Riders sink Redblacks in OT
Unlike 2015’s dream ride, this season the team has been all over the map
No two sporting seasons are alike.
The Toronto Blue Jays breeze to a division title in 2015 and, with essentially the same roster, have to scratch and claw to a wild-card berth a year later.
Yet, would anyone say they have a lesser chance of reaching the World Series this time? Not after winning the first two in Texas.
Timing is everything. After a rough September, the Jays appear to have risen from the dead.
The Ottawa Redblacks, back in action on a glorious October night for football at TD Place, would love to follow suit. Get hot late and see where it leads.
Getting lukewarm would be a start. In what might have been their craziest loss of a perplexing season, the Redblacks got beat by the last-place Saskatchewan Roughriders 32-30 in overtime. This, after Ottawa tied the game with a furious comeback, down 22-7 late in the fourth quarter.
In OT, Chris Milo missed a 30-yard field goal attempt and former Ottawa Sooners kicker Tyler Crapigna won it for the Green ’Riders with a 40-yard field goal. What is going on? On the strength of a string of Saskatchewan penalties, Ottawa marched downfield for the game tying touchdown in the final moments of the fourth. By then, thousands of fans had already gone home.
The Redblacks had it all in 2015 — disgustingly good health, wealth (off a string of sellouts) and home field advantage in the CFL East Division final thanks to a 12-6 record.
For a second-year operation to come up short in the Grey Cup game was more than acceptable. It was enough to demonstrate to the Ottawa football community and the rest of the CFL that the revival was for real.
Getting an early taste of nearglory motivated management, staff and players to get back there and get it right. And if it doesn’t happen this November, nothing would be better than to bring it home next fall when Ottawa plays host to the 2017 Grey Cup game.
First things first. Sorting out what is to come of this campaign as it starts to build toward the games that matter. With Hamilton idle, Ottawa just missed a huge chance to build a threepoint cushion atop the East.
With 14 games in the books, this much is clear — the path to the post-season has been very different than a year ago. The prosperity at the gate remains, but the injuries have piled up, on-field execution has ranged from brilliant to meh to what-was-that? And the results have been all over the map.
With the loss, the hometown team fell to 6-7-1 — and 2-4-1 at TD Place.
The Roughriders might be in last place in the West Division, but this year the west is so strong their weakest representative can be a challenge. Riders quarterback Darian Durant makes them competitive most weeks.
In what has been a distressing trend at home, the Redblacks committed a series of first half blunders to fall behind 13-0. The wonder is that wasn’t worse.
Among the crimes against football — a receiver fumble (without contact), a dropped snap by the punter, (more) dumb penalties, a missed field goal and an offence that couldn’t move the football until the dying minutes of the second quarter.
Just like that, quarterback Trevor Harris was finding his receivers and tailback Mossis Madu was finding some open field, and the great malaise was lifted. Temporarily.
When Harris threw a perfect strike to Chris Williams in the west end zone, a restless, sellout crowd of 24,668 erupted with noise and relief. What took you so long?
The second half was more of the same. A game without equilibrium.
Say it ain’t so. Two losses to Saskatchewan this season, both in excruciating fashion.
Despite the loss, the Redblacks are still sitting in a position of strength — first place by a point — heading into the critical two games against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats over the next couple of weeks.
Not that this is what Einstein had in mind with his Theory of Relativity, but when Ottawa’s closest rivals all have losing records, the Redblacks situation remains hopeful.
With four games left in the regular season and the playoffs beyond, there is plenty of time for the Redblacks to get their act together, just as there is no shortage of work to do, to rediscover some of the magic this team had when Harris first stepped in at QB early in the season.
As the clock ticked down on the third quarter and Harris missed a target, a voice cried out from the south stands, “c’mon Henry!”
Apparently, coach Rick Campbell was listening, or at least watching.
Henry Burris was behind centre for Ottawa’s first series of the fourth quarter and nearly saved the day with a pair of touchdowns to Greg Ellingson. It wasn’t enough.
And so it’s on to Hamilton, looking for some rhythm.
It’s not what the Redblacks do to get into the playoffs, what kind of team will it be when that time arrives?