Bowman on Reilly: ‘He is our warrior, he is our leader’

jim-morris

Just when it looked like their trip to the Grey Cup might swerve into the ditch a late first-half drive put the Edmonton Eskimos back on the road to victory.
The 10-play, 88-yard drive ended in a touchdown that put the Eskimos up 17-16 over the Ottawa REDBLACKS and sent them into the dressing room with their first lead of the game. With the team back on track the Eskimos went on to defeat the REDBLACKS 26-20 in the 103rd Grey Cup presented by Shaw, to claim their first CFL championship in 10 years.
“In the game of football your momentum sometimes can take you all the way to the end,” said slotback Adarius Bowman.
The Eskimos started the drive on their own 22 with just under three minutes remaining in the second quarter. It ended with rookie running back Akeen Shavers catching a two-yard touchdown pass from quarterback Mike Reilly.
A two-point convert attempt failed but the Eskimos went into the dressing room with their first lead of the game 17-16.
Reilly, who was named the Shaw Grey Cup Most Valuable Player, said the drive was like a mouthwash that erased the bad taste of trailing 13-0 with the game just under six minute gone.
“It was big to get into the dressing room with a lead,” said Reilly, who completed 21 of 36 passes for 269 yards and two touchdowns. “We had come out and played so terrible in the first six minutes, I don’t know if it could have gone much worse.
“We thought shoot, if we played that poorly in the first half and we still have a lead, we should be able to blow this thing out of the water.”
One of the biggest plays on the drive was a 32-yard catch and run by wide receiver Shamawd Chambers, who was named the Most Valuable Canadian. Wide receiver Derel Walker, named the league’s rookie of the year earlier in the week, had two catches of 17 and nine yards.
“There’s not many times you go out there in your first year and win a championship,” said Walker, yelling above the cheering in the Eskimos dressing room. “I gave it all up for my teammates.”
Shavers, who played his first game as an Eskimos as a backup defensive back, celebrated a Grey Cup win in just his fourth CFL game.
“It’s unreal,” said the Purdue product who had 37 rushing yards on eight carries. “I didn’t see this coming but I’d glad I’m part of it.
“It (the drive) was very important. We had to have momentum going when we came out in the second half. Just having that momentum, being up at half, it was huge.”
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