Trevor Harris had to take a moment to kneel on the field and soak it all up.
In his 13th season in the CFL, the 39-year-old finally won a Gray Cup title as a starting cornerback.
Harris led the Saskatchewan Roughriders to their fifth championship and first since 2013 with a 25-17 victory over the Montreal Alouettes in Winnipeg on Sunday. An organization that was hungry for a title saw green and white confetti fall onto the turf in enemy territory.
It was a battle to the finish and Saskatchewan went through many of them throughout the season, but the Roughriders were the best team in the CFL from start to finish of the year.
The Roughriders have seen their title quest end in heartbreak so many times, but now they can boast of being Gray Cup champions.
The Roughriders played winning football again on Sunday with several crucial plays. Head coach Corey Mays, a champion as a sophomore, made a call that proved timely for his team when he complained about pass interference in the first quarter. What should have been a bust on downs turned into a touchdown for the Roughriders, and the play marked the beginning of a big run for Saskatchewan.
However, with the Alouettes making a push to tie the game, the Roughriders needed their MVP to get through.
Harris had the best completion percentage in Gray Cup history at 85.2%, a remarkable accomplishment for a veteran quarterback.
Not only was Harris accurate with the ball, but he made sure it quickly left his hands and got to the playmakers. The strategy worked because Harris was not fired or changed teams.
“We had some big conversions in the second,” Harris. told reporters after the game. “I didn’t throw any touchdowns, but we had some impressive second downs through the air.
“We ran the ball well, were able to stay on the field, and on the last drive we were able to get some first downs and spend some time to really put pressure on them.”
Saskatchewan also had several breaks, including a goal by defenseman Kabion Ento, who looked like he was going to take an errant pass from Harris all the way back for the pick-six but was unable to secure the ball. And Shea Patterson's fumble at the Roughriders' three-yard line denied Montreal their best chance to tie the game in the final minutes.
As has been the case all season, Harris wasn't the only Roughriders player to make a big impact on the game. So let's take a look at some of the standout performances in these recaps of the 112th Gray Cup.
No storyline heading into the Gray Cup has been more discussed than the injury concerns of Alouettes quarterback Davis Alexander, given the unknown status of his hamstring.
To his credit, Alexander struggled and was clearly not 100 percent. The pain got to the point where he couldn't get the power he needed to make deep throws, and he only escaped the pocket for a couple of runs, one of which resulted in him pulling his hamstring back.
However, the tone was set early in this game when Alexander threw a deep pass to Tyson Philpot, who was intercepted by Marcus Sales. It was one of three interceptions thrown by the Alouette quarterback as he tried to do everything he could to put his team in the best position to win the game.
After the game, Alexander made it clear that he did not have the same precision in his throws and was a little out of rhythm.
“When you get outplayed at quarterback, you immediately put your team at a deficit. Our guys fought there. Our guys fought for me. They held me back,” Alexander told reporters after the game. “They gave us a chance. Yes. “Ultimately, I have to be better for this organization in the biggest moment of my life and the biggest game of my life.”
He still pushed the ball down the field and made defenses respect the fact that he wasn't going to settle for just short throws. But his latest streak of 284 passing yards with zero touchdowns and three picks wasn't good enough.
Patterson's decisive mistake
There will be many questions about what could have been due to the many made and unmade plays in this game.
However, the decisive moment was a mistake by Shea Patterson as Montreal tried to tie the game late in the fourth quarter. Instead, the ball was knocked out of Patterson's hands at the third-yard line and returned to the Roughriders. It capped what could have been an improbable comeback for the Alouettes, who trailed 25-7 late in the third quarter before cutting the lead to one score.
“I can’t even describe the feeling,” Patterson. told 3DownNationspeaking quietly. “I had a chance to convert the first down and put us in position to score and tie the game. I don't know. The guy made a good play, hit me on the side. I have to keep the ball.”
Some have questioned whether the Alouettes should have handled the situation differently. While quarterback sneaks are the standard in tight yardage situations, teams sometimes rely too heavily on this play.
After all, Patterson also threw a quarterback hit early in the game and earned the coaching staff's trust by doing it again.
What's next for Harris?
No one would blame Harris if he decided he still had plenty left in him and put off leaving the team for at least one more season.
It is not surprising that he refused these negotiations, but at some point he will have to make a decision.
“I think you guys should talk about this,” Harris said. “I’m just grateful for my teammates. I’m so grateful for my teammates.”
At this point, Harris has nothing to prove as he can say he's a Gray Cup champion as a starter. His previous rings were in games he didn't start.
Given the success they've had, the Roughriders won't be pushing for Harris to hang up his boots just yet, of course, but at some point they'll need to know his plans.
Ricky Ray, Harris' former teammate, faced a similar situation late in his career. Unfortunately, after winning the Gray Cup in 2017, Ray returned the following season, but was injured late in the season and never played again.
Harris has been able to stay healthy this season, which was an issue the previous two seasons. Given how this season has gone in Saskatchewan, Harris could be persuaded to return along with as much of the championship core as possible.
If not, it will be interesting to see what happens next for the quarterback who has now cemented his Gray Cup legacy as a starter.
