90th Grey Cup The 90th Grey Cup was the 2002 Canadian Football League championship game played between the Edmonton Eskimos and the Montreal Alouettes on November 24 at Commonwealth Stadium , in Edmonton , Alberta . The Alouettes defeated the Eskimos , 25 - 16 . It was Don Matthews ’ fifth Grey Cup title as a head coach , tying him with Lew Hayman , Frank Clair and Hugh Campbell for the all - time record . Game summary . Montreal Alouettes ( 25 ) - TDs , Pat Woodcock , Jeremaine Copeland ( 2 ) ; FGs Terry Baker ( 1 ) ; cons . , ( 3 ) . Edmonton Eskimos ( 16 ) - TDs , Ricky Walters , Ed Hervey ; FGs , Sean Fleming ( 1 ) ; cons . , Fleming ( 1 ) . First Quarter < br > MTL – Single Baker 68 yard punt went through the end zone 4 : 34 1 - 0 MTL < br > Second Quarter < br > MTL – TD Woodcock 99 pass from Calvillo ( Baker convert ) 1 : 58 8 - 0 MTL < br > MTL – FG Baker 42 13 : 45 11 - 0 MTL < br > Third Quarter < br > EDM – TD Walters 17 pass from Ray ( Fleming convert ) 2 : 58 11 - 7 MTL < br > EDM – FG Fleming 13 8 : 54 11 - 10 MTL < br > Fourth Quarter < br > MTL – TD Copeland 47 pass from Calvillo ( Baker convert ) 3 : 07 18 - 10 MTL < br > EDM – TD Hervey 17 pass from Ray ( convert failed ) 14 : 41 18 - 16 MTL < br > MTL – TD Copeland 47 kick - off return ( Baker convert ) 14 : 48 25 - 16 MTL A Grey Cup rivalry which was born in the 1950s ( Edmonton and Montreal have met in 11 Grey Cup clashes ) and intensified in the 1970s re - emerged in the new century on a frozen field at Commonwealth Stadium in Edmonton . Montreal had not been home to a Grey Cup champion since 1977 , including nine years when it didn ’ t have a CFL team at all . But Anthony Calvillo and the rest of his teammates brought prestige back to the franchise by defeating the hometown Eskimos . Leading 1 - 0 after 15 minutes , the Alouettes gained 99 yards on one play for the longest touchdown reception in Grey Cup competition . Calvillo connected with Pat Woodcock on the historic play . Terry Baker kicked a 42 - yard field goal with 1 : 15 remaining in the second quarter to give the Alouettes an 11 - 0 lead at halftime . Wanting to avoid becoming the first team to lose a Grey Cup game in their own building since 1983 , the Eskimos rallied in the third quarter . On their opening drive Edmonton finally got on the scoreboard as Ricky Ray threw a pass to Ricky Walters for a 17 - yard touchdown . Sean Fleming kicked a 12 - yard field goal later in the quarter to pull the Eskimos within one . But early in the fourth quarter , the Alouettes struck again . This time Calvillo hit Jeremaine Copeland on a 47 - yard passing play for a touchdown , giving Montreal an 18 - 10 advantage . With less than six minutes remaining in regulation and the Eskimos offence facing a third - and - 10 on the Montreal 36 , head coach Tom Higgins opted to go for it rather than attempt a 43 - yard field goal . The gamble failed . The Eskimos would make things uncomfortable for the Alouettes in the final minute . Ray connected with Ed Hervey on a 17 - yard touchdown pass with 19 seconds remaining in regulation . Needing a two - point convert to tie the score , Tim Strickland broke up a pass intended for Terry Vaughn . Edmonton tried one last - ditch effort with an onside kick attempt , but Copeland grabbed the football and ran 47 yards for his second touchdown , sealing the win for Montreal . Calvillo was named the game ’ s Most Valuable Player completing just 11 of 31 pass attempts for 260 yards and a pair of touchdowns . 2002 CFL Playoffs . West Division . Semi - final ( November 10 @ Winnipeg , Manitoba ) Winnipeg Blue Bombers 30 - 3 BC Lions Final ( November 17 @ Edmonton , Alberta ) Edmonton Eskimos 33 - 30 Winnipeg Blue Bombers East Division . Semi - final ( November 10 @ Toronto , Ontario ) Toronto Argonauts 24 - 14 Saskatchewan Roughriders * Final ( November 17 @ Montreal , Quebec ) Montreal Alouettes 35 - 18 Toronto Argonauts " * Cross over from West Division "