The first quarter is a bungled job.
First possession goes to Winnipeg, who begin convincingly. The Bombers' star running back Charles Roberts makes a 13 yard run; quarterback Khari Jones makes his own efficient, if not speedy, run for a first down, then throws a short pass to wide receiver Robert Gordon. The advance nearly ends in disaster as Calgary safety Greg Frers actually recovers a fumbled ball, but an overexcited official calls the play dead early, and Winnipeg maintains possession. The Bombers waste the next down, but finish their drive with a 28 yard field goal banged straight through the uprights by kicker Troy Westwood.
Winnipeg's second possession is less successful. Khari Jones is given ages to pick his passes, but still cannot advance past the 38, where Troy Westwood attempts the Bombers second field goal. It arcs upwards and curls right, avoiding the uprights altogether. Westwood clenches his fists, grimaces, clenches his arms, stamps his feet and swears. Calgary concedes the single point and Winnipeg takes a 4-0 lead.
Meanwhile, Calgary goes nowhere. Best Canadian Doug Brown leaps onto Calgary's quarterback Marcus Crandell, and rides him gracelessly into the ground on the first play of Calgary's first possession. The highlight of their second possession is a potentially nice pass to Marc Boerigter that finds him lying on the turf.
Calgary's fate seems to improve as running back Antonio Warren returns the ball an impressive 40 of the 46 yards kicked, exploiting a seam and some huge blocks by his team mates before he is brought down by two Blue Bombers. Calgary's new found competence doesn't outlast the play, as running back Kelvin Anderson fumbles the ball on the next play, losing possession to the 'Peg's Brain Clark.
Calgary almost redeem themselves as Kelly Malveaux nearly intercepts a pass, his second almost-interception of the game. The Bombers are forced to try for another field goal; this time from 40 yards out. The ball arcs upwards and curls right and, incredibly, smacks solidly into the top of left goal post and drops like a brick onto the field, a dead ball. There are few dramatics from Westwood on this play as he walks quietly off the field, pretending he isn't the kicker, and hoping everyone else plays along.
With less than three minutes left in the quarter, the Stamps finally find a first down as Crandell dodges trouble to deliver the ball to Boerigter who makes little headway against heavy Blue Bomber secondary coverage before being stopped.
At the end of the first quarter the Blue Bombers lead the Stampeders by a pathetic 4-0.
Second Quarter
Calgary start off the second quarter with a missed field goal from 45 yards out.
More than 65,000 are in attendance for the game -- the second best attendance ever for a Grey Cup game -- and the air inside Olympic Stadium is as hot as it is thick. Players find relief from oxygen tanks, while the fans have to make due with the few doors left open to create a draft. Conspiracy theories, fuelled by the erratic field goal attempts re considered, suggest strange wind tunnels and unusual wind currents at either end of the field at Olympic Stadium, created by these normally closed doors.
Winnipeg is threatening with consistent gains. Roberts is running well, at one point disappearing into a crowd of a dozen assorted players, only to emerge on the other side, wearing two Calgary players on his back. Khari Jones is looking sharper as well. Helped by a solid Winnipeg offensive line, Jones is able to find the space to make some short passes and to run the ball. Fields and Johnson make consecutive tackles against the Bombers -- the second, a slow motion sack that forces Khari Jones very slowly to one knee, and then the turf as he continues to scan the horizon for an open receiver -- to end the Bombers run at the Calgary 48.
Calgary kicker Mark McLoughlin narrows Winnipeg's lead to a single point, and then things begin to go seriously awry for the Blue Bombers.
Boerigter is playing well for Calgary. He makes a difficult catch, cutting across the field, snapping the pass out of midair without slowing his cut right, and puts one defender on the turf before being downed by the second. On the next play, with just under three minutes remaining in the half, the ball is launched to Boerigter, who makes a great run deep down the left side of the field, catching the ball easily over his shoulder. Winnipeg's secondary coverage has vanished, allowing Boerigter an easy run into the end zone for the first touchdown of the game and some enthusiastic posing for the numerous NFL scouts said to be watching the wide receiver. Calgary adds the conversion and takes the lead 10-4.
Though Winnipeg gets a good initial return on an explosive run by Roberts, they continue to struggle. Roberts' next run is ended abruptly when he runs head on into teammate Mike Sutherland the 285 pound guard, and is stopped by Calgary's Pilon. Jones continues to be unable to find Winnipeg's most qualified receiver, Milt Stegall, and Calgary regains possession of the football and continues to press.
Crandell runs the ball himself, then throws to Danielson on the second down. Danielson ignores the first tackle, leaping free and continues running down the left sideline to bring Calgary to within 40. 6'7" Doug Brown and the remainder of the Winnipeg D led the league against the rush during the regular season, and have been largely effective to this point in keeping Calgary's running game, also the best in the league, effectively contained.
Moore is unable to fight his way through double coverage by Wiinipeg's Europe and Capers on the first attempt, but Crandell eventually to comes back with another play to Moore, after Danielson is hauled down by the face mask. This is the third facemask violation of the game, the second by the Bombers who were the CFL's most penalized team in the regular season. This second pass finds Moore left completely uncovered, and he nonchalantly strolls the ball into the end zone after the 9 yard toss, shaking his head and grinning. Calgary plays another quick game of spin-the-football in the end zone, and add another point on the conversion to pull ahead 17-4.
'Backs Blount and Bruce make some excellent catches but the Blue Bombers can't keep possession of the football and Calgary ends the half with two time-killing QB knees to the turf from QB Marcus Crandell.
At the half, the score is Calgary 17, and a thoroughly confused Winnipeg with 4.
Third Quarter
Winnipeg's Charles Roberts makes his usual now-you-see-him-where-the-hell-did-he-go-? stutter stepping return, particularly impressive for it being run through the unusually unwelcoming gatherings of Calgary defenders. Later in the advance, Stegall makes only his third catch of the game before being stopped by the heavy shoulder of Calgary's Malveaux. Gordon makes another short catch to gain another first down. Khari Jones unloads a precise pass to Bruce who pretends the ball isn't coming, then leaps and twists to face the pass at the last second. Bruce somehow manages to hold off cornerback Fields just enough to open a little space and reel in the Bombers' much needed first touchdown. The Bombers get the point after as well, and pull themselves to within 6 points.
The remainder of the quarter is best summed up by Calgary's Moore who, after dropping a pass, rips his helmet off and pounds it doubled-handed into the turf from a standing position. Neither team is able to score after the Jones to Bruce touchdown, but Winnipeg begins to take a beating - Roberts, after making a seemingly impossible Pinball Clemons-style run through a forest of bodies, is nailed on the next play. Roberts, who elects to throw the ball rather than run it, almost finds a doubly covered Bruce down field, before being impaled by a devastating tackle by Calgary defensive end Ray Jacobs. Jacobs lifts Roberts off the ground with a helmet to the mid-section, and Roberts is very slow to get up.
Winnipeg's troubles continue as Jones is sacked by the always intimidating James "Nobody calls me soft" Cotton, who slams Jones into the ground and nearly strips the ball from the 'Pegs' quarterback in the process. 6'4", 360 pound man-monster Matthew Sheridan has his legs swept accidentally by a fallen team mate, and lands on his head on the green concrete the only way a 360 pound man can: heavily. Sheridan is convinced the Stamps are to blame, and is taken off the field on a cart, screaming seemingly in anger, rather than pain.
At the end of the quarter, Calgary continues to lead Winnipeg, 17 to 12.
Fourth Quarter
The Calgary defensive line shows no signs of relenting. Khari Jones begins the first quarter on the ground, as Greg Frers wraps him up and body slams him decisively into the turf as Jones lets go of an incomplete pass.
On their second offensive play of the quarter, Calgary gets their biggest rush of the day from Antonio Warren who manages to find a nearly invisible narrow seam. The remaining Calgary offensive run is unimpressive. Marcus Crandell seems suddenly hesitant, taking far too long to execute an incomplete throw before running the ball himself on the next play, stopping inches short of the 1st down. Calgary gambles and just barely makes it over the line to keep the drive from faltering completely. After a short run from Warren, Crandell again waits and waits, drops back, waits, is almost tripped, waits, drops back, and finally makes a dash forward -- throwing the ball incomplete.
Khari Jones is not allowed any comfort by the Calgary D, who find him quickly and easily. Jones runs the ball with unimpressive speed and is sandwiched between Calgary's Fleming and Cotton, then taken solidly to the ground by Cotton. On the next play Cotton all but has the sack as Jones unloads the ball incomplete at the last second. The hit by Cotton is a powerful one, throwing Jones downward, face first. Jones looks plenty awkward getting up, and stumbles drunkenly off the field.
Unable to advance, Winnipeg opts to punt the ball, but fail to block Aldi Henry who has a straight line to the kicker. Henry pushes off, throwing himself fully extended in front of the punt. It's an incredible, perfectly timed effort that knocks the ball wild, and eventually into the hands of team mate Willie Fells. Fells fights off the Winnipeg defenders, struggling all the way to the end zone for the third Calgary touchdown of the game. Calgary is ecstatic; with the extra point, they lead 24-12. It is the first time all year that Winnipeg's Cameron is blocked and Henry will be named top Canadian of the Grey Cup distinction for his part in the humiliation of Winnipeg's kicking department.
Undeterred, the Bombers' Roberts makes his umpteenth impressive return of the game, dodging bodies for 43 yards, before finally being pulled down at the Calgary 50. The Winnipeg advance continues, helmed by the apparently indestructible Khari Jones who against all odds is still in the game, apparently unaware that he was knocked out on his feet only moments ago. Amid errant throws, Jones continues to advance the ball, and is levelled again as the Blue Bombers' line fails to stop Fells from getting to the quarterback. Jones, who seems by his facial expression and physical resilience to have joined the ranks of the living dead, takes the hit in stride, managing to find Stegall with the pass before he is taken out of the play. The Bombers' come heart-breakingly close to finding a much needed touchdown, only to have Calgary's Fields knock the ball from Bruce's hands as he leaps for the catch in the end zone. Jones comes back with the same play on the next down, this time with Stegall as the receiver. Stegall makes an astounding catch for the touchdown while sandwiched by much deserved double coverage. Winnipeg adds the field goal, and has fought its way to within five points of the Stamps.
Calgary and Winnipeg trade possession back and forth, both unable to make much headway. The perpetually besieged Khari Jones, has taken so many Calgary helmets to the head, that his helmet is splattered with Calgary red paint.
Calgary's Anderson begins his team's last scoring drive, catching a short pass, breaking a tackle and sprinting down the sideline, then picking up even more yardage as the Bombers' are penalized for a late hit as Anderson steps out of bounds. Calgary gets the ball to rookie Scott Deibert, who makes the next two carries, his first and second of the game. Deibert resorts to crawling across the turf, pulling himself onward with his arms on the second carry, in an futile attempt to find another Calgary first down. With a single minute left in the game, Calgary decides to take the easy 24 yard field goal. McLoughlin gets the three points to put Calgary ahead by eight, 27-19. The Bombers will now have less than sixty seconds to score a touchdown and make a two point conversion to tie the game.
48 seconds remaining
Jones out-throws Bruce, the intended receiver.
43 seconds
Jones makes a beautiful long distance throw to Stoddard who can't bring it in under double coverage provided by Greg Frers and William Fields.
34 seconds
The third down pass is good, finding Bruce who makes the catch and nearly squeezes free.
29 seconds
Another pass completed to Gordon who is stopped at the 45.
20 seconds
The pass to Stoddard bounces from his hands, through the hands of Calgary's Fields, off the outstretched hand of Winnipeg's Bruce, and lands. Incomplete.
5 seconds
Khari Jones finds daylight, and is about to throw the final pass of the game, when he is tackled from behind by Joe Fleming and unceremoniously piggybacked face first into the turf to end the game.
Final
The Stampeders are nearly as loud as the crowd as they clutch at the Grey Cup. Thirty-six year-old Alondra Johnson isn't crying -- he's bawling.
"I'm just so full of joy, man," he says as tears stream down both his cheeks.
Final Score: Calgary 27, Winnipeg 19
