By Jack Bedell,
MontrealAlouettes.com
Hammond, LA – All season, the Montreal Alouettes held on to the motto “57 plus three” to remind them to play hard for a full 60 minutes. The team carried that urgency to finish strong into every contest, and it led them to a sterling 15-3-0 regular season record.
But no game exemplified “57 plus three” more than the wire-to-wire performance the Als gave in the Grey Cup in Calgary last week.
Not only did the team put out a full 60 minutes of effort, they added a little lagniappe with one additional play that earned themselves a Grey Cup championship.
The closing three minutes of last weekend’s title game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders was packed with as much drama, tension, and intrigue as I’ve ever seen in a football game. And considering what was at stake in those three minutes, the game has to go down as one of the most entertaining roller coaster rides in CFL history.
Just in case you’ve never bought into the old saying that a CFL game is never over until it’s over, here’s a look back at the play log for the last three minutes of the Grey Cup:
(3:09) Time out, second and 10, Alouettes down by eight (27-19) at Saskatchewan’s 32-yard line…
(3:00) Calvillo flushed left under pressure for a seven-yard gain
Excellent reaction under the circumstances; a sack would’ve killed clock and down and distance would have been brutal for the conversion…
(2:32) Third and three, Als convert first down with an 11-yard strike to Jamel Richardson to the 14-yard line
Brilliant play by Richardson who changed his route toward open space inside to give Calvillo a clear shot at the completion. Hands down, a championship play…
(2:26) Bubble screen to Richardson on first down and 10 for a three-yard gain
Well-defended by the Riders, but still forward momentum and offensive rhythm…
(1:45) Second and seven, Calvillo flushed by pressure again, and throws a touchdown to Ben Cahoon just before crossing line of scrimmage
Heads-up play by Calvillo to stay behind the line and deliver a pin-point, accurate pass to Cahoon for the score…
(1:45) Two-point conversion fails when Richardson is blatantly interfered with by Donovan Alexander in the end zone and the pass is incomplete
Questionable non-call on the PI, but tough to make in the closing minutes of a championship game…
(1:45) 75-yard kickoff by Damon Duval
A perfect kickoff all the way to the goal line on the right hash gives coverage team a chance to pin the Riders deep, forcing Jason Armstead out at the 12-yard line. That field position was crucial to limiting the Riders’ offensive options…
(1:39) First down, entire Alouettes’ front seven stops Wes Cates for no gain
The defence made a declaration on that stop. The ball would be given back to the ALs’ offence, no doubt…
(1:33) Second down, Durant pass to Rob Bagg in the right flat, who is stopped for minimal gain
Billy Parker with a crushing assist by Chip Cox left Bagg on the turf with a broken collar bone, stopping the clock at 1:10. An exclamation point to the defensive stand…
(1:10) Mammoth 53-yard punt by Saskatchewan
The punt’s bobbled by Brian Bratton and nearly lost before being recovered by Étienne Boulay on the Als’ 34-yard line. Major lump-in-throat time…
(:40) First down, Calvillo flushed right, misses deep to Bratton
Near-disaster with the defensive pressure, nearly a game-winner on the deep throw…
(:31) Second down, 23-yard strike to Richardson over the middle into Riders’ territory
Unbelievable throw by Calvillo in that situation. Perfect timing, perfect distance…
(:21) First down, pass to Bratton at the Riders’ 40 ruled incomplete, upheld on booth review
Close call for the review officials, but the right one. Not enough evidence to overrule the original call…
(:10) Second down, clutch 17-yard completion to Kerry Watkins all the way to the Riders’ 36
Watkins comes up big on a play that looked like it was designed to go to Avon Cobourne in the flat on a much shorter route that would’ve burned more clock and left the Als with a longer field goal try…
(:05) First down, Duval misses FG attempt to the right, flags fly as time expires
An illegal substitution penalty against Saskatchewan for 13 men on the field gives the Als a second shot at a championship – and nearly gives the entire province of Quebec a heart attack…
(:00) First down, untimed down after 10-yard penalty moves the ball to the Riders’ 26-yard line, Duval nails the kick down the middle to make the Montreal Alouettes 2009 Grey Cup Champions
Simply put: The thrill of victory, the agony of defeat.
In a year when “plus three” meant everything, how fitting was it that the final three minutes of last’s week’s Grey Cup victory for the Alouettes would be jam-packed with so much action, effort, and determination?
There just couldn’t have been a better way to end the 2009 season. One team, 60 minutes, a championship trophy… Classic.
