Montreal Alouettes quarterback Shea Patterson had a towel draped over his head in the locker room after his team lost the 112th Grey Cup, seemingly in shock. Glassy-eyed, he turned slowly from his stall to face the media in the locker room postgame.
With a little over three minutes left in the game at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg, Patterson took over the controls on second-and-two from the Saskatchewan three-yard line. Tasked with short-yardage duties, Patterson tried to sneak for a first down but fumbled the ball, which was recovered by the Roughriders in the end zone.
“I can’t even describe the feeling,” Patterson told 3DownNation, speaking softly. “I had a chance to convert a first down and get us in position to score and tie the game up. I don’t know. The guy made a good play, hit me from the side. I’ve gotta hang onto the ball.”
Patterson’s fumble occurred at the worst possible time on Sunday as it ended a promising comeback bid for his team.
The Alouettes trailed Saskatchewan by a score of 25-7 when Stevie Scott III rushed for an 11-yard touchdown on the final play of the third quarter, sparking a resurgence.
José Maltos Díaz added a field goal midway through the fourth quarter to make it a one-score game, then the Alouettes drove the field thanks in large part to a 51-yard bomb from Davis Alexander to Tyler Snead.
Then came the fumble. Patterson shifted to his left with fullback Jacob Mason setting the edge as a blocker. Defensive back Tevaughn Campbell shed Mason and appeared to swat his right arm at Patterson to cause the fumble.
Patterson confirmed that the snap was clean on the play, though he didn’t remember the particulars of how the fumble occurred — only that a defender hit him from the side.
“It’s an indescribable feeling right now,” said Patterson. “I don’t really recall (how the fumble occurred). You’ve just gotta hold onto the ball.”
After the turnover, Saskatchewan generated two first downs to kill everything but the final 57 seconds of the game. The Alouettes tried to drive the field for a game-tying touchdown but were unsuccessful as Alexander’s final throw into the end zone was knocked down by defensive back Marcus Sayles.
The despondent quarterback started seven games for the Roughriders last season but wasn’t offered a contract extension to remain with the team. He joined the Alouettes as a free agent in August and soon took over short-yardage duties after Caleb Evans suffered an injury that ended his season.
Despite the heartbreak, it sounds like Patterson is trying to focus on the positive.
“Anytime you lose in football or you lose in life, there’s always something to take from it,” he said. “Come back better, not bitter.”
The Saskatchewan Roughriders defeated the Montreal Alouettes in the 112th Grey Cup at Princess Auto Stadium in Winnipeg by a score of 25-17.
Trevor Harris was named Most Valuable Player after he completed 23-of-27 pass attempts for 302 yards, winning his first Grey Cup as a starter. Samuel Emilus was named Most Valuable Canadian after he made 10 catches for 108 yards, finishing only two receptions shy of tying the Grey Cup record.
