HAMILTON, Ont. — No matter the situation the Montreal Alouettes found themselves in, the belief within the group never wavered.
Needing their offence to convert on third-and-five with the game and season on the line, quarterback Cody Fajardo connected with Cole Spieker for a 31-yard completion to move the chains.
At that moment, Fajardo knew his team was going to come away victorious and on the next play, he made good on that belief.
It was the subsequent 19-yard touchdown reception by Canadian Tyson Philpot that cemented a Cinderella season for Montreal, whose 28-24 victory on Sunday at Tim Hortons Field ended a 13-year Grey Cup drought and sent the Winnipeg Blue Bombers home empty-handed once again.
Philpot secures TD pass to give Alouettes Grey Cup lead with seconds remaining
“They were bringing zero and I said that if they were bringing zero I got a chance to throw a game-winning touchdown,” Fajardo said after throwing for 290 yards, three touchdowns and an interception. “They ended up bringing it in and Tyson made a hell of a catch. Honestly, I didn’t get to see it. I just threw it, got hit and I heard the roar of the crowd.”
Fajardo details how he was able to lead Alouettes on game-winning TD drive in Grey Cup
There were several moments in this game where Montreal could have seen their chances of winning slip through their fingers, including a failed attempt to get over the goal line on third-and-short just before the first half ended.
However, the team didn’t let that moment deflate their confidence and went into halftime believing they could regroup.
“We talked about it at halftime that the play probably gave them a lot of momentum, but it didn’t kill us,” said Alouettes head coach Jason Maas. “We knew we just had to go out and play another 30 minutes as hard as we can. It was important to regain our focus, then go out and compete.
“That gives us the best chance and I’m very proud of the group for sticking together, playing it to the end and believing in one another. That’s what this team has done all year.”
‘Thankful and grateful’: Jason Maas on Alouettes’ Grey Cup win over Blue Bombers
Getting to the end of the road was not easy for this Alouettes team.
Without knowing who would be the owner of the team in February, general manager Danny Maciocia had to find a way to build a roster that could compete, which was easier said than done, but he found the right mix to win in the end.
“It was a great group of guys that bought into a project that many didn’t want to buy into,” Macciocia explained. “There was no shortage of resiliency throughout the course of the year. We had our highs, we had our lows, but we stuck together and today we’re Grey Cup champions.”
What ended up being Macciocia’s best decision of all was bringing in Maas, someone he won two championships with during his time as assistant coach in Edmonton.
Facing a tough point in his coaching career after getting fired by the Saskatchewan Roughriders, Maas wasn’t sure if he would ever get a chance to lead a team again.
“I feel appreciated by this organization. Very grateful more than anything that I was given a second opportunity from somebody that I truly trust, love, and admire in Danny, I would do anything for him,” said Maas. “I’m thankful and grateful he took a chance on me, and that’s all I ever wanted and I was gonna do everything I possibly could to make him proud and to make our team successful.”
Alouettes hoist Grey Cup trophy after upsetting Blue Bombers
Maciocia and Maas made their biggest gamble in free agency when they signed Fajardo.
The 31-year-old was left wondering if his football career was over with little interest until Montreal came calling.
What sold Fajardo was getting a two-year deal and continuing to work with Maas, who was his offensive co-ordinator in Saskatchewan. Having the faith in those who brought him in was important but so was regaining his confidence in himself.
“When we signed Cody in February, I told him, ‘Look, it’s one thing for me to believe in you. I was with you for three years. I know what went on last year and I want you here. But more importantly, Danny Maciocia watched every single game of yours and he put the stamp on you,’” Maciocia said. “Anthony Calvillo watched all his film and said the same thing. So we had three guys on his side when he signed. But he also took the mindset to work and get better, and come into camp to win a job rather than just have anything being given to him.
“That’s what Cody is all about and that’s why I love that he gets everything he has every single day. He works for it and you love to see guys like him succeed.”
While it was the offence that came through in the end, it was the defence that set the stage.
Winnipeg had their opportunities to put the game out of reach especially late in the fourth quarter with a chance to run out the clock. However on second down, Bishop Sankey would sack Bombers pivot Zach Collaros to force Winnipeg to punt before the game-winning touchdown.
The Alouettes defence held the Blue Bombers to just seven points in the second half and registered four sacks on the night, while Winnipeg’s dominant defensive line only registered two sacks of their own.
Alouettes’ Mack scores TD to surpass 100 receiving yards in Grey Cup
For Winnipeg, getting back to the Grey Cup for the fourth year in a row gave them an opportunity for redemption after coming up short against the Toronto Argonauts.
“Sad. You play to win the game, play to win the last one and we came up short,” Collaros told reporters after throwing for 236 yards, one interception and no touchdowns in the game. “Montreal was a few plays better than us. Just really sad, because there’s a lot of good guys in the locker room.”
Another deciding factor in this game were the injuries to Dalton Schoen and Adam Bighill, big contributors on both sides of the ball. Neither one participated in practice during the week and Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea waited until the last possible minute to announce that they would be active.
Schoen finished with three catches for 36 yards after leading the Blue Bombers with 1,233 receiving yards and 10 touchdowns during the season. Bighill registered one tackle and was beat on a touchdown by Spieker in the third quarter.
Winnipeg will once again be faced with some tough decisions with their roster in the off-season like most teams go through. An emotional Brady Oliveira couldn’t help but feel like it was a missed opportunity for his team.
“It’s not going to be the same going to work next year because I know it’s not going to be the same guys in this locker room,” he said. “I really wanted to win it for the guys that haven’t got a chance to experience it, my running backs coach in particular. I feel like I let him down.”
Montreal will now look to build off their season and believe this team will only get better, especially with the lack of experience they had as a group. Look no further than Philpot who in his second season has a Grey Cup title and a Most Valuable Canadian award.
‘We had plenty of faith’: Mack on Alouettes’ Grey Cup-winning two minute drill
“We’re all young guys this room of receivers,” said Mack, who finished the game with six catches for 103 yards and a touchdown. “Tyson came a long way (after) missing half the season with a hamstring injury. It took him a while to get going but he’s of the best Canadian players in this league. He showed it tonight on the biggest stage in Canadian football.”
Winning a championship in the CFL is not easy; the Alouettes went 13 years without an appearance in the Grey Cup. But in the end, they believed they could get the job done and ended the season with eight-straight victories to bring the Grey Cup back to Quebec.
The French league’s legal commission has ordered Paris Saint-Germain to pay Kylian Mbappé the 55 million euros ($61 million) in unpaid wages that he claims he’s entitled to, the league said Thursday.
The league confirmed the decision to The Associated Press without more details, a day after the France superstar rejected a mediation offer by the commission in his dispute with his former club.
LOS ANGELES (AP) — Former football star Reggie Bush was at his Encino home Tuesday night when three male suspects attempted to break in, the Los Angeles Times reported Wednesday.
“Everyone is safe,” Bush said in a text message to the newspaper.
The Los Angeles Police Dept. told the Times that a resident of the house reported hearing a window break and broken glass was found outside. Police said nothing was stolen and that three male suspects dressed in black were seen leaving the scene.
Bush starred at Southern California and in the NFL. The former running back was reinstated as the 2005 Heisman Trophy winner this year. He forfeited it in 2010 after USC was hit with sanctions partly related to Bush’s dealings with two aspiring sports marketers.
VANCOUVER – A fresh face has been gracing the B.C. Lions‘ highlight reels in recent weeks.
Midway through his second CFL campaign, wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt has contributed touchdowns in two consecutive games.
The 26-year-old wide receiver from Loveland, Colo., was the lone B.C. player to reel in a passing major in his team’s 37-23 victory over the league-leading Montreal Alouettes last Friday. The week before, he notched his first CFL touchdown in the Lions’ win over the Ottawa Redblacks.
“It’s been awesome. It’s been really good,” Eberhardt said of his recent play. “At the end of the day, the biggest stat to me is if we win. But who doesn’t love scoring?”
He’ll look to add to the tally Friday when the Leos (7-6) host the Toronto Argonauts.
Eberhardt signed with B.C. as a free agent in January 2023 and spent much of last season on the practice squad before cementing a role on the roster this year.
The six-foot-two, 195-pound University of Wyoming product has earned more opportunities in his second season, said Lions’ head coach and co-general manager Rick Campbell.
“He’s a super hard worker and very smart. He understands, has high football IQ, as we call it,” Campbell said.
The fact that Eberhardt can play virtually every receiving position helps.
“He could literally go into a game and we could throw him into a spot and he’d know exactly what he’s doing,” the coach said. “That allows him to play fast and earn the quarterback’s trust. And you see him making plays.”
Eberhardt credited his teammates, coaches and the rest of the Lions’ staff with helping him prepare for any situation he might face. They’ve all spent time teaching him the ins and outs of the Canadian game, or go over the playbook and run routes after practice, he said.
“I’ve played every single position on our offence in a game in the last two years, which is kind of crazy. But I love playing football,” he said. “I want to play any position that the team needs me to play.”
While B.C.’s lineup is studded with stars like running back William Stanback — who has a CFL-high 938 rushing yards — and wide receiver Justin McInnis — who leads the league in both receiving yards (1,074) and receiving TDs (seven) — versatility has been a critical part of the team’s back-to-back wins.
“I think we’ve got a lot of talented guys who deserve to get the ball and make big plays when they have the ball in their hands. So it’s really my job to get them the ball as much as possible,” said quarterback Nathan Rourke.
“I think that makes it easy when you can lean on those guys and, really, we’re in a situation where anyone can have a big game. And I think that’s a good place to be.”
Even with a talented lineup, the Lions face a tough test against an eager Argos side.
Toronto lost its second straight game Saturday when it dropped a 41-27 decision to Ottawa.
“We’ll have our hands full,” Rourke said. “We’ll have to adjust on the fly to whatever their game plan is. And no doubt, they’ll be ready to go so we’ll have to be as well.”
The two sides have already met once this season when the Argos handed the Lions a 35-27 loss in Toronto back on June 9.
A win on Friday would vault B.C. to the top of the West Division standings, over the 7-6 Winnipeg Blue Bombers who are on a bye week.
Collecting that victory isn’t assured, though, even with Toronto coming in on a two-game skid, Campbell said.
“They’ve hit a little bit of a rut, but they’re a really good team,” he said. “They’re very athletic. And you can really see (quarterback Chad Kelly’s) got zip on the ball. When you see him in there, he can make all the throws. So we’re expecting their best shot.”
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (6-6) AT B.C. LIONS (7-6)
Friday, B.C. Place
HOME FIELD ADVANTAGE: The Lions boast a 4-1 home record this season, including a 38-12 victory over the Redblacks at Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, B.C., on Aug. 31. The Argos have struggled outside of BMO Field and hold a 1-5 away record. Trips to the West Coast haven’t been easy for Toronto in recent years — since 2003, the club is 4-14 in road games against B.C.
CENTURION: B.C. defensive back Garry Peters is set to appear in his 100th consecutive game. The 32-year-old from Conyers, Ga., is a two-time CFL all-star who has amassed 381 defensive tackles, 19 special teams tackles and 16 interceptions over seven seasons. “Just being on the field with the guys every day, running around, talking trash back and forth, it keeps me young,” Peters said. “It makes me feel good, and my body doesn’t really feel it. I’ve been blessed to be able to play 100 straight.”
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 12, 2024.
