The Saskatchewan Roughriders advanced to the Grey Cup in their hometown with a 35-13 upset of the Calgary Stampeders in the CFL's West Division final Sunday.
The Roughriders will face the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in next Sunday's Grey Cup in Regina.
The Ticats punched their ticket to this year's championship game with a 36-24 win over the Toronto Argonauts in the East Division final earlier Sunday.
For a third straight year, the host city of the Grey Cup has their own CFL team in the game. The Argonauts beat Calgary last year in Toronto to hoist the Cup and the B.C. Lions won it in Vancouver in 2011.
Calgary boasted the best regular-season record in the CFL at 14-4, but fell short of a return trip to the Grey Cup.
This year's Grey Cup is a matchup of the second-place teams in each division. The Roughriders went 11-7 in the regular season and defeated the B.C. Lions 29-25 in the division semifinal. The Tiger-Cats finished second in the East at 10-8.
Saskatchewan quarterback Darian Durant completed 24 of 30 passes for 280 yards with touchdown passes to Rob Bagg, Weston Dressler and Chris Getzlaf.
Running back Kory Sheets scored on a one-yard touchdown plunge. Kicker Chris Milo was good on two of three field-goal attempts with both of them in the fourth quarter.
Calgary's Rene Paredes made both of his field-goal attempts. Quarterback Drew Tate, who replaced starter Kevin Glenn for the second half, threw a touchdown pass to Joe West.
Stampeder running back Jon Cornish, who led the CFL in rushing yards, had the majority of his 67 in the second half. Sheets finished second to Cornish, but romped for 177 yards Sunday.
The Roughriders lost both regular-season games at McMahon, but the most recent on Oct. 26 was by just four points.
Saskatchewan had a banner season in takeways with 53 and took full advantage of Calgary's inability to hang onto the ball Sunday. The Stampeders turned the ball over seven times.
The Roughriders also exploited the absence of injured starting defensive tackles Micah Johnson and Demonte Bolden as Sheets had ample room to run.
Calgary boasted the CFL's No. 1 offence during the regular season, but had the ball for just eight minutes and 43 seconds in the first half. Receivers Mo Price, Jeff Fuller and Brad Sinopoli each fumbled after the catch and turned the ball over in the game.
Glenn's attempted touchdown throw to the end zone in the first quarter was knocked down. He was also intercepted twice in the half before replaced by Tate for the second.
Glenn completed seven of 13 passes for 180 yards and was intercepted twice. Tate was 5 for 11 for 90 yards.
The Stampeders were minus-4 in rushing yards and trailed 22-6 heading into the second half.
The hosts caught a small break with time winding down in the first when Jamar Wall recovered a Scott McHenry fumble just outside the end zone and ran the ball out.
The Stampeders wrested some momentum back early in the second half. Tate and West combined on a 46-yard scoring pass at 5:16 of the third quarter and Fred Bennett got his fingers on a 20-yard field goal attempt by Milo midway throughout the quarter.
But Milo was good from 12 yards and 39 yards at 7:37 and 12:01 of the fourth quarter respectively. Sheets scored on a one-yard run at 13:48.
And with just over four minutes remaining, Stampeder returner Larry Taylor fumbled Saskatchewan's punt and Paul Woldu knocked it out of bounds to give the Roughriders the ball on Calgary's 32-yard line.
Tristan Jackson batted the ball out of Price's hands as the Calgary receiver sprinted to the end zone late in the second quarter. Rod Williams recovered the ball for the 'Riders. Durant and Dressler connected two plays later on a 37-yard scoring pass at 12:17.
Saskatchewan led 14-6 at 6:12 after Durant connected with Getzlaf on a seven-yard touchdown throw. Roughrider punter Ricky Schmitt added a 65-yard punt single at 10:39.
The Stampeders were unable to turn big gains into majors twice in the first quarter. After Glenn's 47-yard throw to West put the Stampeders on the 29, Cornish was tackled for a loss of five. Paredes was good from 36 yards to pull Calgary within a point at 14:45.
Bagg's three-yard touchdown catch at 12:03 put the visitors up 7-3.
Brandon Smith's 51-yard punt return put the Stamps on Saskatchewan's doorstep early in the quarter, but Roughrider defensive end John Chick batted away Glenn's throw to the end zone. The Stampeders settled for a 13-yard field goal from Paredes at 7:17.
Sunday's kickoff was under a sunny sky and a temperature of minus-8 with an announced 33,174 in the stadium. A light south wind made it feel more like minus-14 and the temperatures dropped as the sun lowered.
