CFL: Grey Cup Division Finals Set
Winnepeg and BC pull off dual upsets to set up next week's divisional finals.
The BC Lions and Winnepeg Blue Bombers, who both finished below .500 in the regular season, upset their respective semifinal opponents on Sunday afternoon to advance to the Grey Cup divisional finals.
Winnepeg upset the defending Grey Cup champion Hamilton Tiger Cats 22-20 when Troy Westwood kicked a 33-yard field goal into the wind with two seconds remaining in the game.
The Ti-Cats took an 11-5 lead into halftime thanks to Ronald Williams’ one yard score. But the Bombers came back in the second half, scoring fourteen unanswered points in the third quarter off two touchdown passes by Khari Jones. Undeterred, the Ti-Cats put up a field goal early in the quarter. On a risky third-down play later in the quarter, Danny McManus found Archie Amerson for a five-yard touchdown strike to put the Ti-Cats up 20-19. The two-point conversion failed, and Westwood’s 52-yard punt into a swirling wind put the Ti-Cats deep in their own territory where they couldn’t run out the clock. They punted, and Jones moved the Bombers to Hamilton’s 26, where Westwood kicked the game-winning field goal.
They go one to face Montreal, with whom the Bombers have had a heated rivalry with all season. Several ex-Alouettes, including head coach Dave Ritchie, are presently on the Bombers squad.
A couple of hours later in Edmonton, the BC Lions put the screws to the Eskimos early and often to win at Commonwealth Stadium.
Quarterback Damon Allen, the sixteen-year veteran, threw for 294 yards and four touchdowns as the top-ranked Lion offense went up by as many as seventeen. But it was their defense nearly blew the cushion the offense had established in the final quarter. Nealon Greene threw a touchdown pass to Kez McCorvey early in the final quarter to cut the lead to 31-21. Lui Passaglia kicked a field goal to increase the Lions’ lead to thirteen. But the Eskimos scored the final ten points of the match, first with a one-yard touchdown run from Troy Mills. Edmonton then scored on a safety with 2:45 left and on a single by Sean Fleming off of a missed field goal with 58 seconds remaining. However, that field goal would have tied the game at 34 and sent it into overtime.
The Lions will go on to Calgary to face the Stampeders in the West Division final. This will more than likely be a shootout between the two top-ranked offenses in the league.
Later this week will be my division final preview. Be sure not to miss it.
Winnepeg upset the defending Grey Cup champion Hamilton Tiger Cats 22-20 when Troy Westwood kicked a 33-yard field goal into the wind with two seconds remaining in the game.
The Ti-Cats took an 11-5 lead into halftime thanks to Ronald Williams’ one yard score. But the Bombers came back in the second half, scoring fourteen unanswered points in the third quarter off two touchdown passes by Khari Jones. Undeterred, the Ti-Cats put up a field goal early in the quarter. On a risky third-down play later in the quarter, Danny McManus found Archie Amerson for a five-yard touchdown strike to put the Ti-Cats up 20-19. The two-point conversion failed, and Westwood’s 52-yard punt into a swirling wind put the Ti-Cats deep in their own territory where they couldn’t run out the clock. They punted, and Jones moved the Bombers to Hamilton’s 26, where Westwood kicked the game-winning field goal.
They go one to face Montreal, with whom the Bombers have had a heated rivalry with all season. Several ex-Alouettes, including head coach Dave Ritchie, are presently on the Bombers squad.
A couple of hours later in Edmonton, the BC Lions put the screws to the Eskimos early and often to win at Commonwealth Stadium.
Quarterback Damon Allen, the sixteen-year veteran, threw for 294 yards and four touchdowns as the top-ranked Lion offense went up by as many as seventeen. But it was their defense nearly blew the cushion the offense had established in the final quarter. Nealon Greene threw a touchdown pass to Kez McCorvey early in the final quarter to cut the lead to 31-21. Lui Passaglia kicked a field goal to increase the Lions’ lead to thirteen. But the Eskimos scored the final ten points of the match, first with a one-yard touchdown run from Troy Mills. Edmonton then scored on a safety with 2:45 left and on a single by Sean Fleming off of a missed field goal with 58 seconds remaining. However, that field goal would have tied the game at 34 and sent it into overtime.
The Lions will go on to Calgary to face the Stampeders in the West Division final. This will more than likely be a shootout between the two top-ranked offenses in the league.
Later this week will be my division final preview. Be sure not to miss it.
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