THE CANADIAN PRESS
R-Nation Rising: REDBLACKS score late to stun 'Cats
Posted: November 22,2015 04:05PM
Updated: November 22,2015 05:04PM
CFL.ca Staff
#GCPlayoffs
OTTAWA -- The Hamilton Tiger-Cats had no answer for Greg Ellingson.
Ellingson caught a 93-yard touchdown pass on second-and-25 inside two minutes remaining, sending the Ottawa REDBLACKS to a 35-28 win over the Ticats in the Eastern Final.
With the victory in front of a sold out TD Place, the REDBLACKS will appear in the 103rd Grey Cup Presented by Shaw for the first time since 1981.
Henry Burris and William Powell each scored on the ground for the REDBLACKS while Chris Milo kicked four field goals, but the Ticats tied the game at 28-28 late in the fourth on a highlight-reel grab by Luke Tasker.
Jeremiah Masoli threw for a career-high 349 passing yards and two touchdowns on 30-of-42 passing in just his second career playoff start, adding 44 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in the loss. Tiquan Underwood had a team-high 111 receiving yards on four catches, including a 66-yard touchdown while Luke Tasker added 90 yards and a touchdown on eight catches.
All three were outdone by Burris and Ellingson, however. Burris threw for 326 yards and a touchdown on 17-of-32 passing without any interceptions as he defeated his former team. Ellingson, meanwhile, haunted his former team for the second straight game, this time picking up 186 yards and a touchdown on five catches.
With the win Ottawa has now won nine of its last 11 games and will face the Edmonton Eskimos in the Grey Cup on Nov. 29 in Winnipeg, a rematch of the last time Ottawa played in the big game 34 years ago.
While a defensive duel took over for part of the second half, the first half was a seesaw battle between the league's top offence and one of the most highly-touted defences.
Masoli started the game with a key throw on second down to start the drive, fitting a hard throw into a tight spot to Bakari Grant for an 18-yard pickup on second down. After running for close to 10 on the next play and then picking up a first down, the Ticats got into their option offence and Masoli combined with Gable to pick up 17 and another first down.
Coming off seven straight completions to close out an Eastern Semi-Final win, Masoli stayed hot early in this matchup. The 27-year-old stayed poised in the face of pressure and hit Tasker for another first-down gain to keep Hamilton’s first possession moving.
Eventually the REDBLACKS defence tightened up and stopped Hamilton’s pivot on a second-down run at the three, but the Ticats finished off a first drive of nearly six minutes with a Justin Medlock field goal to open up a 3-0 lead.
Hamilton’s offence struck first but Burris and the REDBLACKS weren’t fazed. Burris came out and hit Ellingson on a corner route for a 32-yard pickup, then on the next play hit Ellingson on a slant for a 20-yard catch.
For Ellingson, 52 yards already on the drive weren’t enough. He and Burris hooked up again for a 15-yard pickup, then finishing off the drive was Powell with a two-yard touchdown run to quickly pull Ottawa ahead 7-3 on its first possession of the game.
The REDBLACKS continued to swing momentum in their favour on the second play of the Ticats’ next possession, when Masoli missed Andy Fantuz and there for the interception was Brandon Thompson.
But Hamilton’s defence forced a punt and the offence continued chipping away. A screen pass on second down to C.J. Gable moved the sticks and the ball over midfield, followed by another first down set-up by a Fantuz grab.
On the next play the Ticats turned to some trickery. Masoli pitched the ball to Tasker, who fired down field to Fantuz who made an over-the shoulder grab for 39 yards and a first down inside the Ottawa five.
Masoli capped off Hamilton’s sudden surge with a one-yard touchdown plunge, returning the lead to the Ticats with just under a minute left in the first quarter.
Almost as expected, though, the REDBLACKS offence again responded quickly. Chris Williams and Ernest Jackson each moved the sticks on second-down receptions, then Burris, scrambling on yet another second-down play, took off to his right and eluded a defender to put the REDBLACKS back in the lead.
As the game settled into more of a defensive duel throughout the second quarter, the Ticats struck again – this time far more suddenly. Underwood snuck behind coverage and into the open, catching a 66-yard touchdown pass from Masoli to put Hamilton back in the driver’s seat.
The REDBLACKS pinned Hamilton deep and forced a safety inside the last minute, then scored on a field goal to suddenly put Ottawa back in the lead, 19-17 at halftime.
With the wind at their back and the ball to start with in the third, Burris and the REDBLACKS looked to continue seizing their late first-half momentum. It started with a 15-yard pickup by Powell on a catch over the middle on a second down, then another first-down pickup by Powell on the ensuing play.
Ottawa couldn’t finish the drive with seven but started the half with a three-pointer from Milo. The REDBLACKS kicker added his third field goal of the afternoon later in the third, while Medlock connected on his own in the fourth to pull the Ticats to within five, 25-20.
Milo kicked his fourth field goal of the game while the Ticats added a single on a missed field to make it 28-21, setting up a potential game-tying drive not long later.
The REDBLACKS were forced to punt and took a costly 15-yard no yards penalty on the play, then a catch over the middle by Tasker on a perfect pass by Masoli kept the drive alive. Down seven and needing an answer with just under two minutes remaining, Masoli went for the end zone and a sprawled out Tasker made the highlight-reel grab in the end zone, tying the game at 28-28.
Silence continued to overcome TD Place on the next drive as a 15-yard
penalty pinned the REDBLACKS further back while a potential
game-turning interception slipped through the hands of Arnaud
Gascon-Nadon.
But facing second and 25, Burris juggled a high snap and then fired down the right sideline on the deep ball. Ellingson went up and got it and then broke a tackle, sprinting for a 93-yard touchdown crowd and igniting a sold out Eastern Final crowd in Ottawa.
The REDBLACKS took a 35-28 lead with just a minute left, leaving Masoli and the 'Cats one last chance to respond. But Masoli threw incomplete on third down, officially wrapping up a thrilling last-minute victory for the home team.
The loss for Hamilton caps off a year full of 'what ifs' after a dominant start to the season was thwarted by a season-ending injury to star quarterback Zach Collaros. Hamilton was sitting in first at the time while Collaros was a leading MOP candidate, but the Ticats went 3-5 in eight games without Collaros starting.
Ottawa meanwhile returns to the Grey Cup for the first time since 1981 just a year after winning only two games in the REDBLACKS' first year back in the CFL. That year the Rough Riders played the Eskimos, a matchup set to unfold again in the Grey Cup on Nov. 29 in Winnipeg.
#GCPlayoffs
OTTAWA -- The Hamilton Tiger-Cats had no answer for Greg Ellingson.
Ellingson caught a 93-yard touchdown pass on second-and-25 inside two minutes remaining, sending the Ottawa REDBLACKS to a 35-28 win over the Ticats in the Eastern Final.
With the victory in front of a sold out TD Place, the REDBLACKS will appear in the 103rd Grey Cup Presented by Shaw for the first time since 1981.
Henry Burris and William Powell each scored on the ground for the REDBLACKS while Chris Milo kicked four field goals, but the Ticats tied the game at 28-28 late in the fourth on a highlight-reel grab by Luke Tasker.
Jeremiah Masoli threw for a career-high 349 passing yards and two touchdowns on 30-of-42 passing in just his second career playoff start, adding 44 rushing yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in the loss. Tiquan Underwood had a team-high 111 receiving yards on four catches, including a 66-yard touchdown while Luke Tasker added 90 yards and a touchdown on eight catches.
All three were outdone by Burris and Ellingson, however. Burris threw for 326 yards and a touchdown on 17-of-32 passing without any interceptions as he defeated his former team. Ellingson, meanwhile, haunted his former team for the second straight game, this time picking up 186 yards and a touchdown on five catches.
With the win Ottawa has now won nine of its last 11 games and will face the Edmonton Eskimos in the Grey Cup on Nov. 29 in Winnipeg, a rematch of the last time Ottawa played in the big game 34 years ago.
While a defensive duel took over for part of the second half, the first half was a seesaw battle between the league's top offence and one of the most highly-touted defences.
Masoli started the game with a key throw on second down to start the drive, fitting a hard throw into a tight spot to Bakari Grant for an 18-yard pickup on second down. After running for close to 10 on the next play and then picking up a first down, the Ticats got into their option offence and Masoli combined with Gable to pick up 17 and another first down.
Coming off seven straight completions to close out an Eastern Semi-Final win, Masoli stayed hot early in this matchup. The 27-year-old stayed poised in the face of pressure and hit Tasker for another first-down gain to keep Hamilton’s first possession moving.
Eventually the REDBLACKS defence tightened up and stopped Hamilton’s pivot on a second-down run at the three, but the Ticats finished off a first drive of nearly six minutes with a Justin Medlock field goal to open up a 3-0 lead.
Hamilton’s offence struck first but Burris and the REDBLACKS weren’t fazed. Burris came out and hit Ellingson on a corner route for a 32-yard pickup, then on the next play hit Ellingson on a slant for a 20-yard catch.
For Ellingson, 52 yards already on the drive weren’t enough. He and Burris hooked up again for a 15-yard pickup, then finishing off the drive was Powell with a two-yard touchdown run to quickly pull Ottawa ahead 7-3 on its first possession of the game.
The REDBLACKS continued to swing momentum in their favour on the second play of the Ticats’ next possession, when Masoli missed Andy Fantuz and there for the interception was Brandon Thompson.
But Hamilton’s defence forced a punt and the offence continued chipping away. A screen pass on second down to C.J. Gable moved the sticks and the ball over midfield, followed by another first down set-up by a Fantuz grab.
On the next play the Ticats turned to some trickery. Masoli pitched the ball to Tasker, who fired down field to Fantuz who made an over-the shoulder grab for 39 yards and a first down inside the Ottawa five.
Masoli capped off Hamilton’s sudden surge with a one-yard touchdown plunge, returning the lead to the Ticats with just under a minute left in the first quarter.
Almost as expected, though, the REDBLACKS offence again responded quickly. Chris Williams and Ernest Jackson each moved the sticks on second-down receptions, then Burris, scrambling on yet another second-down play, took off to his right and eluded a defender to put the REDBLACKS back in the lead.
| The 103rd Grey Cup: See the REDBLACKS live! |
|---|
 The REDBLACKS have gone from a two-win season to appearing in the 103rd Grey Cup, as they await either the Calgary Stampeders or the Edmonton Eskimos. » Buy: 103rd Grey Cup tickets |
As the game settled into more of a defensive duel throughout the second quarter, the Ticats struck again – this time far more suddenly. Underwood snuck behind coverage and into the open, catching a 66-yard touchdown pass from Masoli to put Hamilton back in the driver’s seat.
The REDBLACKS pinned Hamilton deep and forced a safety inside the last minute, then scored on a field goal to suddenly put Ottawa back in the lead, 19-17 at halftime.
With the wind at their back and the ball to start with in the third, Burris and the REDBLACKS looked to continue seizing their late first-half momentum. It started with a 15-yard pickup by Powell on a catch over the middle on a second down, then another first-down pickup by Powell on the ensuing play.
Ottawa couldn’t finish the drive with seven but started the half with a three-pointer from Milo. The REDBLACKS kicker added his third field goal of the afternoon later in the third, while Medlock connected on his own in the fourth to pull the Ticats to within five, 25-20.
Milo kicked his fourth field goal of the game while the Ticats added a single on a missed field to make it 28-21, setting up a potential game-tying drive not long later.
The REDBLACKS were forced to punt and took a costly 15-yard no yards penalty on the play, then a catch over the middle by Tasker on a perfect pass by Masoli kept the drive alive. Down seven and needing an answer with just under two minutes remaining, Masoli went for the end zone and a sprawled out Tasker made the highlight-reel grab in the end zone, tying the game at 28-28.
Video
But facing second and 25, Burris juggled a high snap and then fired down the right sideline on the deep ball. Ellingson went up and got it and then broke a tackle, sprinting for a 93-yard touchdown crowd and igniting a sold out Eastern Final crowd in Ottawa.
The REDBLACKS took a 35-28 lead with just a minute left, leaving Masoli and the 'Cats one last chance to respond. But Masoli threw incomplete on third down, officially wrapping up a thrilling last-minute victory for the home team.
The loss for Hamilton caps off a year full of 'what ifs' after a dominant start to the season was thwarted by a season-ending injury to star quarterback Zach Collaros. Hamilton was sitting in first at the time while Collaros was a leading MOP candidate, but the Ticats went 3-5 in eight games without Collaros starting.
Ottawa meanwhile returns to the Grey Cup for the first time since 1981 just a year after winning only two games in the REDBLACKS' first year back in the CFL. That year the Rough Riders played the Eskimos, a matchup set to unfold again in the Grey Cup on Nov. 29 in Winnipeg.
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