WF Recap: Edmonton 45, Calgary 31
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Power Shift: Esks Grey Cup bound with win over Stamps
Posted: November 22,2015 07:50PM
Updated: November 23,2015 12:51AM
CFL.ca Staff
#GCPlayoffs
EDMONTON – Mike Reilly and the Edmonton Eskimos have sent a message to their division rivals, finally getting over the hump and into the big game.
The Esks' veteran pivot threw three touchdowns and ran for two more as the Esks handled the Calgary Stampeders 45-31 in the 2015 Western Final at Commonwealth Stadium. The win earned Edmonton a berth in the Grey Cup for the first time since 2005, where the Eskimos will take on the Ottawa REDBLACKS in Winnipeg next Sunday.
The Eskimos jumped out to a big lead on the strength of five touchdowns, all involving franchise pivot Reilly, while they avoided a frantic Calgary surge that brought the Stamps within 14 points with the ball deep in Edmonton territory in the final minutes. But Bo Levi Mitchell's third-down pass in the end zone was incomplete, leading the Eskimos to run out the clock and clinch the victory.
For Reilly it was his first career playoff win, while the loss for Calgary marks the final game of John Hufnagel's coaching career. Hufnagel is expected to take on the role of General Manager next season with the Stampeders.
The two teams played a conservative opening possession each before a turnover helped put the first points on the board.
A 16-yard pass to SB Cory Watson set up a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Reilly. A two-point conversion pass to WR Derel Walker gave the Eskimos an 8-0 lead with 7:33 left in the opening quarter.
The Stampeders answered with a 21-yard pass and run to the league’s leading receiver, Eric Rogers, to set up a 44-yard Rob Maver field goal.
Down by five, the Stampders looked poised to take the lead when Mitchell completed passes to Joe West and Rogers before handing the ball off to Lemar Durant for a 21-yard run on a sweep pattern, but the drive stalled at the Edmonton four-yard line and they had to settle for a 16-yard Maver boot. On the previous play, Mitchell found Anthony Parker behind coverage on a post route but John Ojo recovered and got his hand in there to knock the ball out, forcing the field goal attempt.
The Esks answered with a field goal of their own as Sean Whyte knocked in a 32-yarder but the drive took 12 plays and just under six minutes off the clock to put their second quarter advantage at 11-6.
Another Maver field goal kept the Stamps within two following a shovel pass to Jerome Messam for a 17-yard gain that brought the Stamps inside Edmonton territory.
Rich Stubler, the mind behind the Stampders defence, has been known for his bend-but-don’t-break style of play and it was never more true than in the second quarter. With the aid of a pass interference call, Reilly and the Eskimos drove down the field inside the Stampders 10 yard line but once again came away with just a field goal.
As the three-minute warning hit, the Stampders looked to take their first lead of the game by slinging the ball down field. Mitchell stepped into a 39-yard pass which he completed to Simon Charbonneau-Campeau and then dropped a 22-yarder into the hands of West. Another pair of incompletions inside the Edmonton five yard line however forced the Stampders to settle for three once more.
The Esks had 1:45 to work with and holding a two-point lead and Reilly calmly led a methodical possession to add to the lead before half. A pair of 15-yard completions to Adarius Bowman and Shamawd Chambers put Edmonton within striking distance.
With 20 seconds left in the half, Reilly found Bowman in the flat again and he turned it up field, diving for the goal line and increasing the lead to 21-12.
The Esks took the ball to open the second half and their opening drive was all Kenny Stafford. The first-year Eskimo who was traded for Fred Stamps hauled in a 30-yard pass over the middle to get the Esks into Calgary territory. One play later, Reilly led him once again to the middle of the field with a pass. Stafford caught it in stride, split a pair of would-be tacklers and raced toward the goal line to give the Esks a 28-12 advantage.
A quick two-and-out put Reilly back on the field where he once again got the ball into the hands of his primary target, Bowman, whose 22-yard reception set up a 31-yard Whyte field goal.
Maver’s 49-yard field goal on the ensuing possession cut into the lead slightly but Edmonton was firmly grasping a 31-15 lead.
Hoping that the Maver field goal would breathe a bit of life into the Stampders, the Eskmos defence completely suffocated Mitchell and the Calgary offence. An interception for a touchdown by Otha Foster was called back on a pass interference call but the turnover on the next play would stand. A handoff to Jerome Messame gained three yards before he had the ball stripped. The fumble was picked up by Dexter McCoil who went 47 yards untouched to the endzone. The turnover counted but the touchdown did not as the whistle went after the recovery. Nonetheless, the Eskimos took over just inside their own side of half.
Reilly would ensure that three time's the charm for the Esks as he heaved a ball down the field for an open Walker behind coverage. The rookie receiver reeled in the ball in stride and finished off a 67-yard catch-and-run with a touchdown to seemingly salt away the win. The major gave Edmonton a 38-15 lead as the fourth quarter began.
The Esks just kept piling it on from there. McCoil stepped in front of a Mitchell pass and returned it inside the Calgary 40. Reilly then put together a short four-play, 40-yard touchdown drive which he finished off with a quarterback keeper of nine yards to increase the advantage to 30 points.
With just over 10 minutes left the Eskimos appeared to have the game in hand, but the defending Grey Cup Champions weren't ready to bow out quietly. Mitchell connected with a wide open Rogers for a 66-yard touchdown then made good on the two-point convert to West, cutting Calgary's deficit to 45-23 with plenty of time on the clock.
After a two-and-out for their defence, the Stampeders moved quickly into Edmonton territory and again cut into the Eskimos' lead. This time on third and 10 Mitchell found West for the score on his eighth catch of the night, while a roughing the passer penalty helped set up a Bryant Moniz two-point conversion as the deficit continued to shrink, this time to a 14-point game with 4:58 left.
Rich Stubler's defence eventually got a stop on the next drive and
the ball back with just over two minutes left, and back to work went
Mitchell. With two straight completions getting the offence to the 20,
two more catches by Messam and McDaniel gave Calgary another fresh set
of downs inside the 20.
The Stampeders appeared to pull off their most impressive feat yet on a third-and-six play when Rogers kept his concentration to catch a deflected ball in the end zone, but the play was called back on a hands to the face penalty. Mitchell's next pass fell incomplete in the end zone, all but officially ending Calgary's frantic comeback bid in the City of Champions.
With the win Edmonton has now won nine straight games and will appear in the Grey Cup Championship on Nov. 29 against an Ottawa team that has won nine of 11 games. These teams last met in the Grey Cup in 1981, and now meet up as the two division winners in 2015.
The matchup also marked the end of Hufnagel's illustrious coaching career, as he takes on a GM role only in 2016 while current offensive coordinator Dave Dickenson inherits the headset.
#GCPlayoffs
EDMONTON – Mike Reilly and the Edmonton Eskimos have sent a message to their division rivals, finally getting over the hump and into the big game.
The Esks' veteran pivot threw three touchdowns and ran for two more as the Esks handled the Calgary Stampeders 45-31 in the 2015 Western Final at Commonwealth Stadium. The win earned Edmonton a berth in the Grey Cup for the first time since 2005, where the Eskimos will take on the Ottawa REDBLACKS in Winnipeg next Sunday.
The Eskimos jumped out to a big lead on the strength of five touchdowns, all involving franchise pivot Reilly, while they avoided a frantic Calgary surge that brought the Stamps within 14 points with the ball deep in Edmonton territory in the final minutes. But Bo Levi Mitchell's third-down pass in the end zone was incomplete, leading the Eskimos to run out the clock and clinch the victory.
For Reilly it was his first career playoff win, while the loss for Calgary marks the final game of John Hufnagel's coaching career. Hufnagel is expected to take on the role of General Manager next season with the Stampeders.
The two teams played a conservative opening possession each before a turnover helped put the first points on the board.
A 16-yard pass to SB Cory Watson set up a 1-yard touchdown plunge by Reilly. A two-point conversion pass to WR Derel Walker gave the Eskimos an 8-0 lead with 7:33 left in the opening quarter.
The Stampeders answered with a 21-yard pass and run to the league’s leading receiver, Eric Rogers, to set up a 44-yard Rob Maver field goal.
Down by five, the Stampders looked poised to take the lead when Mitchell completed passes to Joe West and Rogers before handing the ball off to Lemar Durant for a 21-yard run on a sweep pattern, but the drive stalled at the Edmonton four-yard line and they had to settle for a 16-yard Maver boot. On the previous play, Mitchell found Anthony Parker behind coverage on a post route but John Ojo recovered and got his hand in there to knock the ball out, forcing the field goal attempt.
The Esks answered with a field goal of their own as Sean Whyte knocked in a 32-yarder but the drive took 12 plays and just under six minutes off the clock to put their second quarter advantage at 11-6.
Another Maver field goal kept the Stamps within two following a shovel pass to Jerome Messam for a 17-yard gain that brought the Stamps inside Edmonton territory.
Rich Stubler, the mind behind the Stampders defence, has been known for his bend-but-don’t-break style of play and it was never more true than in the second quarter. With the aid of a pass interference call, Reilly and the Eskimos drove down the field inside the Stampders 10 yard line but once again came away with just a field goal.
As the three-minute warning hit, the Stampders looked to take their first lead of the game by slinging the ball down field. Mitchell stepped into a 39-yard pass which he completed to Simon Charbonneau-Campeau and then dropped a 22-yarder into the hands of West. Another pair of incompletions inside the Edmonton five yard line however forced the Stampders to settle for three once more.
The Esks had 1:45 to work with and holding a two-point lead and Reilly calmly led a methodical possession to add to the lead before half. A pair of 15-yard completions to Adarius Bowman and Shamawd Chambers put Edmonton within striking distance.
With 20 seconds left in the half, Reilly found Bowman in the flat again and he turned it up field, diving for the goal line and increasing the lead to 21-12.
The Esks took the ball to open the second half and their opening drive was all Kenny Stafford. The first-year Eskimo who was traded for Fred Stamps hauled in a 30-yard pass over the middle to get the Esks into Calgary territory. One play later, Reilly led him once again to the middle of the field with a pass. Stafford caught it in stride, split a pair of would-be tacklers and raced toward the goal line to give the Esks a 28-12 advantage.
A quick two-and-out put Reilly back on the field where he once again got the ball into the hands of his primary target, Bowman, whose 22-yard reception set up a 31-yard Whyte field goal.
| Reilly Good: Gunslinger leads in Esks win |
|---|
 One year after being knocked out of the Western Final, Edmonton Eskimos QB led his club to a Grey Cpp berth with over 300 yards passing ... » View Game Stats. |
Maver’s 49-yard field goal on the ensuing possession cut into the lead slightly but Edmonton was firmly grasping a 31-15 lead.
Hoping that the Maver field goal would breathe a bit of life into the Stampders, the Eskmos defence completely suffocated Mitchell and the Calgary offence. An interception for a touchdown by Otha Foster was called back on a pass interference call but the turnover on the next play would stand. A handoff to Jerome Messame gained three yards before he had the ball stripped. The fumble was picked up by Dexter McCoil who went 47 yards untouched to the endzone. The turnover counted but the touchdown did not as the whistle went after the recovery. Nonetheless, the Eskimos took over just inside their own side of half.
Reilly would ensure that three time's the charm for the Esks as he heaved a ball down the field for an open Walker behind coverage. The rookie receiver reeled in the ball in stride and finished off a 67-yard catch-and-run with a touchdown to seemingly salt away the win. The major gave Edmonton a 38-15 lead as the fourth quarter began.
The Esks just kept piling it on from there. McCoil stepped in front of a Mitchell pass and returned it inside the Calgary 40. Reilly then put together a short four-play, 40-yard touchdown drive which he finished off with a quarterback keeper of nine yards to increase the advantage to 30 points.
With just over 10 minutes left the Eskimos appeared to have the game in hand, but the defending Grey Cup Champions weren't ready to bow out quietly. Mitchell connected with a wide open Rogers for a 66-yard touchdown then made good on the two-point convert to West, cutting Calgary's deficit to 45-23 with plenty of time on the clock.
After a two-and-out for their defence, the Stampeders moved quickly into Edmonton territory and again cut into the Eskimos' lead. This time on third and 10 Mitchell found West for the score on his eighth catch of the night, while a roughing the passer penalty helped set up a Bryant Moniz two-point conversion as the deficit continued to shrink, this time to a 14-point game with 4:58 left.
Video
Reilly finds Bowman late in 1st Half
The Stampeders appeared to pull off their most impressive feat yet on a third-and-six play when Rogers kept his concentration to catch a deflected ball in the end zone, but the play was called back on a hands to the face penalty. Mitchell's next pass fell incomplete in the end zone, all but officially ending Calgary's frantic comeback bid in the City of Champions.
With the win Edmonton has now won nine straight games and will appear in the Grey Cup Championship on Nov. 29 against an Ottawa team that has won nine of 11 games. These teams last met in the Grey Cup in 1981, and now meet up as the two division winners in 2015.
The matchup also marked the end of Hufnagel's illustrious coaching career, as he takes on a GM role only in 2016 while current offensive coordinator Dave Dickenson inherits the headset.
Fan Poll
Are the Esks the favourite to win the Grey Cup vs. Ottawa?
- 1) Yes
- 2) No
Total Votes : 1,461
No comments:
Post a Comment