Redblacks’ two game changing moments

Bob Dyce wore the 10 points the Ottawa Redblacks surrendered in two special teams plays Sunday.

In Ottawa’s 27-16 loss to the Calgary Stampeders in the Grey Cup, there was a 97-yard touchdown off a punt return and a Diontae Spencer fumble on a Redblacks punt return that led to a field goal. They were game-changing plays, the kind of momentum you want to have on your side.

It was the Richie Leone punt near the end of the first half that drew many questions. Calgary’s Terry Williams gathered the punt in near midfield, stumbled, then broke clear and raced into the Ottawa end zone. What would/ should have been a 14-11 Calgary halftime lead with 20 seconds left turned into 21-11 game.

“I have to do a better job of getting the guys to perform they way they should,” said Dyce, the Redblacks special teams co-ordinator. “I put it on me, not on them.”

Punting out of bounds, as some have suggested, wasn’t really an option, unless the punt was going to go out inside the Calgary 20 yard line. If the punt went out of bounds outside the 20, Calgary would have had the option to make Ottawa punt again 10 yards back.

“You never do it with the thought process of punting out of bounds — they can always make you repunt,” said Dyce. “When you look at where we were on the field, we could have been able to get it out of bounds inside the 20.

“It’s obviously very disappointing. To give up that one in a game of this magnitude is disheartening. The offence had just scored a touchdown and made it a close game. If we pin them there, going into the half we’re down by three and feeling pretty good about ourselves coming out in the second half. All of a sudden, you’re back to being down by 10.”

I have to do a better job of getting the guys to perform they way they should.