Montreal wins Grey Cup
Duval’s field goal with no time left beats Saskatchewan
CALGARY, Alberta — Damon Duval kicked a 33-yard field goal with no time left – after getting a second chance because of a Saskatchewan penalty – in the Grey Cup to give the Montreal Alouettes a 28-27 victory over the Roughriders on Sunday night.
Duval missed moments earlier from 43 yards, but the Roughriders were penalized for having 13 men on the field.
“The man upstairs gave me a second opportunity,” Duval said. “I got the ball through and what can I say, it was all these guys here just fighting back play after play. As soon as I saw the flag I didn’t care, I had to focus on making a kick.”
The Roughriders failed in a bid for a second title in three years.
“It was a lack of communication … but it should have been recognized,” coach Ken Miller said about the critical penalty. “The disappointment of this loss is going to affect us as long as we’re on this planet. Total 100 percent disappointment.”
Montreal, a team-record 15-3 in the regular season, erased a late 16-point deficit.
Avon Cobourne, selected the game MVP, scored on a 3-yard run with 7:05 left, and Anthony Calvillo completed a 2-point conversion pass to Kerry Carter to make it 27-19. Calvillo then threw an 11-yard scoring pass to Ben Cahoon. The 2-point try failed, but the Alouettes got the ball back and Calvillo set up the winning field goal.
The victory ended a run of Grey Cup woes for the Alouettes and Calvillo, who won only their second title in seven championship game appearances since 2000. They also ended a four-game losing streak in the Grey Cup with their sixth overall title.
Roughriders quarterback Darian Durant scored on a 16-yard run to give Saskatchewan a 27-11 lead with 10 minutes left, and also threw a touchdown pass to Andy Fantuz in the first quarter. Luca Congi made four field goals for the Roughriders.