View source for 91st Grey Cup

{{short description|2003 Canadian Football championship game}}
{{Infobox Canadian football game
| number         = 91
| type           = Grey Cup
| image          = CFL-GC 5120.png
| image_size = 200
| date           = November 16, 2003
| stadium        = [[Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field|Taylor Field]]
| city           = [[Regina, Saskatchewan|Regina]]
| visitor name   = Edmonton Eskimos
| visitor colour = Edmonton Eskimos
| home name      = Montreal Alouettes
| home colour    = Montreal Alouettes
| visitor coach  = [[Tom Higgins (Canadian football)|Tom Higgins]]
| home coach     = [[Don Matthews]]
| visitor record = 13–5
| home record    = 13–5
| visitor1       = 7
| visitor2       = 17
| visitor3       = 0
| visitor4       = 10
| home1          = 0
| home2          = 21
| home3          = 1
| home4          = 0
| MVP            = [[Jason Tucker]], WR ([[Edmonton Eskimos|Eskimos]])
| MV2            = [[Ben Cahoon]], SB ([[Montreal Alouettes|Alouettes]])
| anthem         = [[Ryan Malcolm]]
| referee        =
| coin toss      = [[Paul Martin]]
| halftime       = [[Bryan Adams]] and [[Sam Roberts (singer-songwriter)|Sam Roberts]]
| attendance     = 50,909
| network        = [[Canadian Broadcasting Corporation|CBC]], [[Réseau des sports|RDS]]
| announcers     = (CBC) [[Steve Armitage]], [[Chris Cuthbert]], [[Darren Flutie]], [[Greg Frers]], [[Mark Lee (sportscaster)|Mark Lee]], [[Chris Walby]], [[Brian Williams (sportscaster)|Brian Williams]], [[Sean Millington]]
| ratings        = 4.4 million
}}
The '''91st Grey Cup''' was the [[2003 CFL season|2003]] [[Canadian Football League]] championship game played between the [[Edmonton Eskimos]] and the [[Montreal Alouettes]] on November 16 at [[Mosaic Stadium at Taylor Field|Taylor Field]], in [[Regina, Saskatchewan]] before 50,909 fans. The two teams had played during the [[90th Grey Cup|previous year]] with Montreal winning, but this time the Eskimos won the game by a score of 34–22.

==Game summary==
'''Edmonton Eskimos''' (34) - TDs, [[Mike Pringle (Canadian football)|Mike Pringle]], [[Jason Tucker]] (2), [[Ricky Ray]]; FGs [[Sean Fleming (gridiron football)|Sean Fleming]] (2); cons., [[Sean Fleming (gridiron football)|Fleming]] (4).

'''Montreal Alouettes''' (22) - TDs, [[Pat Woodcock]], [[Sylvain Girard]], [[Ben Cahoon]]; cons. [[Matt Kellett]] (3); singles, [[Matt Kellett|Kellett]] (1).

'''First Quarter''' <br>
EDM—TD Pringle 4 run (Fleming convert) 2:43 '''7-0 EDM''' <br>
'''Second Quarter''' <br>
EDM—TD Tucker 41 pass from Ray (Fleming convert) 2:25 '''14 - 0  EDM''' <br>
MTL—TD Woodcock 4 pass from Whitaker (Kellett convert) 9:25 '''14 - 7  EDM''' <br>
MTL—TD Girard 32 pass from Calvillo (Kellett convert) 11:45 '''14 - 14''' <br>
EDM—TD Tucker 15 pass from Ray (Fleming convert) 13:37 '''21 - 14  EDM''' <br>
MTL—TD Cahoon 27 pass from Calvillo (Kellett convert) 14:10 '''21 - 21''' <br>
EDM—FG Fleming 27 14:49 '''24 - 21  EDM''' <br>
'''Third Quarter''' <br>
MTL—Single Kellett 70 9:59 '''24 - 22 EDM''' <br>
'''Fourth Quarter''' <br>
EDM—TD Ray 1 run (Fleming convert) 1:28 '''31 - 22  EDM''' <br>
EDM—FG Fleming 17 14:31 '''34 - 22  EDM'''

Montreal coach [[Don Matthews]] surprised many experts by playing rookie cornerbacks [[D. J. Johnson (cornerback, born 1985)|D.J. Johnson]] and [[Brandon Williams (cornerback, born 1980)|Brandon Williams]]. Williams got the call in place of an injured [[Omar Evans]], while Johnson started in place of Wayne Shaw, because Matthews felt Johnson was better in man-to-man coverage. Even though the inexperience of his young cornerbacks may have cost him the game, Matthews made no apologies for sticking with Williams and Johnson.

After Edmonton running back [[Mike Pringle (Canadian football)|Mike Pringle]] opened the scoring with a four-yard TD run on the opening drive, Edmonton took a commanding 14-0 lead in the second quarter when Ray connected with Tucker on a 41-yard touchdown pass, capping a four-play, 70-yard drive.

[[Ben Cahoon]] made a spectacular, one-handed catch in tight coverage to put the Alouettes on Edmonton's four-yard line. Montreal called an unusual option play when [[Anthony Calvillo]] pitched the ball to running back [[Deonce Whitaker]] who tossed a four-yard touchdown to a wide-open [[Pat Woodcock]].

On Edmonton's next possession, Pringle fumbled, and Montreal went straight to work, as Calvillo hit [[Silvain Girard]] on a 32-yard TD pass to tie the game. After a [[Keith Stokes]] fumble later in the quarter, Ray hooked up with a streaking Tucker with 1:23 left in the quarter on a 20-yard TD passing play, restoring the Eskimos' seven-point advantage.

Montreal struck back on the next drive. Calvillo threw a 27-yard TD to Cahoon with 50 seconds left in the half to tie the score at 21-21, but Edmonton took a 24-21 lead into the intermission when [[Sean Fleming (gridiron football)|Sean Fleming]] connected on a 27-yard field goal following another Stokes fumble deep in Montreal's half.

The Eskimo defence took over in the second half, holding Montreal to a single point in the third quarter, while Ray scored early in the fourth quarter on a one-yard run to give the Eskimos a 31-22 lead. The turning point in the game came one play earlier when a Montreal fumble recovery was negated by an offside call on D.J. Johnson, sapping the life out of the Alouettes.

Fleming booted a 27-yard field goal with 29 seconds left to seal the victory for Edmonton.

==Trivia==
Montreal Coach Don Matthews had previously won five Grey Cup championships.

Pringle eclipsed the record of 359 career yards rushing in Grey Cup games set by Winnipeg legend [[Leo Lewis (running back)|Leo Lewis]].

[[Jason Tucker]], had two touchdowns and seven receptions for 132 yards, winning game [[Grey Cup Most Valuable Player|MVP honours]] in the process. Ben Cahoon made six catches for 148 yards and was voted [[Grey Cup Most Valuable Canadian|most outstanding Canadian]].

This was Edmonton's 12th championship and first since defeating the [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]] in the [[81st Grey Cup|1993 Grey Cup final]].

Ricky Ray completed 22 of 32 pass attempts for 301 yards. Anthony Calvillo was 22 for 37 for 371 yards.

Edmonton and Montreal have met in 11 [[Grey Cup]] clashes.  The Alouettes prevailed in 1974, the Ice Bowl of 1977, and 2002.
The Eskimos have won in 1954, 1955, 1956, 1975, 1978, 1979, 2003 and 2005.

This is the final Grey Cup game to have been played on the first-generation AstroTurf surface.

==2003 CFL Playoffs==
===West Division===
*Semi-final (November 2 @ [[Winnipeg, Manitoba]]) [[Saskatchewan Roughriders]] 37-21 [[Winnipeg Blue Bombers]]
*Final (November 9 @ [[Edmonton, Alberta]]) [[Edmonton Eskimos]] 30-23 [[Saskatchewan Roughriders]]

===East Division===
*Semi-final (November 5 @ [[Toronto|Toronto, Ontario]]) [[Toronto Argonauts]] 28-7 [[BC Lions]]*
*Final (November 9 @ [[Montreal]], [[Quebec]]) [[Montreal Alouettes]] 30-26 [[Toronto Argonauts]]

<nowiki>*</nowiki> Cross over from West Division

==External links==
* {{cite web|url=https://www.cfl.ca/page/his_greycup_recap2003|title=Grey Cup: 2003|publisher=Canadian Football League|access-date=2017-08-23|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130819204052/http://cfl.ca/page/his_greycup_recap2003|archive-date=2013-08-19|url-status=dead}}
*{{cite web|url=http://www.greycup2003.com |title=Official Website |access-date=2011-04-12 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061205061854/http://greycup2003.com/ |archive-date=2006-12-05 }}

{{Montreal Alouettes}}
{{Edmonton Eskimos}}
{{91st Grey Cup}}
{{Grey Cup}}
{{2003 CFL season by team}}

[[Category:2003 in Canadian football|Grey Cup]]
[[Category:Grey Cup]]
[[Category:Canadian football competitions in Regina, Saskatchewan]]
[[Category:Montreal Alouettes]]
[[Category:Edmonton Elks]]
[[Category:2003 in sports in Saskatchewan]]
[[Category:2003 sports awards]]
[[Category:2003 in Canadian television]]
[[Category:November 2003 sports events in Canada]]