Blue Bombers thump Ticats to win 1st Grey Cup in 29 years
Party like it's 1990, Winnipeg.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers ended a 29-year championship drought with a dominating 33-12 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the 107th Grey Cup game at McMahon Stadium.
29 years.... THE WAIT IS OVER!@shaw_cfl #GreyCup #Bombers #FortheW pic.twitter.com/poUi9iM8dl
— CFL (@CFL) November 25, 2019
It's the 11th Grey Cup championship for the Blue Bombers, who are the first third-place team since 2005 to win it all.
"From now until the end of life, man, we gonna always have this moment," defensive end Willie Jefferson said postgame. "Our name is gonna forever be on this trophy. We gonna be forever remembered as the team that brought the Grey Cup back to Winnipeg."
Blue Bombers running back and Winnipeg native Andrew Harris led the way with 134 rushing yards and a touchdown on 18 carries and another 35 yards and a score through the air. He became the first player in CFL history to be named the game's MVP and Most Outstanding Canadian.
Quarterback Zach Collaros, who made his first start for the Blue Bombers in Week 21, completed 17 of 23 passes for 170 yards. He was helped by backup Chris Streveler, who saw some time under center and rushed for 30 yards while also connecting with Harris on an 18-yard TD pass.
The rest of the Blue Bombers' scoring came from the leg of Justin Medlock, who made six of his seven field-goal attempts and kicked the other wide for a single. His six field goals tied a Grey Cup record.
Winnipeg's defense sucked the air out of the Ticats' league-best offense from the start, forcing seven turnovers and sacking Dane Evans six times.
Evans, playing in his first Grey Cup game, threw for 203 yards and a touchdown but was generally off all night.
The Tulsa product turned the ball over on each of the Ticats' first two series, including a game-changing fumble that set up a Harris touchdown. Evans was picked twice and had three fumbles on the night; his last fumble late in the fourth was recovered by Winnipeg and snuffed out any hope of a comeback.
Hamilton was also hurt when Brandon Banks, the league's Most Outstanding Player, left with an injury in the third quarter.
The Ticats put together a dominant regular season featuring a franchise-record 15 wins and a perfect home record. They now own the longest Grey Cup drought in the CFL, having last won the championship in 1999.
"We didn't play like champions tonight," Ticats head coach Orlondo Steinauer told TSN's Matthew Scianitti.