VANCOUVER — There was a very brief moment Sunday evening when Calgary Stampeders fan Clint Noble thought the Grey Cup was slipping through his team's fingers.
It didn't last long — a penalty that nullified a Brandon Banks touchdown late in the game put a welcome end to the drama as the Stampeders defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 20-16 to capture the 102nd Grey Cup at B.C. Place.
With 35 seconds left, the stadium erupted in cheers and gasps as Banks returned a punt into the end zone, but an illegal block penalty scuttled the play.
"When it's live, you don't really see it on the replay, so it's hard to say if it was legit," Noble, 28 said of the penalty. "There were a few calls the other way earlier that were controversial, too."
Calgarian Merlin Radke noticed the penalty before Banks had even finished running.
"I saw the flag drop right away so I kind of sat back and laughed," said Radke, 51.
Outside the stadium after the game, Stamps fans were predictably elated, screaming cries of victory and hamming it up for TV news cameras.
