107th Grey Cup primer: Can Bombers crush Ticats' dream season?

The 107th Grey Cup game marks the return of an ancient Canadian sports rivalry, as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Winnipeg Blue Bombers will meet for Lord Grey's chalice.

This is the ninth time the Ticats and Blue Bombers (in their modern incarnations) have met in a Grey Cup game, and the first since 1984. Their storied championship rivalry produced some of the most memorable games ever played, including the infamous "Fog Bowl" that took two days to complete. The latest chapter is an intriguing encounter between the league's best team and one that should have challenged for that title if not for injuries.

Will Sunday's contest measure up to the history? Could a massive upset be in the cards? Here's everything you need to know ahead of the Grey Cup matchup.

107th Grey Cup: The basics

When: Sunday, Nov. 24, 2019, at 6:30 p.m. ET
Where: McMahon Stadium in Calgary, Alberta (fifth Grey Cup hosted by Calgary)
Who: Hamilton Tiger-Cats (21st Grey Cup appearance) vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers (25th)
TV: TSN; RDS (French); ESPN2 (United States)
Odds: Hamilton -3.5
Weather: Minus-2 Celsius (feels like minus-7), 13 km/h winds

Tale of the tape

* indicates CFL-leading stat during regular season

How they got here

Ticats: After Jeremiah Masoli, last year's Most Outstanding Player runner-up, suffered a torn ACL in Week 7 (coincidentally against Winnipeg), backup Dane Evans stepped in and rose to stardom for the league-best Ticats. Behind Evans, star receiver and 2019 MOP Brandon Banks, and a fearsome defense, the Tabbies posted a franchise-best 15-3 record and were perfect at home for the first time since the CFL went to an 18-game schedule. In the East final, the rested Ticats easily beat the Eskimos to earn their first Grey Cup berth since 2014.

Blue Bombers: The Bombers also pushed through a major quarterback injury when Matt Nichols' career year was stopped by shoulder surgery. That started a QB carousel and a drop from first place, but the Bombers held on behind league-leading rusher Andrew Harris and late acquisition Zach Collaros to net 11 wins and avoid the crossover. Collaros grabbed the starting job in Week 21 and guided the Bombers past the favored Stampeders in the West semifinal. Then they survived a wild finish to last week's West final to clinch a spot in the Grey Cup.

Previous meetings

The Ticats won both regular-season meetings, dominating the Bombers by a combined score of 56-28. Hamilton was the only team to beat the Bombers in Winnipeg this season.

5 storylines to follow

Collaros vs. Lawrence

In Week 1, Zach Collaros - then a Saskatchewan Roughrider - suffered a concussion when Ticats linebacker Simoni Lawrence delivered an illegal headshot on the first play of the season.

The linebacker received a two-game suspension, but the impact of his hit went much further. While Collaros was concussed and rehabbing, he was traded to the Argos and then rerouted to Winnipeg several weeks later. Once healthy, Collaros grabbed the Bombers' starting job in the final week and then led them to Calgary.

Lawrence told The Canadian Press that he's spoken to the pivot and that "everything's good" between the two of them - but it's easy to say that before meeting on the field. Grabbing the Grey Cup away from Lawrence would be the ultimate personal revenge for Collaros. Adding to the intrigue is the fact that these two were teammates in Hamilton when the Collaros-led Tabbies lost the final to Calgary in heartbreaking fashion five years ago. Even when there isn't history, things can get testy when a championship is on the line. If the defensive star can get to Collaros and leave his mark, sparks could fly quickly.

Run, Bombers, run

Much of the Blue Bombers' success depends on the run - specifically, letting Harris, who's posted the most rushing yards by a Canadian in league history, run wild. The Blue Bombers were the best CFL team on the ground in 2019, leading the pack in rushing yards (2,663), rush attempts (442), average yards (147.9), and average gains (6.0) while rushing for 20 touchdowns. And it would appear that the Ticats represent a favorable matchup for the Bombers in this regard. Despite possessing the best overall defense, opponents did average 95 rush yards a game and scored 14 touchdowns on the ground against the Tabbies in the regular season.

But the Ticats have been able to neutralize Harris and the Bombers' entire ground game. In its Week 7 loss in Hamilton, Winnipeg gained just 63 rushing yards on 12 carries; when Hamilton visited the 'Peg in Week 16, Mike O'Shea's men ran for 98 yards on 20 carries, but gained just 4.9 yards per carry. The Bombers didn't score a rushing touchdown in either outing. Harris also had two of his four lowest outputs of the season against Hamilton, including 37 yards on 10 carries in Week 16. He's coming off a quiet performance in the West final, when he gained 41 yards in the win over Saskatchewan. The intrigue here isn't just about whether the Bombers can figure out how to run against the Ticats, but how often they'll go to that well. Harris - who already owns one Grey Cup ring - and O'Shea can work together to exploit Hamilton's weakness in this department. The Blue Bombers' success Sunday may depend on it.

Redemption for 'Speedy B'?

Banks became just the ninth receiver in CFL history to be named Most Outstanding Player after leading the league in virtually every receiving category as part of the high-powered Ticats offense. He showed off his skills with a jaw-dropping 47-yard touchdown grab in the East final.

"Speedy B" has been on this stage before with the Ticats, though he may want to forget it. He appeared to have won the 102nd Grey Cup with a dramatic punt-return touchdown in the final minute, only to have it called back because of an illegal block. It may still be stinging the 31-year-old just a bit, but he now has a chance for redemption - and it's come at the right time. Banks is on a roll, having caught at least one touchdown reception in each of his last seven games (including the East final) while hauling in 100-plus yards in four of his last five contests. The Bombers employ league interception leader Winston Rose, but he's going to have his hands full trying to contain Banks - as will the rest of a Bombers defense that allowed over 300 passing yards per game. If the Ticats do walk away with the Grey Cup, Banks' fingerprints will be all over the win.

New kid on the block

Evans shouldn't be starting this game. The second-year pivot was supposed to be Masoli's backup and nothing more, until Masoli's season-ending injury forced the Tulsa product into action. He's looked the part of a star, throwing for over 3,700 yards and 21 touchdowns in the regular season before putting on a show with Banks in the Ticats' East final win. But the Grey Cup game is a different animal, and plenty of capable first-timers have faltered in their debuts on the biggest stage. Evans can write one heck of a storybook finish to his unbelievable rise if he stays the course on Sunday.

Long time coming

The 107th Grey Cup is a matchup of the CFL's longest active championship droughts. The Ticats last won the Grey Cup in 1999 - Orlondo Steinauer, their current head coach, clinched that win with a fourth-quarter interception - while the Blue Bombers are trying for their first title in 29 years. Hamilton has reached the Grey Cup twice in the last 20 seasons, only to get blown out by Saskatchewan in 2013 before that heartbreaker against Calgary in 2014. The Blue Bombers, meanwhile, have lost each of their last five Grey Cup appearances, most recently in 2011.

Players and coaches on both sides understand what's at stake. When there's a prolonged wait for a championship, the celebration back home will be epic - and if you lose, the weight of the goat horns may never be lifted. It's a rarity in sports to get two teams this starved for a championship squaring off for the title. Should this game be close in the fourth quarter, necks will tighten on both sidelines, and it could make for one heck of a finish.

Prediction: This won't be the kind of walkover we saw in the East final, because Winnipeg is going to make this difficult for the Ticats - perhaps harder than they've had it at any point this season. It will be close and maybe even a classic, but the 15-3 Ticats will ultimately be too much for Winnipeg to overcome. Ticats 35, Blue Bombers 27.