CFL Grey Cup 2013: Score, Recap and More from Tiger-Cats vs. Roughriders

On the strength of a 24-point second quarter and a Grey Cup rushing record of 197 by Kory Sheets, the Saskatchewan Roughriders won the 101st Grey Cup, 45-23, over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats. 

Sheets added two touchdowns to his record-breaking tally and did so on just 20 carries. Not surprisingly, this was enough to earn him MVP honors. 

He was the star of the show, but it was definitely a team effort, and the Roughriders defense cannot be overlooked for keeping their opponents stifled for most of the day. 

It was actually the Tiger-Cats that drew first blood at Mosaic Stadium in Regina, Saskatchewan. Luca Gongi drilled a 45-yard field goal for the game's opening points. 

That score didn't happen until the teams traded punts on their opening drives. At that moment, it looked like this cold and windy day might not hold a lot of offense. 

The score did not hold up for long. 

In the Roughriders next series, a sign of things to come flashed for us all. Quarterback Darian Durant was hit hard and the ball flew straight into the air. As fate would have it, it came down into the on-rushing hands of Sheets. He grabbed the ball and scrambled for a big play. 

Moments later, Durant found Geroy Simon for a touchdown. It was the first Grey Cup touchdown for the veteran Simon. He wound up scoring two. 

The first quarter ended with nothing but those two scores. The second quarter held much more action. Playing with the wind in the second quarter, the Roughriders found moving the ball far easier. 

They wound up outscoring the Tiger-Cats 24-3 in the second quarter with a nice combination of rushing and passing. 

With a 31-6 lead entering the halftime locker room, this Grey Cup felt all but over. Sheets starred in the first half with 11 carries for 128 yards and a touchdown. 

Quarterback Darian Durant also had a mighty contribution. He completed 12-of-16 passes for 165 yards and two touchdowns, but he also had three fumbles in the first half. He was lucky to lose just one of them. 

Meanwhile, C.J. Gable was the only Hamilton player with a carry in the first half. He had two of them and gained three yards on his carries.

With a one-dimensional attack, the Roughriders were finding little difficulty stuffing the Tiger-Cats. 

Still, Hamilton opened up the second half with a touchdown to give fans hope of this game being competitive. Those hopes didn't last. The Roughriders defense resumed shutting down its opposition and Hamilton scored just three points the rest of the way. 

In the end, Hamilton quarterback Henry Burris completed just 20-of-43 passes for 272 yards, an interceptions and no touchdowns. 

His counterpart had a far more successful day. After getting his early fumble problems out of the way, Durant played a great game. He finished the day 17-of-24 passing with 245 yards, three touchdowns and no interceptions. 

This didn't set up for the most dramatic Grey Cup, but it was still an entertaining game. Of course, it was a lot more entertaining for Roughriders fans than their Tiger-Cats counterparts.