OTTAWA—Henry Burris found Greg Ellingson for a spectacular 93-yard catch-and-run touchdown with 1:25 left to play in the fourth quarter sending the Ottawa Redblacks to their first Grey Cup since 1981.
Ottawa defeated Hamilton 35–28 in a back-and-forth thriller that saw the visiting Tiger-Cats tie the game with just under two minutes left.
It was the type of dramatic finish the CFL has become known for. And for Ottawa, it’s yet another exclamation point on what has been a remarkable turnaround of a season.
The Redblacks turnaround—winning 10 more games than last season—is the second-highest year-over-year improvement in CFL history. With a 12–6 record, Ottawa clinched its first division title since 1978.
“The whole thing’s a pretty cool deal when you think about it,” said Ottawa head coach Rick Campbell.
“It’s unreal. It’s what…over 30 years for Ottawa to have a home playoff game and to win it in the fashion that we did, it’s just a testament to this team,” Ellingson said.
Big Game Play
So often in big football games, it comes down to making a big play when needed and having the belief that such a play can be pulled off.
Late in the fourth quarter in a tie game, Ottawa was facing 2nd-and-25 from their 17-yard line with the prospect of punting the ball back to Hamilton who would get good field position.
“We talked about wanting to get yards on that play and obviously hitting a home run on that play makes life easier,” said Campbell. “We wanted to get some type of real estate there.”
