Redblacks beat Tiger-Cats 35-28 to advance to Grey Cup

“We kept going backwards after big plays”.

Ottawa Redblacks coach Rick Campbell is showered as the Redblacks celebrate their win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the Canadian Football League East final, Sunday, November 22, 2015, in Ottawa, Ontario.

“We’re really lucky I guess”, said offensive line coach Bryan Chiu.

“Then after that game we can discuss more things about Ottawa football history”.

OF NOTE: The East Final marks the 88th playoff game for the Ticats since 1950.

“Sometimes maybe it’s just your destiny that you get there, and it sure seemed like that today”.

“It’s Hamilton vs. everybody right now”.

And once again, Hamilton will spend Christmas without a Grey Cup championship.

“When I was at home watching them play, I was kind of hoping that I’d be able to be a part of this”, Milo said. That gives the Tiger-Cats the edge. He was 12-of-18 passing for 141 yards with a TD and interception against Toronto while also running for a touchdown.

In a curious end to the season, Ottawa played Hamilton twice in the final two games-and beat the both times.

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. So the uplifting Tale of JeremiahMasoli unfortunately gets snowed under by the triumphant Ottawa is Back and, quite frankly, the CFL can grind out more yards on the latter. “It gives the defence a lot to worry about so we’re confident in that”. The REDBLACKS stormed out to an early lead but then allowed 20 unanswered points to fall behind heading into halftime. “We got backed up by a penalty so we’re on the five”.

Zack Evans’ family will be decked out in red and black as the Regina product looks for a Grey Cup win with Ottawa.

“It is what it is, no matter how the ties were broken”, said Burris. “You just field the best team that you can, which we’re going to do and they’re going to do their thing, and away you go”.

“I talked with Ed. Look, things happen”. “But it’s a chip on my shoulder to go out there and do the things I can to help my team be successful”. There couldn’t have been a better script written to end that game.

The Ticats led the CFL in the turnover ratio with a plus-14 during the regular season.

Jeff Mathews took over at quarterback but after his ups and downs he suffered an injury in the second-last game against Ottawa, leaving Hamilton’s offence in the hands of Jeremiah Masoli. “Obviously he had a few celebrations at the other end there”. Justin Medlock’s convert tied it 28-28. In comparison the other teams in the league started an average of 9.5 players on the line. Stopping Burris and his arsenal of pass-catchers provides a stern test for a Ticat defence that’ll be missing Eric Norwood this week. “I wasn’t last time but I will be this time”, Campbell said. “Henry Burris is on fire this season and I expect he’s going to be hot. I definitely took advantage of the opportunity”.

The Ticats checked one elite quarterback off their list of opponents this post-season, last weekend shutting down Argos pivot Ricky Ray. The former NIU Huskies has rushed for four touchdowns this season, and he has passed for one touchdown.

This week an even greater test awaits against the CFL’s hottest quarterback.

“The feeling after the game was disgust because we felt we should have won the game”, Johnson, now a 32-year-old cornerback for the Ottawa Redblacks, said.

“The past two games they beat us and we just feel we owe them one”. They ended the regular season on a four-game win streak, something an Ottawa team hadn’t done since 1991.