THE CANADIAN PRESS
TORONTO — From Abdul Kanneh’s game-saving tackle in the Grey Cup to a quarterback change in Winnipeg, the CFL’s 2016 season had plenty of defining moments.
Now that the year is finished and the Grey Cup has been awarded, CFL.ca looks back on the 16 best moments of 2016:
16. KICKOFF AT BMO FIELD
On June 23, 2016, the Argos ushered in a new era of football in Toronto as they kicked off at BMO Field for the first time. Outdoor football on natural grass and a picture perfect venue give the Argos a new outlook on the future both on and off the field.
15. MEDLOCK’S FIELD GOAL IN LABOUR DAY CLASSIC
Mr. Clutch Kick himself, Justin Medlock, nailed a 42-yard field goal with no time left on the clock to give the Winnipeg Blue Bombers their first win on Mark’s Labour Day Weekend in Regina since 2004.
The Riders clawed back in the fourth and Kendial Lawrence returned Medlock’s punt for a touchdown to tie the score, but Medlock did exactly what he does best immediately after, nailing a clutch field goal to lift his Bombers to a victory.
14. CAMPBELL’S PICK FOR THE WIN
Tommie Campbell intercepted Jonathon Jennings deep in the end zone as the Lions’ pivot was looking for the game-winning touchdown in overtime.
Even back in Week 6, it was clear that the Stampeders and Lions were the top teams in the West, and the tilt between the two early in the season showcased exactly that.
After the Stamps’ offence did its part in regulation – scoring 22 points in the fourth quarter to tie the game – defensive back Campbell did the rest in overtime. On second-and-goal, Jennings targeted Shawn Gore but Campbell won the jump ball to cap off the comeback with a win.
13. TRACY’S DEVESTATING HIT ON RAY
Adrian Tracy pummeled Ricky Ray during the Mark’s Labour Day Classic on a play that likely served as the turning point in the Argos’ season.
With the Argos threatening to put the game away, the hit led to a game-changing interception that helped Hamilton pull off a 19-point comeback to win the game. Meanwhile, it also likely led to the injury that sidelined the Argo pivot throughout most of the remaining regular season.
At 4-6, the Argos were right in the thick of the East Division race, but lost all but one game the rest of the way.
12. PAREDES’ GAME-WINNING KICK TO KEEP STREAK ALIVE
It looked like the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were going to snap the Calgary Stampeders’ winning streak but Rene Paredes kicked a 52-yard field goal with no time left on the clock to keep his team’s streak alive.
In Week 14, the Stamps had won nine games in a row and were looking for their 10th against the Blue Bombers, who were cruising with seven-straight of their own.
But Paredes’ clutch kick with zeros on the clock put the Stamps ahead, snapping Winnipeg’s streak and extending Calgary’s.
11. INJURY SCARE FOR HANK
Johany Jutras/CFL.ca
The 104th Grey Cup presented by Shaw could have been very different if it was Trevor Harris under centre instead of Henry Burris.
Moments before kickoff, Burris walked off the field after the pre-game warmup with an apparent knee injury and it was unclear if the veteran would be able to play in the game at all.
Despite the injury scare, the 41-year-old was ready to go to take the first snap and eventually led his team to its first championship in 40 years.
10. DURANT’S WALK-OFF TOUCHDOWN
Darian Durant ran in the game-winning touchdown in overtime to defeat the Edmonton Eskimos in Week 13. The win wasn’t only the Riders’ second win of the 2016 season but it was Durant’s first in two years.
Durant missed all of 2015 with a ruptured Achilles tendon and the majority of 2014 with an elbow injury.
When Durant rallied to pull the Riders back in the game – setting up Armanti Edwards to run in the game-tying touchdown – and then won the game himself in over time, there was sure to be a sense of relief for the vet who has struggled to stay healthy since winning the Grey Cup back in 2013.
9. KANNEH’S GAME OF INCHES
Just when it looked like the Stampeders were going to complete the comeback and win the 104th Grey Cup, Abdul Kanneh saved the game by taking down Andrew Buckley near the end zone to stop the go-ahead score.
With the Stamps in scoring position, down by three points and under a minute left on the clock, Buckley bolted towards the end zone looking to take the lead. But Kanneh’s shoe-string tackle tripped up the backup quarterback, saving the score and forcing Rene Paredes to kick a field goal to tie things up and send it to overtime.
8. LAFRANCE’S SNOWY RUN
Kienan LaFrance – who stepped into the Eastern Final for the injured Mossis Madu in the first quarter – earned his spot by running in a 20-yard touchdown through the snow to seal the victory and send the REDBLACKS’ to the 104th Grey Cup.
LaFrance plowed through the snow for 157 yards as he helped send Ottawa to its second straight Grey Cup appearance.
With under a minute left in the contest, and the REDBLACKS up by just five points, Henry Burris looked to LaFrance to help move his team down the field. The running back first had a 17-yard run before tacking on another three, and along with a penalty against Edmonton, set himself up to get around the Esks defence and run in the touchdown.
7. MASOLI’S RECORD-BREAKING PERFORMANCE
Jeremiah Masoli’s pass to Luke Tasker late in the fourth quarter was his 23rd straight completion, a pass that helped the Tiger-Cats rally for the largest comeback in team history and solidified Masoli’s name in the record books.
On his way to breaking the single-game completions record, previously set by Eskimos’ head coach Jason Maas (22 straight), Masoli strung together a series of drives that saw Andy Fantuz score two majors and Brett Maher kick a field goal.
The quarterback’s steady hand in the second half helped Hamilton come back from a 25-point deficit to defeat the Edmonton Eskimos in Week 5.
6. O’SHEA SWAPS WILLY FOR NICHOLS
Photo: The Canadian Press
The moment that defined the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ season was surely Head Coach Mike O’Shea’s decision to start Matt Nichols in Week 6, sitting then-starting quarterback Drew Willy.
By Week 5, the Bombers had a record of 1-4 and started to slip to the bottom of the West Division. With no other options and nothing to lose, O’Shea decided to give Nichols the opportunity to see if he could be the one to turn the Bombers’ season around.
With Nichols under centre, the Bombers went on an impressive seven-game winning streak – before having it snapped by the Stampeders in Week 14. The 29-year-old helped Winnipeg clinch its first playoff berth since 2011 and finish the season with an 11-7 record.
5. THE CONTROVERSY CONTINUES
Henry Burris waited patiently on the sideline while Head Coach Rick Campbell decided to roll with the hot hand of Trevor Harris for a few weeks. Burris’ opportunity to take back the reins came in Week 16, when Harris started to cool off and Campbell put his vet back on to the field. Burris never looked back.
When Ottawa only scored seven points in the first three quarters in the contest against the Riders, Campbell replaced Harris with Burris, who helped the REDBLACKS erase the 15-point deficit and force Saskatchewan to overtime.
While Ottawa didn’t get the win that night, the REDBLACKS did keep the 41-year-old as the leader of their offence and he took them all the way to winning the Grey Cup.
4. JENNINGS’ TD IN THE WESTERN SEMI-FINAL
With his team down by five late in the Western Semi-Final, Jonathon Jennings decided to run himself into the end zone to score a major, giving his team a one-point lead and sending it to the Western Final.
The clock was ticking as Jennings strung together seven straight completions to move his team into Blue Bomber territory and into scoring position. On second-and-goal, as he was running out of options, Jennings scurried around the defenders and took the ball himself into the end zone to score.
Jennings and his Lions overcame a 28-12 third-quarter deficit on their way to solidifying BC’s first win over the Blue Bombers in 2016.
3. GOODBYE MOSAIC
2016 saw the end of an era in Regina, as Mosaic Stadium closed its doors for the final time.
Riders’ alumni along with current quarterback Darian Durant and the Grey Cup took the field for the last time in Week 19 as the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Riderville said goodbye to the historic stadium.
2. WALL PICK-SIX FOR MYLAN
In the Western Final, Jamar Wall intercepted a Jonathon Jennings pass and returned it 42 yards for a touchdown, scoring the 31st point of the contest wearing number 31.
That number is significant because after the tragic passing of his teammate Mylan Hicks earlier in the season, Wall changed his number from 29 to 31 – the number that Hicks wore for the Stampeders.
So when the defensive back took the ball all the way down the field into the end zone for the score, he couldn’t help but think about the 23-year-old.
“I’m a very religious guy,” said Wall. “I always feel like he’s with us. If that’s not a sign, I don’t know what is.”
1. JACKSON’S JUGGLING CATCH IN OVERTIME
While there were plenty of exciting moments in this year’s Grey Cup, the one that had everyone holding their breath was Ernest Jackson’s juggling catch in overtime.
The REDBLACKS held off a furious comeback from the Stampeders in the fourth quarter as the teams headed to the extra frame tied at 33.
Ottawa had the ball to start overtime and Henry Burris made no mistake moving them down the field into Stampeders territory. Burris threw an 18-yard strike to Jackson who tipped it off his hands twice before securing it as he fell into the end zone.
That major was the eventual game-winning score, as the REDBLACKS’ defence held off Bo Levi Mitchell and the Stamps’ attempt to respond.
