Lions Thump Riders And Advance To West Final
There will be a new Grey Cup champion crowned in Montreal later this month.
Buck Pierce and Stefan Logan led the B.C. Lions to victory on Saturday, defeating the defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders 33-12 in the West Semi-Final. The Lions now head to Calgary for a date with the Stampeders on Saturday.
Catch the action of the East and West Finals on TSN and TSN HD, on Saturday starting at Noon et/9am pt.
The Lions offence took some time to hit their stride but came through in the end. Pierce completed 23-of-31 passes for 221 yards and a touchdown, while Logan ran for 153 yards on 18 carries in the win.
"In the playoffs it is all about leadership and that starts at the quarterback position and Buck Pierce in that second half took control," said CFL on TSN's Glen Suitor.
"Buck Pierce has shown that he is the guy who can lead this football team and most importantly, he did not make the big mistake," added Suitor.
Pierce combined with fullback Lyle Green for the first touchdown of the game. The 14-yard TD came with just over two minutes to play in the first half.
Jarious Jackson got into the act hooking up with a wide open Geroy Simon in the third for a 31-yard touchdown. It was the only pass Jackson threw on the day.
The Lions' defence also stepped up as Ryan Phillips picked off a Michael Bishop pass and ran it back for a 54 yard touchdown.
That made the score 33-12 and ended Bishop's day and Darian Durant took over at quarterback for the Riders.
Bishop struggled in the West Semi-final completing only 14 of 27 passes for 172 yards, the Rider QB also rushed for 46 yards on six carries but he threw three interceptions and fumbled twice. Overall the Riders turned the ball over seven times in the game.
"Our defence has been getting turnovers all year," said Lions head coach Wally Buono after the game. "At the end of the day, pressure on the quarterback causes turnovers."
"It's all on me. I didn't play well and I'm not going to put the blame on anybody. If I play well, make those throws, instead of kicking those field goals, we get touchdowns," he told the Canadian Press after the loss.
The Riders head coach came to the defence of his starter after the game.
"Some of the things that occurred with Michael tonight, the bad things weren't all his fault," coach Ken Miller told the Canadian Press. "I felt like he gave us the best opportunity to win."
"If you watched Michael throughout the year, he's had a subpar first half and came back second half and just lit up the scoreboard. Me, just like coach, assumed that that was going to happen tonight," explained Durant to the Canadian Press.
Despite the offensive troubles, Riders' Weston Dressler had five receptions for 93 yards.
While Logan was almost unstoppable, his Riders counterpart Wes Cates did not have any success being held to only 23 yards on nine carries by the Lions' defence.
"It was a rough one," Cates told the Canadian Press. "It could have been better. It could have been a lot better, you know. That's how it goes.
"You can't always just expect things to happen, you've got to sometimes make things happen and we didn't make it happen today."
"We didn't do anything out of the ordinary," said Lions' Cameron Wake to the Canadian Press. "We didn't do anything extraordinary. We came in and we played the way the B.C. Lions play football."
Lions' Paul McCallum or Riders' Luca Congi were both busy. McCallum hit from 41, 19 and 16 yards while Congi had field goals of 46, 46, 19 and 19 yards.
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Burris Sparks Comeback As Stampeders Advance To Grey Cup
The CFL West Division Final was a tale of two halves as the Calgary Stampeders came from behind to knock off the B.C. Lions 22-18.
The Western Division Most Outstanding Player nominee Henry Burris was able to recover from a poor opening half to give the Stampeders their first shot at the Grey Cup since 2001.
Calgary will travel to Montreal to face the Alouettes for Lord Earl Grey's chalice Sunday, November 23rd in a game you can only see on TSN starting at 3pm et/noon pt. The game will also be available in TSNHD.
"I told our players to enjoy the moment and enjoy the night and understand what they accomplished because what they accomplished was something good," said Calgary coach John Hufnagel.
Burris, who entered the game with a 1-4 record in the playoffs, finished the game 17-for-27 for 236 yards, one touchdown pass and one interception. He also rushed for a touchdown. The win meant that the Stamps swept the season series going a perfect 4-0 against the Lions.
While Burris' play in the second half was the key to the comeback he credited the entire team for the victory.
"We did the little things and we put enough together to get the job done," Burris told TSN. "Our defence played a heck of a game and our special teams gave us great field position and we were able to do just enough to pull it out."
Calgary's defence dominated the play as the Lions were unable to find the end zone all afternoon. Kicker Paul McCallum was responsible for all of the Lions scoring as he was a perfect six-for-six on field goal attempts as BC's offence repeatedly stalled in crucial situations.
"Very disappointing," Lions quarterback Buck Pierce told TSN. "To control the ball the way that we did for most of the game and you don't score when it counts, it's going to come back and get you."
There was extra motivation for the Stamps defence after the CFL's All-Star team was announced. The Lions had five players named to the squad while only one Stampeder made the team, cornerback Brandon Browner.
"We wanted to take it upon ourselves to show that we were the number one defence," Stampeders defensive lineman Mike Labinjo told TSN.
With only 46 man-games of playoff experience on their roster, the Stampeders lack of post-season familiarity was exposed early on. Calgary's offence was held in check by the top rated Lions defence forcing two straight two-and-outs to start the game.
Pierce was having no such problems in the early going as he spread the ball around the field to his receivers while running back Stefan Logan softened up the Stampeders defence with his tough interior running picking up 94 yards on 13 carries in the half.
Unfortunately for the Leos, their offence repeatedly stalled as McCallum split the uprights three times to give B.C. a 9-0 lead.
"Football is a game of opportunities," Lions coach Wally Buono told reporters following the loss. "And when you look at it, we squandered them away."
The Stamps finally hit the scoreboard in the second quarter with a safety as McCallum chose to run through his own end zone as opposed to punting from deep inside his own half.
The defensive struggle continued as B.C. drove the ball 67 yards, killing over five minutes off the clock before McCallum finished off the drive with a 32-yard field goal to increase the Lions lead to 10.
The Stampeders offence finally appeared to find a rhythm late in the quarter as Calgary picked up one of only four first downs of the half before Burris connected with Ken-Yon Rambo in the end zone for a 22-yard strike. That touchdown pulled Calgary within three as the teams headed to their respective locker rooms for the half-time break.
With only 89 yards worth of offence in the first half, Burris put it upon himself to turn the Stamps fortunes around. However he was unable to muster any yardage on Calgary's opening drive of the second half as Burke Dales was forced to punt once again.
The Lions held their collective breath on the ensuing drive as Logan took a big hit from Browner and remained down on the field.
Although Logan made it to the sidelines under his own power his absence was felt on the very next play as Jarious Jackson, subbed in for Buck Pierce, fumbled on a quarterback sneak to give the Stampeders the ball at their own six yard line. It was a play that Buono felt was a defining moment in the game.
"There were a lot of things that we did well and there were a lot of things that we didn't do well," Buono stated. "The big thing is when you are on the one yard line you've got to put it in. You can't fumble the ball at critical times. Those things always come back to haunt you."
With seemingly all the momentum heading in the Stampeders direction, Burris was picked off by Lions defensive back Korey Banks who took it all the way to the Stampeders one-yard line.
Instead of folding, Calgary's defence held strong as Labinjo, who was a monster all-day, stonewalled Ian Smart twice from the one-yard line to limit the Lions to another McCallum field goal. It was a play that turned out to be pivotal in the game's outcome.
"Our coaches told us 'no matter what happens just hold them to three points,'" Labinjo told TSN. "We knew that if we came up with a big stop there our offence could come back and win this game."
With the momentum back on their side, Burris led the Stamps down the field once again, however he was unable to find the end zone this time. A 42-yard field goal by Sandro DeAngelis pulled Calgary to within three.
The Stampeders defence turned up the intensity as Labinjo beat a pair of linemen to sack Pierce for the second time on the afternoon.
The defensive stand appeared to spark the Calgary offence. With his confidence growing Burris drove the Stamps downfield, however the Lions defence came up strong stopping the drive. DeAngelis was called upon once again and he tied things up with a 27-yard field goal.
Burris' second half resurgence continued as he connected with Jermaine Copeland and Teyo Johnson on back-to-back plays for big gains through the air. Burris then called his own number to bang it in from one-yard out to give the Stampeders their first lead of the game.
While everything appeared to be headed in Calgary's direction, the Lions responded immediately as Pierce connected with Geroy Simon for a 65-yard pickup to put B.C. in Stampeders territory. The Leo's were unable to build on that and McCallum kicked his sixth field goal of the afternoon.
The teams exchanged possessions as the three-minute warning came and went. Pierce was handed the ball at his own seven yard line with 1:38 left on the clock. He went deep with his first pass attempt as Ryan-Grice Mullen came up with a miraculous reception, tearing the ball away from Browner for a huge gain.
Feeling that luck was on his side, Pierce aired it out on the very next play, however Browner made up for the previous play by coming up with an enormous interception that should have killed off the Lions season.
A pair of kneel downs and an incompletion meant that Pierce would be given the ball back with a chance to win it with one-second on the clock. His Hail Mary attempt was batted down in the end zone and Calgary could finally punch their ticket to Montreal for a date with the Alouettes.
"It's going to be the best against the best," Labinjo told TSN. "We're really fired up and looking forward to it."
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Alouettes Use Special Teams To Punch Ticket To Grey Cup
Larry Taylor set a CFL record with two punt returns for touchdowns as the Montreal Alouettes rolled to a 36-26 victory over the Edmonton Eskimos in the Wendy's CFL on TSN East Final at Olympic Stadium.
The Alouettes will host the Calgary Stampeders in the Grey Cup, which will also be played at Olympic Stadium in Montreal next Sunday.
''Our team has tremendous backbone,'' Als head coach Marc Trestman told TSN following the game. ''We took Edmonton's best shots today and withstood the test. I'm just proud to be on this field and be part of it all today.''
Taylor scored his first touchdown late in the first half to give the Alouettes their first lead of the game. He took Noel Prefontaine's punt and darted up the field for a 64-yard major.
''It's a great feeling in the eastern championship game to make it happen,'' said Taylor. ''Hats off to my teammates for springing me on both returns.''
Taylor's second score came early in the fourth quarter and sealed the win. He started on his won 13-yard line and found himself in the end zone 97 yards away.
''Larry Taylor, playing on special teams, didn't catch a pass all year and yet was the difference maker here today, CFL on TSN's Duane Forde said. ''His two huge punt return touchdowns made the difference and turned the tide.''
Anthony Calvillo completed 20 of 32 passes for 295 yards with one touchdown while Jamel Richardson led the way with 91 yards on six catches and one touchdown. Avon Cobourne rushed for another major.
''It's an emotional day, Calvillo told TSN. ''We've been working so hard all year long and this is what we envisioned. But our vision's not over yet.''
Ricky Ray threw for 339 yards and one touchdown in a losing effort with Outstanding Canadian nominee Kamau Peterson his favourite target, catching nine balls for 127 yards. Kelly Campbell scored the only offensive touchdown for the Eskimos.
The Eskimos jumped out to an early lead when back-up defensive end Justin Cooper blocked Damon Duval's punt deep in Montreal's end and recovered the loose ball in the end zone.
Duval came back on the next series when he put the cap on a long drive with a 27-yard field goal. But on the first play of the second quarter, Noel Prefontaine made good on a 45-yard field goal attempt to restore the Eskimos' lead.
Then, Peterson came up big, hauling in two key passes from Ray, allowing Prefontaine to extend the Edmonton advantage with a 22-yard field goal.
Late in the second frame, Calvillo connected with Richardson on a 7-yard touchdown pass to close the gap to 13-12. Richardson led the league in touchdowns during the regular season with 16 majors.
After a two-and-out from the Eskimos, Larry Taylor returned a punt 64 yards for a touchdown to give the Alouettes a huge boost heading to the locker-room. And the crowd started to become a factor.
Early in the second half, the Eskimos lost defensive back Jason Goss with an ankle injury and that would turn out to be costly.
Special teams standout Tristan Jackson replaced Goss in the backfield and was promptly penalized for pass interference in the end zone trying to cover slotback Ben Cahoon. That allowed Cobourne to redeem himself with a 1-yard plunge to cap off another time-consuming drive. Momentum was clearly on the side of the Alouettes.
One play earlier, third-string quarterback Adrian McPherson appeared to score but officials determined that an inadvertent whistle had blown the play dead before the ball was snapped.
Early in the fourth quarter, Taylor put an end to any thoughts of an Eskimos comeback when he returned his second punt for a touchdown. He took the ball deep in his own end and didn't stop until he reached the Edmonton end zone.
On their next possession, the Eskimos began their comeback attempt when Ricky Ray hooked up with speedster Kelly Campbell on a 55-yard touchdown pass.
But when the Eskimos gave up the ball on downs on the next drive, it appeared to be all over for the visitors from Alberta.
''The Alouettes got to Ricky Ray all day and he really wasn't able to get the throws he wanted,'' Forde said.
Jackson gave the Eskimos a spark when he returned a punt 78 yards for a touchdown with less than a minute to go in regulation. Despite recovering the onside kick, it wasn't enough as the Eskimos went down to defeat.
''I'm not sure if it was them or us,'' said Eskimos receiver Kamau Peterson. ''I just felt we didn't capitalize on the spaces they were giving us and, as a result, we had way too many two-and-outs.
''But hats off to them. They sustained drives and we didn't.''
For the first time, the Grey Cup will be seen live on TSN and TSN HD next Sunday with the pre-game show getting underway at 3pm et/Noon pt.
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Stampeders Looking To Make The Most Of Their Opportunity
CALGARY - In his rookie season, JoJuan Armour experienced what it was like to compete for the 2004 Grey Cup when his B.C. Lions lost 27-19 to the Toronto Argonauts in Ottawa.
Now in his fifth CFL campaign, Armour will have another shot at winning the Grey Cup as a member of the Calgary Stampeders next Sunday against the Montreal Alouettes at Olympic Stadium (Pre-game starts at 3pm et/Noon pt on TSN and TSN HD).
"The experience was amazing," said the Calgary linebacker of playing in the Grey Cup. "I'm glad this time I have a bigger role on the team. I feel like I can contribute a little more."
The biggest thing Armour can relate to his teammates is about how horrible he felt after the Lions lost.
"When you lose, all the good things that you accomplished in that season are forgot about," said Armour, who's a big part of the defence that shut down the B.C. Lions during Calgary's 22-18 win in the West Division final on Saturday afternoon. "Here, we've done some great things, we've done some outstanding things. You want it to be worth something, you want it to count for something. That's the biggest thing I can draw on that experience."
In his first two CFL seasons, quarterback Henry Burris was the third-string quarterback for the Stampeders, who won the Grey Cup in 1998 by beating the Hamilton 26-24 in Winnipeg before losing to the Tiger-Cats 32-21 the following year in Vancouver.
"I was able to see what it took for a Jeff Garcia to win a Grey Cup and I saw what it took for a Danny McManus to beat us in '99 to win a Grey Cup," said Burris, who will now guide the Stampeder offence for the first time in the CFL's marquee game. "I was able to see those things and kind of give myself an idea of what it was like, so that's going to help me out in my preparation."
Receiver Jeremaine Copeland will be returning to Montreal where he played for four seasons and helped the Als beat the Edmonton Eskimos 25-16 to hoist the Grey Cup at Commonwealth Stadium in 2002.
"I had a chance to get two back-to-back," said Copeland, whose Montreal squad lost 34-22 the next year in Regina. "We didn't go out and execute the way we were supposed to."
Copeland and other veterans spoke out in a team meeting on Sunday about what it will take for the Stamps to go into a hostile territory in Montreal to beat the Alouettes in front of their home crowd.
"I really think that's the plus that we've got is that guys really know what's out in front of them," Copeland said. "We're going to take that one more step because if we don't win this game, everything that we've done so far is just going to disappear."
Defensive tackle Randy Chevrier, who lost to Copeland's Alouettes in 2002 as a member of the Esks before helping Edmonton rebound to win the Cup the next season, said the Stamps have to prepare themselves to maintain their focus amidst all the hoopla in Montreal.
"Whether you have the crowd in your favour or not, you've still got to go out and perform," Chevrier said. "The challenge here is to be mature in a hurry with this team that we have and draw on the experience of guys like myself and guys who've been there.
"We worked so hard to get to where we are at this point that I don't think anybody would be satisfied with a loss in Montreal."
In his ninth season with the Stamps, offensive lineman Jeff Pilon will make his first trip back to the Grey Cup since helping Calgary beat the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27-19 at Olympic Stadium in 2001.
"That's a long time ago," said Pilon, who's seen countless teammates come and go during that span. "It's been a real journey. At times it can test your love for the game, at times it can test your thoughts of what the heck am I doing, why am I putting my body through this?
"In the end, you're doing it for your teammates, you're doing it for the guys you're playing with and you're doing it for the love of playing football, the love of competing, the love of going out there and testing yourself ... testing what you can do, how far you can push your body and what you can accomplish."
During the win over B.C., Calgary coach and general manager John Hufnagel wore the 1992 Grey Cup ring he won when he was an offensive co-ordinator with the Stamps and he's planning to wear it all week leading up to the game against Montreal.
"Players who have been involved in Grey Cups stood up and talked to the team about what to be expecting and their past experiences," Hufnagel said. "You can always derive information from those types of things. You want to try and obtain as much information from all sources and probably the best source is experiences from the players that are in that locker room."
08 CFL Grey Cup preview show featuring Doug Flutie
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Cohon: Cfl Should Be Prepared For Tougher Times
The Canadian Football League appears ready to handle to the challenges of tougher economic times across the country and around the world.
That was one of the key messages conveyed by Mark Cohon on Friday as part of the CFL commissioner's annual state of the union news conference in Montreal.
"We are not immune to the economic downturn in this country and around the world, but we feel we are well positioned when compared to other leagues," he told reporters. "We have good ties to the community and are affordable. We are aggressive with our fan base and those companies that are aggressive during down times are more successful."
Part of the league's aggressive approach with fans will be marketing an inexpensive, home-grown entertainment option that has attracted more than two million fans through the turnstiles for a seventh year in a row.
The commissioner's question and answer session also brought up the annual laundry list of league concerns, including the possibility of expansion and the National Football League's presence in Toronto.
A 'Blue Ribbon' team of Jeff Hunt, John Ruddy, Roger Greenberg and William Shenkman are already working diligently to bring a CFL team back to Ottawa amid reports that the nation's capital will host the Grey Cup in 2014. "We're hopeful that 2011 will be a time when we can get a franchise back in Ottawa," said Cohon.
The commissioner addressed questions regarding new exposure into markets like Quebec City, Moncton and Halifax, with the possibility of neutral site regular season games in one of those cities provided that a suitable stadium is available. The city of Moncton already has a track and field stadium in the works which could potentially host a game in the near future.
"I do believe there are opportunities to expand our reach into those markets," said Cohon. "That (facility) has the ability to expand up to 20,000 (seats), so we are looking at an opportunity in 2010."
With the Toronto Argonauts out of the postseason and the Buffalo Bills set to play their first regular season at the Rogers Centre on Dec. 6, Cohon chose not to discuss the presence of the NFL on the CFL's biggest weekend.
"One season does not make a league," he said. "Three quarters of a million people watched the Labour day Classic, with more than a quarter of that number from the GTA."
Other points from the commissioner's address included:
- A continuation of the CFL's Retro program, including the possibility of opening next season on Canada Day.
- Creating a league command centre for officiating so all decisions can be made from Toronto.
- New in-game standards to protecting quarterbacks. At season's end the CFL will meet with club GMs and coaches and discuss how this can be further improved.
- A drug-testing policy - which already has a first draft - that, with the support of the CFL Players' Association, will be part of the new collective bargaining agreement in 2010.
- Talking to the CIS about co-ordinating efforts with the two title games being played in the same city.
- The league will decide shortly what the cap will be in 2009 but doubts it will increase from its present level of $4.2 million.
