Burris a big challenge for Alouettes
The Montreal Alouettes could not contain Calgary Stampeders quarterback Henry Burris in two regular season games, something that will have to change if the team is to become the first in 14 years to win the Grey Cup in its hometown.
Calgary advanced to the Grey Cup with a 22-18 win over B.C. on Saturday evening, joining Montreal, which had defeated Edmonton 36-26 earlier in the day.
The 96th Grey Cup will take place on Nov. 23.
The Stampeders went 2-0 against Montreal this season, racking up nearly 900 yards of offence in the process.
Burris led the charge. He threw touchdowns to five different receivers in a 408-yard effort on Sept. 12, a 41-30 home win for Calgary.
Earlier in the season, the Stampeders carved out a 23-19 victory in Montreal. Burris threw for 302 yards and completed 76 per cent of his passes, including a touchdown to Ken-Yon Rambo, who led the CFL in receiving yardage this season.
The quarterback also gained 93 yards on 10 carries.
Joffrey Reynolds rushed for a touchdown in that game for the Stamps. The CFL's leading rusher picked up 167 yards on 24 carries in the two Montreal games.
Burris was edged by Montreal quarterback Anthony Calvillo earlier this week as top quarterback on the CFL all-star team. There was a strong argument to be made that Burris had the more impressive season, given the added running dimension as well as the fact the West was a much tougher division.
The two players will be up for the league's Most Outstanding Player award, to be handed out later this week.
Burris will have his first opportunity to make a difference in a championship game. He was on the roster for Calgary's 1998 win, which was helmed by Jeff Garcia.
Up and down for Calvillo
The head-to-head games between the clubs were a mixed bag for Calvillo.
The Alouettes didn't turn the ball over in the 23-19 game, but were partially done in by not committing to the run. The team's running backs gained just 25 yards on six carries.
Calvillo accounted for the team's only touchdown, hooking up with Jamal Richardson on a 67-yard pass play.
Montreal had a better ground attack in the return game, but Calvillo had passes picked off by Calgary's West Lysack, Brandon Browner and Dwight Anderson.
The Grey Cup matchup will also pit the fertile football minds of two coaches in the first year with their respective clubs.
John Hufnagel was a player-coach 20 years ago with Saskatchewan, he hadn't spent significant time in the CFL since honing Calgary's offensive game in the first half of the 1990s.
After stints in the NFL and arena football, Hufnagel has returned to guide his charges to 14 wins in 19 games heading into the big game.
Montreal general manager Jim Popp went outside the box to hire Marc Trestman, who had no previous CFL experience. The move looks likes a stroke of genius now, as the man who had previously worked with great NFL quarterbacks such as Steve Young and Rich Gannon has helped reinvigorate Calvillo and the Alouette offence.
The Alouettes will be making their sixth Grey appearance this decade, although they've gone just 1-4. Calvillo led Montreal to its lone win in 2002.
Overall, the franchise is 5-15 in the championship.
Calgary's win Saturday was the first playoff victory for the franchise since its 2001 Grey Cup win. The Stampeders are 5-6 in Grey Cup games.
The B.C. Lions of 1994 were the last team to win a Grey Cup in their home city.