When Curtis Marsh helped the Rider clinch a wild season opener
Once in a while, there is a player that comes along who is an absolute game changer.
And in a season opening game for the Roughriders in 2001, a guy named Curtis Marsh proved to be just that.
The Riders opened the season that year at home against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Hamilton dominated most of the game, and by the fourth quarter had a 25-13 lead over the Rider team that couldn’t get much going offensively.
Cue number 88.
Marsh caught a long touchdown pass from Marvin Graves early in the final frame to pull the Riders within five.
Not long after that, it was the Marsh connection again, in the form of another touchdown pass that gave the riders a 27-25 lead.
Hamilton would come back and put together a driver that led to a Paul Osbaldaston field goal, giving the Tiger-Cats a 28-27 advantage.
With less than a minute left, Quarterback Marvin Graves needed to get the riders down the field quickly.
And Curtis Marsh was the man he knew could help get it done.
Marsh hauled in two passes for a combined 43 yards putting the Roughriders in field goal range.
That set up Paul Mcallum for a game-winning kick in the final seconds, giving the Riders a 30-28 win.
It sparked celebration in Rider nation with a classic season opening win many won’t soon forget.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.