Despite loss to Lions, Redblacks optimistic
QB Harris tallies 485 passing yards to lead offence’s 33-point resurgence
As Ottawa Redblacks quarterback Trevor Harris said following Saturday night’s 40-33 loss to the B.C. Lions, “There are no moral victories in pro football. You still get a loss for it.”
Yep, a loss is a loss, and an opportunity to go three points up in a tight CFL East race was wasted.
But there’s no need to panic. Against the Lions, the Redblacks’ offence, which had underachieved in recent weeks, was lights out. Harris threw for 485 yards, 302 of those in the first half, as he completed 32 of 45 passes. An interception came in the dying seconds, a desperation heave with a defender draped all over him. But Harris was very good.
Despite a couple of dropped passes, his receivers were very good, too. Chris Williams caught five passes for 155 yards. Ernest Jackson caught six passes for 122 yards. Brad Sinopoli caught eight passes, while Greg Ellingson and the often-forgotten Patrick Lavoie caught four each. Mossis Madu Jr. had 11 rushes for 48 yards.
“It’s definitely frustrating, but it was a great fight,” Jackson said. “We can sling with anybody. It’s about us executing the plays. You can see us slowly coming together.”
There’s nothing wrong with the receiving corps. Williams is third in the CFL in yards gained with 1,206. Ellingson (with 948), Jackson (with 872) and Sinopoli (with 846) should all once go past 1,000 for the second straight season.
“We missed some things that we could definitely get better at,” Williams said. “Punching it in when we get down there is something we really have to take advantage of. That was the difference in the game (Saturday). We put up 33 points, so we scored, but we definitely feel we can score more. We just have to keep grinding, keep getting better and we’ll go from there.”
“We didn’t finish our drives,” Lavoie added. “That’s what cost us the game. Too many three-pointers — it was the same thing last week and the week before. We need to find a way to score more than three points in the red zone.”
The biggest problem for the Redblacks on Saturday: defence. It just wasn’t good enough. Give B.C. quarterback Jonathon Jennings credit for his 348 passing yards, and give his receivers credit for making some tough catches with Redblacks draped all over them.
On the Lions’ first touchdown drive, which consisted of two long passes, both Mitchell White (Manny Arceneaux) and Tank Reed (Chris Rainey) were stride for stride with their opponent. Good coverage. Tough luck.
The Lions’ running game, the best in the CFL, came as advertised. Anthony Allen rushed 12 times for 82 yards and kept Ottawa’s defence guessing. There were very few QB pressures by the Redblacks — Jennings was able to dish the ball quick enough — and the only sack (Ettore Lattanzio) came when the QB stepped up in the pocket.
“We have to make plays,” White said. “It came down to them making more plays than us.
“If we want to go where we want to go, we have to make more plays. The majority of the time, we were in the right spot. We have to find a way to correct things.”
With five games left, the Redblacks are looking to push ahead.
“It’s the 24-hour rule,” White said. “Win, lose or draw, you concentrate on the game, then you flush it. Now, we’ve got Saskatchewan. Every game in October counts.”
“We think if we work at this for the next five weeks, we can throw our hat in the ring with anyone,” Redblacks head coach Rick Campbell said. “We show we’re pretty good at times and we show there are things we can be better at.”