This former Boise State QB is a Grey Cup champion. Vander Esch chasing NFL milestone
A former Boise State quarterback is now a Grey Cup champion.
Ryan Dinwiddie, who is the head coach of the Canadian Football League’s Toronto Argonauts, led his team to a 24-23 upset win over the two-time defending champion Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday. Dinwiddie said the game will go down as one of the craziest endings to a Grey Cup in CFL history.
Argonauts defensive lineman Robbie Smith was called for a late face mask penalty, which put Winnipeg in position to win the game with a field goal in the final minute of regulation. But Smith made up for it by blocking the field goal to preserve Toronto’s slim lead in what proved to be the 18th Grey Cup victory in franchise history.
“I’ve got to take my hat off to our players,” Dinwiddie told reporters after the game. “We fought through a lot of adversity, especially today. That was a team win, they didn’t panic and we showed how mature we are as a football team.”
Toronto lost its starting quarterback, former Sacramento State starter McLeod Bethel-Thompson, to an injury late in the game and had to turn to the only other quarterback on the roster, Chad Kelly, who is the nephew of Buffalo Bills legend Jim Kelly.
“He’s mentally tough and physically tough,’’ Dinwiddie told the Toronto Sun when asked about Kelly. “He came in and made some big throws. Not too many quarterbacks with limited playing experience could do that. Pretty unique.”
Dinwiddie knows a thing or two about stepping into a big moment as a quarterback. He made the first start of his CFL playing career in the 2007 Grey Cup — a game in which the Dinwiddie-led Blue Bombers lost 23-19 to the Saskatchawen Roughriders.
Now, the 41-year-old’s CFL career has come full circle, with a Grey Cup win as a coach.
“I’m so appreciative of our owners and what they’ve done to give me this opportunity and for what they’ve done for our team,” Dinwiddie told the Sun. “I’m happy for our players.”
Dinwiddie was hired as Toronto’s 45th head coach in franchise history in 2019. His first season at the helm was canceled in 2020 because of COVID-19, but he has led the Argonauts to a 20-12 record the past two seasons.
Dinwiddie was a three-year starter at Boise State (2001-03). As a senior in 2003, he racked up 4,356 passing yards, which still ranks No. 1 in single-season history for the program. He also ranks in the top 10 all-time at Boise State in career passing yards (No. 3, 9,819), completions (No. 5, 622) and touchdown passes (No. 3, 82).
He wasn’t picked in the 2004 NFL Draft, but Dinwiddie did have brief stints with the Chicago Bears and in NFL Europe before beginning his CFL career.
Vander Esch close to milestone
Former Boise State linebacker Leighton Vander Esch is closing in on a career milestone.
After posting three tackles Sunday in the Dallas Cowboys’ 40-3 win over the Minnesota Vikings, Vander Esch needs just four more to reach 500 career tackles. He’ll likely achieve the feat on Thursday when the Cowboys take on the Giants in what will be just the 62nd game of his NFL career.
Vander Esch — the No. 19 overall pick in the 2018 NFL Draft — played at Boise State from 2014 to 2017 and was named Mountain West Defensive Player of the Year in his final season. He has spent his entire NFL career with the Cowboys.
UTAH STATE AT BOISE STATE
When: 10 a.m., Friday
Where: Albertsons Stadium
TV: CBS (Rich Waltz, Aaron Taylor, Amanda Guerra)
Radio: KBOI 670 AM/93.1 FM (Bob Behler, Pete Cavender)
Records: Boise State 8-3, 7-0 MW; Utah State 6-5, 5-2 MW
Series: Boise State is 25-1 all-time against Utah State, including six consecutive victories.
Vegas line: Boise State by 16
Weather: High of 44 degrees, 12% chance of rain, 6 mph wind
