75th Grey Cup - Game Summary

Game Summary

Edmonton Eskimos - (38) TDs, Henry Williams, Marco Cyncar, Brian Kelly, Damon Allen; FGs, Jerry Kauric (3); cons., Kauric (4), singles, Kauric.

Toronto Argonauts - (36) TDs, Gil Fenerty (2), Doug Landry, Danny Barrett; FGs, Lance Chomyc (3); cons., Lance Chomyc (3).

The Edmonton Eskimos and Toronto Argonauts engaged in a back-and-forth battle for Earl Grey’s Cup in 1987, which was determined with a late field goal.

The lead changed hands five times before Jerry Kauric booted a 49-yard field goal to secure a two-point victory for the Eskimos.

The fireworks went off early when Henry ‘Gizmo’ Williams fielded a missed field goal and out ran Toronto defenders for 112-yard return for a touchdown, setting a new Grey Cup record and giving the Eskimos the early lead. Toronto’s Lance Chomyc missed on two field goals in the opening 15 minutes.

Trailing 10-3 in the second quarter, Argos fullback Gil Fenerty took a pass from Gilbert Renfroe and ran 61 yards down the sidelines for Toronto’s first major. A costly interception set up Toronto’s second touchdown drive when Fenerty followed his blockers for a five-yard score.

Another costly turnover by the Eskimos put the Argos in front 24-10. Toronto’s Doug Landry picked up a fumble and ran 54 yards to the end zone.

Things appeared to go from bad to worse when Eskimos starting quarterback Matt Dunigan went down to a head injury. But Edmonton had a quality backup pivot in Damon Allen, who flipped a six-yard touchdown pass to Marco Cyncar prior to halftime, cutting the deficit to 24-17. The drive began following a blocked punt by Stanley Blair.

After outscoring the Argos 4-3 in the third quarter Edmonton restored its lead on the first play of the fourth quarter when Allen hit Brian Kelly for a 15-yard touchdown pass, putting the Eskimos in front 28-27.

A Chomyc field goal put Toronto back in front. But Allen’s mobility caused fits for the Argos defence, and may have been the difference in the game. He gave the Eskimos a five-point edge with 6:39 remaining in the game with a 17-yard run on a bootleg.

Toronto was also forced to go to its backup quarterback when Renfroe was forced out with a knee injury. But his replacement, Danny Barrett, was equal to the task. Barrett called his own number with 2:43 remaining, busting up the middle 25 yards for a major, giving the Argos a 36-35 lead.

But the Argos suffered a setback when they missed on an attempted two-point conversion. This allowed the Eskimos to win the game on Kauric’s field goal.