Redblacks banking on TD Place advantage

Nonetheless, 2,500 tickets still available for Sunday’s East Division semifinal

Does RNation really need to be reminded that there’s a big football game Sunday at TD Place?

The Ottawa Redblacks sent out a press release Thursday morning, highlighting that there are still 2,500 tickets left for Sunday afternoon’s Canadian Football League East Division semifinal against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

A press release? Twenty-five hundred tickets still available? A crowd of 23,000 or so Sunday with rows of empty seats?

“I hear it, many of our people hear it all the time, there’s a perception we’re sold out,” Ottawa Sports and Entertainment Group president of sports Jeff Hunt said Thursday. “No, we are not sold out. We’ve got lots of good tickets available. As we get closer to the game, excitement tends to build, so it’s something I’m not worried about. We’ve had situations this year where we’ve had similar numbers of tickets still available.”

Still, here’s some context. The Redblacks, in just their second year of existence in 2015, played in a Grey Cup game, taking the Edmonton Eskimos to the wire before losing 26-20 in Winnipeg. Last year, the Redblacks won a snowy East final (35-23) against Edmonton on home turf, then beat the Calgary Stampeders 39-33 in overtime in the Grey Cup game in Toronto.

This season, with the same 8-9-1 regular-season record they had a year ago, the Redblacks will need to beat the Roughriders to get to the East final against Toronto, which secured first place and a bye with a win on the final day of the regular season. So, yes, this game is big — a win would put the Redblacks one more win away from a third straight Grey Cup appearance, this time on their home field.

“It’s another first, hey, for more reasons than one,” said Hunt. “If we were in a position to host the Eastern final, we’d have another week to sell. Plus, then you’d be one game away from the Grey Cup. There’s no doubt that game would have been more marketable and maybe more compelling. This is the post-season, it’s win and move on, it’s as big a game as we’ve had this season.”

While the Redblacks have struggled at times at home over the past two seasons, they’ve won both games that really counted — the two East finals.

“That’s the record we want to be most focused on,” said Hunt. “You can have your ups and downs in the regular season, but when everything’s on the line, if we can keep that winning record alive, that’s the one that counts the most.”

Then there’s the green factor, a dynamic that’s felt beyond the borders of the Prairie province. Saskatchewan fans, Rider Nation, always bring it.

“It’s always interesting when you play Saskatchewan, you get that vibe — I’m sure we’ll see a lot of green,” said Hunt. “We’re looking for RNation to come out and drown out the green.”

Even as winter is threatening to flex its muscles, it’s hard to imagine the Redblacks won’t pack the park with plaid.

THE INJURY REPORT:

Receivers Joshua Stangby and Dominique Rhymes shared time with the No. 1 unit at practice Thursday. It was Stangby’s second practice back after missing several weeks with a hip injury. Said Redblacks coach Rick Campbell: “Both those guys are in play. They both might end up being in, we’ll see how the roster works out.” Receiver/returner Quincy McDuffie was also in shoulder pads. Said Campbell: “He did more today. The idea was to ratchet it up a little more and have him do more things and we’ll see where he is.”

THE END AROUND:

The Redblacks have moved up to fourth in the CFL Power Rankings, ahead of both Saskatchewan and Winnipeg.