder if that will be the last pass ever thrown by Calvillo, but the
40-year-old CFL all-time passing leader said he has not yet decided
whether he will play another season.
"It's hard to think about that right now,'' he said.
Milanovich,
Toronto's first-year coach who was offensive co-ordinator in Montreal
last season, said this week that turnovers would be key and there were
plenty of them _ three by the Als and four by the Argos, including two
on downs.
Trailing 17-10 at the half, the Argonauts tied the game
on their first drive, marching 101 yards on four plays including a
69-yard toss to Owens that was stopped at the two with a desperate
tackle from Dwight Anderson. Ray hit Inman with a TD pass.
Ball
then picked off a Calvillo pass and four plays later, Kackert ran 49
yards straight up the middle for another TD and a 24-17 lead.
A
Chip Cox run on a fake punt kept Montreal's drive alive for a field
goal, but the Argos answered with three points of their own.
There was no gloating from Milanovich on beating his former club.
"Montreal's
been on top of the East for how many years and if you're going to the
Grey Cup, it's fitting that you take out the team that has been on
top,'' he said. ``I respect those guys.
"I have a lot of friends over there. I know it's tough for them, but I'm just proud of our team.''
Trestman congratulated his former top assistant.
"Now
that the game is over I couldn't be more excited for Scott,'' he said.
"He and his team are well deserving of winning the game and we wish them
the best of luck next week. They'll be a great representative for the
east.''
The Canadian Press
