Courtesy Winnipeg Sun:

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are off to the Grey Cup for the first time since 2001, but they will do so with backup quarterback Ryan Dinwiddie at the controls.

The Bombers beat the Toronto Argonauts 19-9 in this afternoon’s East Division semifinal, but starting pivot Kevin Glenn broke his left humerus (upper arm) on the first play of the fourth quarter.

“We’re certainly deeply sorry for this, but it’s football and we’ll do the best that we can with what’s left over,” Bombers head coach Doug Berry said after the game. “Kevin’s had a fantastic year for us, he got us here, and now it’s our job to carry the torch from here.”

Dinwiddie played the rest of today’s game, completing all four of his pass attempts for 80 yards, as the Bomber held on for the win.

Glenn was the East Division’s most outstanding player this season, and will be up for the league MOP award on Thursday night against Saskatchewan’s Kerry Joseph.

Dinwiddie will be making his first CFL start in next Sunday’s Grey Cup against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Glenn was hurt on the first play of the fourth quarter, with Winnipeg leading 19-1, on a botched handoff with running back Charles Roberts on Toronto’s five yard line. Argos linebacker Kevin Eiben landed hard on Glenn’s left arm as they both pursued the ball, and the pivot was taken off the field on a cart.

Glenn had completed 15 of 21 for 201 yards and a touchdown when he left the game.

Despite that potentially terrible news, the Bombers now have a chance to win their first Grey Cup since 1990, and it is thanks in large part to their special teams and defence.

Keith Stokes, who was signed by Winnipeg only four weeks ago, had an 81-yard punt return for a touchdown in the third quarter that put the visitors up 19-1 going into the fourth quarter.

It was Winnipeg’s first kick return touchdown of any kind since 2004, when, coincidentally, Stokes had both punt and kickoff scores in his first tour of duty with the club.

Winnipeg’s Jerome Haywood also blocked Noel Prefontaine’s 36-yard field goal attempt in the third — with his face, no less — and Troy Westwood put in an outstanding punting performance.

The Bombers certainly caught their fair share of breaks, but all three phases of the game were purring today in front of 33,467 fans, many of whom were hoping to see the host team make it to the Grey Cup for only the third time in 22 years.

Glenn’s seven-yard touchdown pass to Milt Stegall in the first quarter originally bounced off the hands of Argos cornerback Jordan Younger.

That gave the Bombers a 7-1 lead. Prefontaine opened the scoring with he missed a 36-yard field goal.

Westwood pushed the lead to 10-7 early in the second quarter with a 34-yard field goal. He then notched an 82-yard kickoff single and a 44-yard punt single to give the visitors a 12-1 lead at half time.

Eiben recovered the fumble on the play on which Glenn was hurt, and Toronto proceeded to march down the field and score on a one-yard touchdown plunge by quarterback Michael Bishop.

Dinwiddie, who replaced Glenn, hit Terrence Edwards with a 35-yard touchdown strike, but it was overturned on appeal because Edwards was touched while on the ground at the five-yard line.

Dinwiddie and Roberts then bumbled another handoff, and Eiben recovered the pigskin again. The Argos couldn’t take advantage of the gift, however.

Dinwiddie completed all four of his attempts for 80 yards, while Bishop completed 18 of 41 for 319 yards.

There was plenty of chatter from both sides leading into the game. Eiben declared early in the week that the Bombers wouldn’t score more than 10 points. When Westwood’s field goal gave Winnipeg a 10-1 lead, defensive end Tom Canada look at the Toronto sideline and held up 10 fingers.

Roberts, who had a fumble, guaranteed a Bomber victory yesterday. He turned out to be correct.