They opened the season with a whimper, but Travis Lulay and the BC Lions ended it with a bang Sunday.
Game MVP Travis Lulay threw two second-half touchdown passes to lead B.C. to an exciting 34-23 Grey Cup win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday. The victory, before an ear-splitting B.C. Place sellout of 54,313, capped a stunning turnaround for the Lions, who opened the season 0-5.
B.C. became the first team in CFL history to win the Grey Cup after losing its first five regular-season games. B.C. also became the first squad since the 1994 Lions to capture the league title at home.
The '72 Hamilton Tiger-Cats and '77 Montreal Alouettes are the other teams to accomplish that feat.
Lions tailback Andrew Harris, a Winnipeg native, was named the top Canadian.
Lulay's 66-yard TD strike to Kierrie Johnson on the final play of the third quarter put B.C. ahead 24-9. But the game's turning point came with 12:21 left to play.
Lulay tried to throw a screen pass inside the B.C. 30-yard line, but Winnipeg end Odell Willis got his hands on the ball and had a clear path to the end zone. But Willis couldn't hang on, and the Lions dodged a huge bullet.
B.C. then marched downfield and capped an 82-yard drive at 8:10 of the fourth, as Lulay found Arland Bruce III on a six-yard TD strike to give B.C. a commanding 31-9 advantage.
Winnipeg made it interesting with two late Buck Pierce TD passes. He hit Greg Carr on a 45-yard touchdown strike at 11:22, then found Terrence Edwards on a 13-yard scoring pass with 1:37 remaining to make it 31-22. That touchdown was set up by Jovon Johnson's 47-yard punt return that was further aided by a B.C. facemask penalty called on B.C. kicker Paul McCallum.
Winnipeg's onside kickoff attempt didn't go the mandatory 10 yards, giving B.C. the ball with 1:36 remaining.
Winnipeg's late rally came after a stellar performance by B.C.'s defence, which had effectively shut down the Bombers' ground game and forced the East Division champions to the air. That seemed to favour the Lions, considering the Bombers had the CFL's second-worst passing attack and had to play catchup against a B.C. defence that surrendered a league-low 21.4 points per game.
But it wasn't enough to prevent the extension of Winnipeg's Grey Cup drought to 22 years, their last title coming in 1990. And the loss was a bitter pill to swallow for defensive tackle Doug Brown, who was appearing in his final game after 11 seasons with the Bombers.
Rocker and reality TV star Gene Simmons and Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who appointed Lions owner David Braley to the Senate last year, were among those in attendance. And they saw the contest reach a fever pitch long before the opening kickoff.
The rabid, orange-clad gathering roundly booed Winnipeg during its player introductions before rising to its feet when the Lions were introduced. After Lions' defensive back Korey Banks ran on to the field, he shoved Winnipeg's Jovon Johnson, who had been among a group of Bombers milling around.
The two teams came together and there was plenty of jawing -- Willis and B.C.'s Aaron Hunt being the most animated -- but the officials stepped in and order was quickly restored.
Harris scored B.C.'s other touchdown. McCallum added four field goals, three converts and single but hit the upright on a 48-yard attempt in the third to snap a streak of 31 straight playoff boots.
Justin Palardy booted three field goals and two converts for Winnipeg.
B.C. led 14-6 at halftime as both teams squandered good scoring chances.
Predictably with the crowd firmly behind them, B.C. opened quickly, storming out to an 11-0 first-quarter lead. Harris's 19-yard TD run at 8:27 capped a smart five-play, 45 drive to open the scoring.
McCallum booted a 22-yard field goal at 11:34 before adding a 57-yard single at 14:34 after Anton McKenzie's interception put B.C. at the Winnipeg 46-yard line.
But Winnipeg's defence stiffened in the second, just allowing McCallum's 16-yard field goal at 10:28 that put B.C. ahead 14-0.
After registering just one first down in the first, Winnipeg began moving the ball in the second as Pierce got the short passing game going. Still, the Bombers got lucky when Palardy banked a 30-yard field goal in off the upright at 12:24.
Winnipeg appeared poised to take a major momentum edge into the half, driving to the B.C. eight-yard line before settling for Palardy's 15-yard boot at 14:30.
