Trevor Harris finally has his Grey Cup moment.
Entering Sunday, Harris already had a pair of championship rings in his collection. But Harris had yet to win a Grey Cup as a starter, with his only prior opportunity falling short in 2018. But, by leading the Saskatchewan Roughriders to a 25-17 win over Montreal in the 112th Grey Cup, Harris now has his crowning moment.
And he did it his way.
En route to being named Grey Cup MVP, Harris completed 23 of 27 passes for 302 yards. For a guy who may go down as the most accurate passer in CFL history, it seems only fitting to see him set a new Grey Cup accuracy record with an 85.2 per cent completion rate.
112th GREY CUP
» Riders take down Alouettes to win 112th Grey Cup
» 3 Grey Cup MVPs that weren’t named MVPs
» Trevor Harris named the Most Valuable Player of the 112th Grey Cup
» Samuel Emilus named the Most Valuable Canadian of the 112th Grey Cup
» Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally
Harris was on-brand the entire way through Sunday. With 2025 Most Outstanding Lineman Jermarcus Hardrick and Melfort product Logan Ferland leading the way, Harris had nothing but time. And when Harris isn’t routinely feeling pressure, he’s going to pick opposing defences apart, even ones as good as Montreal’s.
Another one of Harris’ calling cards has always been his ability to maximize a group of receivers. Well, on Sunday, Harris spread the ball to six different receivers, with each of them seeing multiple targets. And much like the Western Final, when seven receivers saw multiple targets, it was Samuel Emilus leading the way; he’s now up to a combined 208 receiving yards this post-season.
With 15 years in professional football under his belt, no one knows the importance of being who you are when it matters most better than Harris. And that’s exactly what he was Sunday on the biggest stage of all.
Harris now has a Grey Cup win as a starter on his resume, and it goes along with a league record and an MVP nod. He did it playing his brand of football at the highest level. And if retirement is indeed the next step, Harris gets to do that his way, too.
MR. GREY CUP
A.J. Ouellette is starting to earn a bit of a reputation.
The Roughriders running back racked up 83 rushing yards, 32 receiving yards, and a touchdown while making a serious MVP case for himself on Sunday. Saskatchewan couldn’t have secured the win without Ouellette, which sounds somewhat familiar.
Ouellette was also instrumental in helping Toronto capture the 109th Grey Cup three years ago. If you remember, Ouellette punched in a pair of bruising second-half touchdowns that night including the game-winning score with less than four minutes remaining.
Ouellette’s Grey Cup performance three years ago was what put him on the map for many CFL fans. Now a household name with Saskatchewan, he did it again on Sunday. That’s three huge touchdowns in two Grey Cup appearances for Ouellette.
Seems like that reputation is quite well earned.
RIGHT CALL, BAD RESULT
I thought analysts Luke Willson and Zach Collaros had a fascinating post-game conversation surrounding Shea Patterson’s fourth quarter fumble. Knowing it was a goal-line miscue in the waning stages of a close game, that play will go down as one of the defining moments of another Grey Cup classic.
Willson was part of a heartbreaking Super Bowl loss in 2014 when his Seattle Seahawks were intercepted on the one-yard line instead of handing the ball to Pro Bowl tailback Marshawn Lynch. His contention was, with a game on the line, you put the ball in the hands of your best players. In this case, that referred to Montreal’s Davis Alexander or Stevie Scott III.
Collaros, having been teammates with short yardage beasts Chris Streveler and Dakota Prukop, countered with the importance of the quarterback sneak in the Canadian game. Both sides were well-reasoned and backed up with lived experience.
Personally, I thought it was the right call by Alouettes head coach Jason Maas. Patterson had already punched in a first-quarter touchdown, and he was automatic during the regular season. Signed in August, Patterson recorded six rushing touchdowns in eight appearances. That’s a pace of 13 over a full campaign, which would have led the league.
I can’t think of a sport where the “right” decision can end up with a completely opposite result more so than football. That’s what I think happened on this one. And more than anything, I feel just horrible for the player.
QUICK HITS
That ball should have gone to Lynch in 2014.
Oh, and kudos to Collaros. Watching No. 1 rival Saskatchewan take on Montreal, the team that eliminated his Blue Bombers two weeks prior, play in his home stadium couldn’t have been enjoyable. And yet, Collaros gave objective and super informative analysis all day Sunday.
Finally, Riders head coach Corey Mace is only 39 years old. That’s it, that’s the tweet.