Eskimos extra good
THE BIG GAME Eskimos 38 Alouettes 35 Fleming FG in second overtime wins nail-biter ‘I absolutely love these guys,’ says coach Maciocia
VANCOUVER— The Edmonton Eskimos won their 13th Grey Cup last night, defeating the Montreal Alouettes 38-35, but for just the second time in the history of the championship game they had to go to overtime to claim the coveted trophy. Sean Fleming’s 36- yard field goal on the Eskimos’ second series of the second round of overtime proved the winner. It was Edmonton’s second Grey Cup title in three years. “We persevered. We fought back. I absolutely love these guys,” Eskimos coach Danny Maciocia told CBC. “ This is the best football team I’ve ever been associated with.” Under the CFL’s unique extraframe rules, both teams get to scrimmage from the 35-yard line. Montreal was the first to score when quarterback Anthony Calvillo hit Dave Stala in the end zone in the opening round of OT for a 35- 28 lead. The Eskimos responded when quarterback Ricky Ray hooked up with Jason Tucker on an 11yard TD pass to tie it at 35- 35.
Fleming then booted his field goal, putting the pressure on Montreal to score.
After a bizarre play in which Calvillo was penalized for an illegal pass, Charles Alston pushed the Als back to the Montreal 54 with an 11- yard sack.
Facing second- and- 31, Calvillo threw an incomplete pass before scrambling and punting the ball on third down only to have Edmonton recover and end the game.
“ What a game,” said Ray, named the game’s outstanding player after going 34 of 44 for 367 yards and two touchdowns. “ This has been an unbelievable year for this team.”
Maciocia, the seventh CFL head coach to win a Grey Cup in his first season, then fell to his knees and wept at the bench.
“ This is a family accomplishment,” said Maciocia, choking up while holding his young daughter. “ They’ve sacrificed so much.”
It was just the second Grey Cup decided in overtime. The other was Winnipeg’s 21- 14 win over Hamilton at Toronto in 1961. The Alouettes sent the game into overtime when Damon Duval kicked a 27- yard field goal with no time left on the clock. Edmonton appeared as if it had pulled out a last- minute victory when Ray scored a one-yard touchdown with 1: 03 left. Ray had hit former Argonaut Derrell Mitchell with a 35- yard pass on a third-down gamble that put the Eskimos at the Montreal 15- yard line. Two pass interference penalties then put the Eskimos on the one- yard line, where Ray plunged across on second down.
After a sluggish first half in which they fell behind 10- 1, the Als came out looking like a different team after the intermission and threatened to repeat last week’s accomplishment against the Argonauts in the Eastern final.
Calvillo found his receivers with a pair of long, pinpoint passes to set up a pair of TDs by Canadian running back Eric Lapointe — who scored three touchdowns against Toronto — and scored a TD himself.
Lapointe got the comeback started with a solid 11- yard run before Calvillo connected with Ben Cahoon on a 33- yard strike that took the ball to the oneyard line. Lapointe crashed over on the next play and Duval’s
convert reduced the Eskimos’ lead to 10- 8. The Eskies looked as if they would answer that TD with one of their own as they started at their own 14- yard line and overcame a pair of penalties to drive to the Montreal 28. But they had to again settle for a field goal and a 13- 8 lead.
That gave the Als the opening to take the lead for the first time.
Swift Canadian receiver Sylvain Girard got a step on Donny Brady and despite the Eskimo halfback’s desperate attempts, Girard caught a Calvillo pass at the Eskimo’s five- yard line. Two plays later, Lapointe crashed in for his second TD and the Als were in front 15- 13. Matthieu Proulx recovered Troy Davis’s fumble to give the Als another shot at the end zone, but they had to settle for a Duval field goal and an 18- 13 lead. The Eskimos, however, came right back to take the lead once more, 20- 18, when Tony Tompkins took the ensuing kickoff 96 yards for a touchdown. That broke the Grey Cup record for longest kickoff return touchdown, set by the Argos’ Adrion Smith in 1997. Eskimos receiver Mike Maurer was named outstanding Canadian after making four catches for 41 yards.
“ We fought through adversity all season long,” Maurer said. “ We’ve come from behind. We can do it all.” Prime Minister Paul Martin and Governor- General Michaëlle Jean were among the sellout crowd of 59,155, which appeared evenly split between supporters of the two teams.