Ottawa Redblacks quarterback Henry Burris, who completed 17 of 32 passes for 326 yards, is getting another shot at the Grey Cup after wins in 1998 and 2008.Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press
In just their second year of existence, the Ottawa RedBlacks will play for the Grey Cup.
A dramatic 93-yard touchdown pass from Henry Burris to Greg Ellingson in the dying moments of Sunday's East Division final may live on in franchise lore. It turned a thrilling back-and-forth game into a 35-28 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, sending last year's expansion franchise to next week's championship game in Winnipeg.
The RedBlacks, a team that finished 2-16 one year ago, beat the Ticats for the third time in the past month. They have earned the first Grey Cup berth for an Ottawa squad since 1981, when the Rough Riders lost an epic heartbreaker to the Edmonton Eskimos.
Ottawa fans, seeing the first CFL postseason game in their city since 1983, waved black towels in the thundering sold-out crowd on a cold November afternoon. Fans lined the outer fences of TD Place. More watched from terraces and balconies of a condominium built outside the west end zone, a renovated stadium at the centre of a new entertainment complex that has revitalized a once-tired part of the city.
"One of my favourite parts of this whole game was coming out with the players and having the fans like they were today," RedBlacks coach Rick Campbell said. "This has become the real deal here; there's a genuine energy here, really good vibes, and I was so proud of the city and the fans."
Hamilton struck first with a 10-yard field goal by Justin Medlock. The 40-year-old Burris then led Ottawa onto the field, and cut through his former team with expert precision – five quick plays down field, capped off by a two-yard touchdown run from tailback William Powell.
The Ticats hit back shortly, marching down field on a drive that ended in quarterback Jeremiah Masoli bursting over the goal line on a one-yard run for the lead. Masoli made just his third CFL start on a team that lost both star starter Zach Collaros and backup Jeff Matthews to injury this year.
The RedBlacks seized momentum back, this time with Burris scrambling nine yards into the end zone himself.
Just inside the second quarter Masoli launched a long bomb to Tiquan Underwood, who sailed 66 yards for the touchdown, reclaiming the lead for Hamilton.
Costly penalties had the Ticats conceding a safety and then allowing Ottawa's Chris Milo the position to hit a field goal with time expiring, for a 19-17 RedBlacks lead going into the half.
Two field goals let the RedBlacks tighten their grip in the third. Then Masoli hit Luke Tasker for a long touchdown pass, which was called back due to an offside penalty, so Hamilton instead settled for a field goal.
Ottawa had a rolling, acrobatic play in the fourth quarter by Ellingson – another former Ticat – called an incomplete catch, so the RedBlacks had to be happy with a field goal instead.
With 1 minute 34 seconds remaining, Hamilton tied it when Masoli found Tasker in the end zone. The roaring, red-and-black-plaid-wearing crowd fell silent.
Burris survived a near interception by Hamilton's Arnaud Gascon-Nadon then set the stadium ablaze with excitement on the next play. The veteran pivot turned a bobbled snap into a long pass down the sideline and Ellingson nabbed it and stiff-armed a defender to made it 93-yard game-winning touchdown.
"If you could write a script for that, for Greg Ellingson to have a chance to go against his former team and drive the dagger home, you can't beat that moment, and people will reflect 50 years from now on the catch he made," Burris said. "That's the reason in the off-season, when Greg became available; I was on the phone, waking [RedBlacks GM Marcel Desjardins] to sign him."
Masoli completed 30 of 42 passes for 349 yards, two touchdowns and a pick, and, as Ticats coach Kent Austin said, was "good enough to win."
Burris, who was 17-of-32 for 326 yards, is getting another shot at the Grey Cup after wins in 1998 and 2008. His last Grey Cup appearance was a loss in 2013 – as a Ticat.
"This team, we're having so much fun in here together, as you can see," Burris said. "Sometimes maybe it's just your destiny that you get there, and it sure seemed like that today."