The Toronto Argonauts and Calgary Stampeders will face off in the 100th Grey Cup in Toronto on Sunday after road wins in Montreal and Vancouver, respectively, in last Sunday’s conference finals.
The Argonauts got a playoff record performance from Chad Owens while Ricky Ray continued his ownership of the Alouettes in a 27–20 upset victory in front of over 50,000 at Olympic Stadium.
At BC Place Stadium, Jon Cornish and Kevin Glenn led the way past the Lions who were 8–1 at home during the regular season with a 34–29 win.
Toronto is making its first Grey Cup appearance since its win in 2004, while Calgary was last at the big game in 2008 (also a victory). The 100th Grey Cup is a rematch of the 79th Grey Cup in which the Argonauts beat the Stampeders 36–21 at Winnipeg Stadium.
Ray Outduels Calvillo
The Argonauts, 9–9 during the regular season, are a completely different team with Ricky Ray at the helm. When the Als had to face Ray this year, the former Eskimos QB got the better of them.
Ray led the Argos to their lone victory over the Als in the regular season, and in just over two full games against Montreal, he completed 72 percent of his passes and threw for 709 yards with 3 touchdowns and no interceptions.
In contrast, Anthony Calvillo had a game to forget for Montreal, with no touchdown passes and two interceptions.
The Argos got outstanding performances from league most outstanding player nominee Chad Owens as well as running back Chad Kackert. Kackert averaged over 10 yards a carry on 13 carries, while Owens set a Toronto playoff record with 207 yards receiving.
A few memorable plays turned the tide in favour of Toronto. One was Kackert’s 49-yard TD run on a 2nd-and-2, which was a body blow to the Als. It put Toronto ahead for good.
The Als had a chance to tie the game in the dying moments, but Calvillo’s pass to Brian Bratton, open in the end zone, saw the receiver unable to haul in what looked like a catchable pass.
Chance to Shine
Kevin Glenn wasn’t supposed to be at the helm of the Stampeders offence. But he had been the mainstay in the Calgary offence until head coach John Hufnagel decided to give the nod to Drew Tate prior to the western semifinal against Saskatchewan.
Tate, who spent most of the season injured, engineered an incredible victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders but suffered a fractured arm while doing so. Glenn was restored to his former position as starting QB.
And like Ray led the Argos, Glenn racked up the passing yardage. And like Ray had Kackert, Glenn had Cornish.
He leaned on most outstanding player nominee Cornish, who ran for 112 yards on 18 carries. Glenn made the most of his 15 completions, throwing for 303 yards and three touchdowns.
He didn’t let his one error, a Korey Banks 77-yard interception return, derail him as he drove the Stamps right back for a major score.
“I don’t even know what to say, I’m so excited,” Glenn said in an on-field interview with TSN after the game.
“We had this mentality that we weren’t going to lose.”
The 100th Grey Cup matchup is an unexpected one. The Stamps upended the defending Grey Cup champion while the Argonauts are getting red hot at the right time.
Glenn’s story is particularly compelling, with him having suffered a broken arm and unable to play in the 2007 Grey Cup. He'll have to come up with another command performance against the Ray-led Argos, which will have home-crowd support.
Toronto won the two regular season meetings between the two teams, but that won’t bother the Stamps who have made a living overcoming adversity. The 100th Grey Cup is sure to be another memorable game.
Follow Rahul on Twitter @RV_ETSports
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