The Montréal Alouettes made it 8, as the team won its 8th Grey Cup. The 2023 version of the Alouettes won the last 8 games, with the last 2 against winning teams. Montréal outlasted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 28-24 to win the 110th Grey Cup at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton.
Cody Fajardo, cast out by Saskatchewan last season, finished 21-26 for 290 yards with 3 TDs and an interception to win the Most Outstanding Player. Fajardo won a Grey Cup with Toronto in 2017 as a backup; this was his first Grey Cup as a starter.
Tyson Philpot was the Most Outstanding Canadian with 6 catches for 63 yards, including the game-winning touchdown late in the fourth quarter with 13 seconds remaining. Philpot, from Delta, B.C., has a twin (Jalen) who was out for the year with Calgary. Their father Cory Philpot was a CFL running back for 8 seasons with BC and Winnipeg, winning the Grey Cup with the Lions in 1994.
Jason Maas earned his first Grey Cup as a head coach to go along with 2 as a quarterback with Edmonton (2003, 2005) and as quarterbacks coach for Toronto in 2012.
The Alouettes were a team in the making over the course of the 2023 season. The team was 6-7 in mid-September and, like Shoresy, just kept on winning. Injuries hit what we knew of the receiving core. Austin Mack was a first-year CFL player who rose to be a top receiver for Montréal. Greg Ellingson was a veteran signing as a receiver yet was out for virtually the entire season.
Shawn Lemon and Darnell Sankey on defence started the season in street clothes before GM Danny Maciocia brought them into the team's roster. Things were so bad for the team last season that Maciocia filled in as interim coach before bringing in Jason Maas in the off-season. The hiring of Maas was seen as bringing in a hotheaded coach who struggled as a head coach in Edmonton. The guy we saw in interviews was thoughtful and appreciative, a significant shift of growth.
Maas and Fajardo went through a 7-game losing streak as the Saskatchewan Roughriders floundered in 2022. Maas and Fajardo finished the 2023 season with a 8-game winning streak to win their first Grey Cup as a head coach and starter.
SANKEY SAID IT pic.twitter.com/GPTPMKsPwW
— Alouettes de Montréal (@MTLAlouettes) November 20, 2023
The Alouettes trailed in most of the Grey Cup. The Blue Bombers had a strong goal-line stance late in the second quarter, keeping Montréal out of the end zone. Winnipeg had a 17-7 halftime lead.
The Philpot catch came after a 3rd-and-5 conversion with a 31-yard completion to Cole Spieker.
Winnipeg win the Grey Cup in 2019 and 2021. The team lost to the Toronto Argonauts 24-23 in 2022.
Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira seemed to be the odds-on favourite to be the Most Outstanding Canadian, running for 119 yards and a TD. The Blue Bombers took back the lead 24-21 with a Dakota Prukop 4-yard run at 9:32 of the fourth quarter.
Zach Collaros went 19-23 for 236 yards and an interception. As we have noted, Collaros was the first CFL quarterback to start 4 straight Grey Cups.
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ONE-HANDED SNAG AUSTIN MACK! WHAT A GRAB! 😱😱#GreyCup pic.twitter.com/hAvL8gdXGT
— TSN (@TSN_Sports) November 20, 2023
Collaros and Fajardo have a shared history. Both were backups in Toronto early in their careers. Fajardo got his big break in 2019 after Collaros got injured early in the opening game.
Collaros got the best of Fajardo in the West final in 2019 and 2021 with Winnipeg defeating Saskatchewan to go the Grey Cup. Fajardo finally got his first victory in 10 career head-to-head matchups versus Collaros. At first, you don't succeed … .
Anthony Calvillo won 3 Grey Cup titles as the Alouettes quarterback (2002, 2009, 2010) and adds a fourth Grey Cup as the offensive coordinator. Calvillo had his own struggles in the Grey Cup as well.
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Winnipeg had some injury woes. Mike O'Shea activated wide receiver Dalton Schoen (ankle) and linebacker Adam Bighill (calf) for the game though neither were 100%. O'Shea said the players had earned the right to be there. We don't have the full quote but after hearing O'Shea say what he said, your humble narrator wanted to go on the field and play.
We don't spend too much time on what might happen in the off-season. Kyle Walters is the general manager of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and doesn’t have a contract for next season. "Why would anyone want to leave this organization willingly?," said Walters during the week. We would agree. Other CFL teams would love to replicate what Walters has done in Winnipeg.
GREY CUP MVP & MOST OUTSTANDING CANADIAN!!! pic.twitter.com/nLogr2xHUL
— Alouettes de Montréal (@MTLAlouettes) November 20, 2023
Green Day had a nice halftime show. The production sounded good and you could follow the lyrics. Wondering how many in the neighbourhood slipped out of their doors to listen to the American band instead of watching on TV.
The game was a sellout of 28,808 at Tim Hortons Field in Hamilton. The city got to host another Grey Cup, knowing the 2021 festivities were muted due to the pandemic.
The 2024 Grey Cup is at BC Place in Vancouver with the 2025 Grey Cup in Winnipeg. Montréal hasn't hosted a Grey Cup since 2008: that is more about the status of Olympic Stadium. The Olympic Stadium has hosted 6 of its 8 games with Molson Stadium hosting the 1931 Grey Cup and the Autostade hosting in 1969.
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Elliotte Friedman told a story on Hockey Night in Canada on Saturday about not wanting to cross the line with Kevin Bieska over not winning a title. Friedman's story went back to the days of the CFL on CBC and dealing with Khari Jones. Friedman teased Jones about not winning a title and got "daggers" from the eyes of Jones.
Jones did studio work and game analysis at the end of the CFL's run on CBC leading up to 2007. Friedman was the studio host at that time with Jones, Sean Millington, and Greg Frers. Steve Armitage and Khari Jones were the second broadcast team behind Mark Lee and Chris Walby.
Sportsnet is not a CFL fan and the CBC almost never get mentioned. Friedman could have timed this knowing this was the Grey Cup weekend.
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TSN CFL analysts @MiltStegallTSN and @MattDuniganTSN join @JayOnrait to discuss the Alouettes rallying to beat the Blue Bombers in the 110th #GreyCup. pic.twitter.com/oVWOrKv9I4
— JayOnSC (@JayOnSC) November 20, 2023
Rod Smith and Glen Suitor called the Grey Cup on television with with Matthew Scianitti handling the Montréal sidelines and Claire Hanna on the Winnipeg sideline. We miss Sara Orlesky because we are human. Claire Hanna has kicked up her game and deserved this assignment. The fact that the Ottawa Senators have been on Hockey Night in Canada and then Sweden freed her up to help with CFL duties.
Dustin Nielson and Duane Forde called the Grey Cup on radio. The CFL on TSN panel were live outside in Hamilton as well as the other panel with James Duthie, Paul LaPolice, Jim Barker, and Bo Levi Mitchell.
They replayed the predictions from the beginning of the season. Matt Dunigan said the Grey Cup would be Winnipeg and Montréal. Some even said Saskatchewan and Hamilton would be in the Grey Cup.
photo credit: @MTLAlouettes
Twitter captures: @MTLAlouettes (x2); @JayOnSC
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