REDBLACKS MOVE INTO DRIVER’S SEAT
Ottawa roars back from 16-point deficit to beat Ticats in East Division showdown
Give Round 1 to the Ottawa Redblacks in the fight for first place in the CFL`s East Division.
Battling through some firsthalf hiccups, the Redblacks battled back and beat the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 35-31 on Friday night at TD Place. With a 9-7 record, the Redblacks are now a game up on the Ticats — making next Saturday`s return match a must-win for Hamilton.
Ottawa quarterback Trevor Harris bounced back from a shaky first half. His backup, Dominque Davis, scored three touchdowns from in close.
The Ticats took a 7-0 lead 6 1/2 minutes into the first quarter. Starting deep in their own, the Ticats marched downfield — the big play was a pass to running back Alex Green, who sped 40 yards into Ottawa territory. With blitzing Redblacks in his face, Hamilton quarterback Jeremiah Masoli lobbed a pass that was pulled down by Luke Tasker in the end zone for a touchdown.
Ottawa got a 23-yard field goal with 6:04 left in the first quarter. It was set up by a great catch by receiver R.J. Harris, who rambled 58 yards after Hamilton’s Richard Leonard gambled and tried to jump the route and intercept the pass.
The Redblacks made a big play on defence, with Sherrod Baltimore recording his first CFL interception after stepping in front of Hamilton’s Justin Buren. Ottawa took over on the Hamilton 51. Ward put his leg into a kick and nailed a field goal from 52 yards out. It was his 45th straight, breaking the pro football record for consecutive field goals (it had been held by Indianapolis Colts’ Adam Vinatieri over the 2015-16 NFL seasons).
Hamilton bounced back quickly, with Masoli finding Brandon Banks and the speedster racing down the left sideline for a 33-yard touchdown. It was 14-6 at the end of the first quarter.
Lirim Hajrullahu booted a 59-yard single and it was 15-6 early in the second quarter.
With all kinds of time to throw as he bounced around in the pocket, Masoli launched a 43-yard pass that Mike Jones caught. Two plays later, Masoli tossed a touchdown pass to Tasker for his fifth touchdown in two games.
Ottawa finally showed signs of life with a drive that ended with Davis leaning into the end zone for a touchdown with 48 seconds left in the first half. William Powell got his legs churning and ran the ball into the end zone for the two-point convert.
Starting at their own 46, the Ticats took advantage of a Anthony Cioffi penalty and a 14-yard run by Masoli to set up a 21-yard Hajrullahu field goal.
An Ottawa challenge for pass interference was successful and kept a third-quarter opening drive alive. The penalty was called by the CFL Command Centre.
The drive resulted in a Davis touchdown from a yard out. Harris found R.J. Harris for the twopoint conversion and Ottawa had pulled within three points.
Again, the Ticats struck back. Banks got open in the middle of the field and Masoli found him for a 40-yard gain. An ensuing field goal made it 28-22.
Catches by Brad Sinopoli (15 yards), R.J. Harris (24 yards) and Greg Ellingson (15 yards) led to Diontae Spencer’s 10-yard touchdown catch to in the back of the end zone. The convert gave the Redblacks their first lead of the game at 29-28 with 4:44 left in the third quarter.
Hajrullahu booted a 53-yard field goal with 12:02 left and Hamilton led 31-29.
Consecutive penalties gave Ottawa the ball on the Hamilton 36. Quarterback Harris then found R.J. Harris at the Ticats’ 10-yard line. But an unnecessary roughness penalty brought it back to the 25. A pass to R.J. Harris moved it back to the seven. Davis then scored his third touchdown of the game from a yard out. The convert attempt missed and it was 35-31 for Ottawa with 6:40 left.
The Ticats botched the kickoff and the Redblacks got the ball on the Hamilton 33 when Nigel Romick knocked it out of bounds. Against a brisk wind, Ottawa decided to punt from the 37. Richie Leone kicked it out of bounds at the Hamilton 12.
On a spectacular run, William Powell dragged defenders 40 yards to the Hamilton 13 with 1:13 left to play. But, on the next play, Powell coughed the ball up and the fumble was recovered by the Ticats on the Hamilton three-yard line. Time ran out on Hamilton, however.
THE BYE STRUGGLES:
It’s not like the Redblacks have been lights out coming off bye weeks. But if they finish first in the East, a bye is exactly what they’ll get. GM Marcel Desjardins isn’t worried that his team has struggled at times after having a week off: “It’s proven to be (a big advantage) over the years and I don’t think it’s any different this season. Those things can be isolated incidents and we do treat bye weeks a little differently in the playoffs anyway. It’s managed, I guess, a little differently. Everybody understands the importance of that time of year and everybody’s a little more locked in.”
TOP PROSPECTS IN OTTAWA:
Canadafootballchat.com announced Friday during the Redblacks-Ticats game that they’ll hold a Prospect Game, featuring the top 70 tackle football players (born in 2002 or later) who have national status, next June in Ottawa. The game will be broadcast by TSN and RDS. Tryouts will be held in Toronto, Montreal, Winnipeg and Calgary in March.
THE END AROUND:
Here’s a scoop for Redblacks fans looking to attend this year’s Grey Cup Week in Edmonton: The RNation party will be held at Revel Bistro (9802 Jasper Ave. NW), both Friday and Saturday, Nov. 23-24), starting at 6 p.m. The restaurant is across the street from the Grey Cup Festival HQ. There will be no cover charge ... Ottawa is in Hamilton next Saturday before closing out the regular season Nov. 2 at home against Toronto ... If you were thinking the seats look empty, check out the main level concourse — there were thousands of fans packed in.