CALGARY — Having just pulled off one of the most dramatic comebacks in Grey Cup history, Anthony Calvillo was asked about ripping the heart out of a stadium, a province and anyone who ever wore Rider Green.
“We’ve been there,” smiled the Montreal Alouettes quarterback who fielded endless questions all week about losing five of his six Grey Cup appearances.
“Trust me — I know what that feels like.”
Bouncing back from a first half in which his offence racked up just nine yards the first 13 minutes of the game, Calvillo pieced together a masterful fourth-quarter comeback that saw his club overcome a 16-point deficit in the last ten minutes.
And while all the buzz today will revolve around the do-over Saskatchewan handed Damon Duval for the game-ending field goal, at least some of the credit in a 28-27 Alouettes win needs to go to the 37-year-old for remaining calm in the face of tremendous adversity.
In fact, the most emotion he showed all night came after the game while clutching four-year-old daughter Athena.
“Last year I told my wife I was playing for her ... and then we lost,” started Calvillo, choking up as he reflected on a dedication to wife Alexia who had just beaten cancer.
“It just killed me. This year we came back, changed a lot and to do it is overwhelming. It’s a special feeling to be a champion, especially when we lost so many.”
While Avon Cobourne’s was named game MVP for keeping the Roughriders off balance the entire second half with big runs and catches, Calvillo was given the game ball by coach Marc Trestman in an emotional ceremony.
“We’re not big on giving game balls, but Anthony was masterful,” said Trestman, whose quarterback was 26 of 39 for 314 yards and two touchdown passes.
“I would think to most people he will have alleviated a lot of the criticisms.”
With the stadium representing Rider Nation in a state of euphoria after going up 27-11 five minutes into the fourth, Calvillo directed a six-play, 74-yard touchdown drive capped off by a clutch two-point conversion caught by Kerry Carter.
Getting the ball back via a pickoff, Calvillo pieced together a 55-yard touchdown drive that included a third down and three conversion to Jamal Richardson while the Cup was being carried into the stadium.
A failed two-point convert eventually led to the four-play, 40-yard game-winning field goal drive in the final
40 seconds, which included a 23–yard pass to Richardson and a 17-yarder to Kerry Watkins with five seconds left. The second silenced 46,020 largely green-clad fans at McMahon Stadium stunned by one of the strangest finishes in championship game lore.
“The fact that it came down to a few seconds ... it’s destiny — I truly believe that,” said Calvillo, insisting he felt more relief than vindication.
“We’ve been so devastated the last four we’ve been in so to finally do this is special.”
Down 17-3 at the half, Calvillo said there was plenty of yelling in the locker room.
“That first half was terrible, but I just kept to myself because I needed to regroup because I wasn’t playing up to my potential,” Calvillo said following one of the most unpopular, sobering wins in Grey Cup history.
“Everyone was challenging one another and we believed in one another — we knew we were capable.”
Offensive lineman Bryan Chiu has been protecting Calvillo through all his Grey Cup heartbreaks and admitted even he wondered if Calvillo could pull it out.
“It really wasn’t looking good there in the fourth quarter but he showed up when it counted most,” said Chiu.
“That’s what a champion does.”
No matter how unconventional his method.
eric.francis@sunmedia.ca
