REDBLACKS quarterback Henry Burris and wide receiver Greg Ellingson have been honoured for outstanding performances during the team’s historic win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in Week 20 of the Canadian Football League.
Burris threw a career-high six touchdown passes, three of them to Ellingson, and was named a weekly top performer, in the final week of competition in the regular season.
Ellingson was also named a weekly top performer with an outstanding eight-catch, 142-yard and three-touchdown effort during the REDBLACKS’ 44-28 victory over the Ticats.
The victory clinched first place in the CFL East Division and gave the REDBLACKS 12 wins in 2015, the first Ottawa squad to reach a dozen wins ever in a regular season.
Burris captured top player-of-the-week honour for the fourth time this season and has been named among the league’s weekly three stars on seven occasions.
The 40-year-old Temple grad and Oklahoma native set a CFL record with 481 completions, eclipsing the old record, set by Ricky Ray in 2005 while Ray was playing for Edmonton.
Burris on Saturday completed 27 of 38 passes for 358 yards and six touchdown strikes – the three to Ellingson, and one each to Brad Sinopoli, Patrick Lavoie and Chris Williams.
Ellingson also became the fourth REDBLACKS player to surpass 1,000 receiving years this season, joining Ernest Jackson, Sinopoli and Williams.
In doing so, the REDBLACKS became the third team in CFL history to have four receivers garner over 1,000 yards in receptions in one regular season, joining the Montreal Alouettes of 2004 and 2005 in that elite group.
The REDBLACKS, making the first appearance by an Ottawa CFL team in the playoffs since 1994, will host the Eastern Final (the first CFL divisional final in Ottawa since 1978) on Sunday, November 22 at TD Place. Kick-off is at 1 p.m.
Tickets for the Eastern Final are available here, or by calling 613-232-6767, ext. 1.
The winner of the Eastern Final will advance to the 103rd Grey Cup presented by Shaw on Sunday, November 29 at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg.
