Ottawa Redblacks quarterback Henry Burris leaves the field after his team was defeated by the Edmonton Eskimos in the CFL's 103rd Grey Cup championship football game in Winnipeg, Manitoba, November 29, 2015.LYLE STAFFORD/Reuters
A dream start turned into a disappointing ending for the underdog Ottawa Redblacks at the 103rd Grey Cup on Sunday.
The Redblacks found themselves up 13-0 before the Edmonton offence had taken the field, thanks to an opening TD drive and a fumble recovery on the ensuing kickoff that led to another score. But the Eskimos outscored them 26-7 the rest of the way, scoring the winning touchdown with three minutes 22 seconds remaining for a 26-20 win.
"Kudos to Edmonton. They made plays and we didn't and that's the reason why they won the game," said downcast Ottawa quarterback Henry Burris.
"We had opportunities there at the end to make play both offensively and defensively," echoed coach Rick Campbell. "We weren't able to do that."
The game-deciding drive came with two huge pass interference penalties. First Abdul Kanneh was penalized, a 28-yard gain for the Eskimos. Then on the next play, after a successful Edmonton challenge, Brandon Sermons was flagged for a 37-yard Edmonton gain.
That brought the ball to the Ottawa 10-yard line. Two plays later, Jordan Lynch ran in for a one-yard TD.
"I just find it heartbreaking to lose a Grey Cup on two ... PI calls that were very questionable," said Ottawa kicker Chris Milo.
He said other Redblack players "absolutely" shared his view.
"I think they got the call right on the field, which is why they didn't call a PI," he said of the play that was changed after review. "The first one was uncatchable."
A more diplomatic Campbell declined to be drawn into a debate on the merits of allowing coaches to challenge for a pass interference call.
The second-year Redblacks, who were 2-16 in their debut season, won the Eastern Conference with a 12-6 record this year. Only the 1996 Argonauts, who won 11 more games than the year before, have had a bigger one-year turnaround in CFL history.
Ottawa came into the game riding a five-game win streak. The team had not lost since a 38-35 defeat at the hands of Toronto on Oct. 6.
The Redblacks and Eskimos had not played each other since early July when the Eskimos won back-to-back games 46-17 and 23-12.
Ottawa's last Grey Cup appearance was in 1981 when it lost 26-23 to Edmonton. Its last win was Nov. 28, 1976, when the Rough Riders defeated Saskatchewan 23-20.
The Ottawa football club was founded in 1876, changing its name to the Rough Riders in 1898.
The franchise went on to win nine Grey Cups in 15 appearances but folded in 1996 after a string of sub-par seasons. The CFL returned to Ottawa as the Renegades in 2002, but folded after four unsuccessful seasons.