Argos win Grey Cup

For the first time since 1997, the Toronto Argonauts can call themselves Grey Cup champions.

Argos quarterback Damon Allen ran for two touchdowns and passed for another in a 27-19 win over the B.C. Lions in the 92nd edition of the CFL championship in Ottawa.

For Allen, who won his fourth Grey Cup on Sunday, this victory might be the sweetest of his legendary CFL career.

In the week leading to the championship game, the 41-year-old pivot had been dogged by questions about whether this might be his last game as a professional.

Allen showed his critics he still has some impressive performances left in him, earning the game's most outstanding player award.

"They always say that the great players have to play in the big games and I like to think, to believe, I'm one of the best Grey Cup players in the history of the CFL," Allen told CBC. "I look forward to these times when I get an opportunity to play."

Allen, who made 23 of 34 pass attempts for 299 yards, dodged the retirement question.

"I'm just going to enjoy it tonight," he said.

B.C. Lions receiver Jason Clermont was named the game's top Canadian.

The capacity crowd of 51,242 at Frank Clair Stadium saw Robert Baker make a touchdown catch and Noel Prefontaine boot two field goals for the Argos.

"We made mistakes and they capitalized," Clermont told CBC. "(Coach Wally Buono) said we didn't play like champions."

Allen did give his teammates a bit of a scare in the third quarter when he was forced to leave the game with a leg injury. He returned with six minutes left in the fourth quarter.

Although Allen's performance was impressive, Lions fans probably can't help but wonder if the result might be different if the league's most outstanding player wasn't on the sidelines.

Lions coach Wally Buono made a surprising decision before Sunday's game, opting for experience over youth in naming Dave Dickenson his starting quarterback.

Many felt Casey Printers deserved the honour due to his outstanding season. He didn't step on the field once.

Dickenson rewarded his coach's faith on the first possession of the game, completing his first five pass attempts before finally hooking up with Clermont on an 11-yard touchdown.

Aside from a short drive in the fourth quarter, he just couldn't get much accomplished against the stingy Argos defence.

On many occasions, especially in the fourth quarter, Dickenson was visibly frustrated on the sidelines after a failed long pass.

"We just didn't come up with the plays," said Dickenson, who made 18 of 27 pass attempts for 201 yards. "I think we missed an opportunity here."

After the game, Buono defended his decision to go with Dickenson.

"Casey was suffering a bit from the (shoulder) injury he sustained in the playoffs and if you look at our games against Toronto this year, he did struggle," he said. "If Dave had struggled, we probably would have given Casey another opportunity. I thought Dave made good decisions."

Duncan O'Mahony added a pair of field goals for the Lions, but missed a 22-yard convert attempt after the Lions were called twice for procedure while trying for two points with the score at 24-19 in the fourth quarter.

"We didn't give up any deep balls," Argos linebacker Mike O'Shea told CBC. "We kept their passes short. We kept them off the scoreboard, and that's what counts."

Mike (Pinball) Clemons, who won three Grey Cups as a player with the Argos, picked up his first as a head coach. He's the first black head coach to win a Grey Cup.

"(Allen was) just phenomenal," said Clemons. "He cramped up a little bit but came back into the game. That's what a hero is supposed to do."

After a sluggish first quarter, the Argos changed the momentum of the game in a 17-point second quarter.

After Prefontaine's field goal to put the Argos on the board, Allen led his team down the field on the next possession to set up his first rushing touchdown of the game.

O'Mahony tied it up at 10-10 with a field goal, but Allen didn't look rattled as he hooked up with Baker on a 23-yard passing play to give the Argos a 17-10 lead at the half.

Allen continued where he left off in the third quarter, scoring on another one-yard touchdown run to give the Argos a 14-point lead.

Prefontaine added a field goal with just under three minutes remaining in the fourth quarter to complete the Argos scoring.

This year's Grey Cup was the largest sporting event ever staged in Canada's capital, breaking the old record held by the 1988 Grey Cup between the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and B.C.