Powell leads Redblacks past Riders

REGINA Trevor Harris and William Powell showed again that the aren’t intimidated by the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

Twice this season they have faced one of the CFL’s most dominant defensive units and twice they made that group look rather mediocre.

The duo led the way as the Ottawa Redblacks snapped the Saskatchewan Roughriders’ four-game winning streak with a 30-25 victory Saturday night.

The Redblacks (7-5) assumed sole possession of first place in the CFL’s East Division. The Riders slipped to 7-5.

“It is a big win. I never take winning for granted,” said Ottawa head coach Rick Campbell. “It’s big to win, especially in a tough place with a tough crowd here in Regina.”

Harris threw for 334 yards and two touchdowns and Powell rushed for 148 yards and two touchdowns to carry Ottawa to victory. In their Week 2 win over the Riders, Harris aired it out for 345 yards and a pair of major scores, while Powell gained 94 yards along the ground and one touchdown.

“Whenever we’re clicking on all cylinders like that I feel no one can compete with us,” Powell said. “Trevor told us he was going to do his thing and the O-line did their thing and opened some lanes for me and we were able to capitalize on that.”

It was Powell’s 69-yard burst for a touchdown early in the fourth quarter that gave the Redblacks a 30-18 lead that essentially put the game out of reach.

A late score from the Riders, a 34-yard touchdown catch from Naaman Roosevelt, brought the Riders within reach with less than three minutes to go. But that was as close as they would get.

“It’s big for us to utilize Willy P every week because, in my opinion, he’s the best running back in the league,” Harris said. “When we give him carries it’s just a matter of time before he busts one.”