The Ottawa Redblacks were back home at TD Place Tuesday night against the Edmonton Elks. The Redblacks had a new quarterback take the reigns. Caleb Evans made his first career start. Evans played college Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks from 2016-19. He threw 757 completed passes for 9,513 yards, 58 touchdowns, and 34 interceptions.
The Redblacks’ special teams made an impact from the beginning. Kick returner Devonte Dedmon’s return set the Redblacks up on their own 43-yard line.
On the second play for the Redblacks, they went with a trick play when Evans threw to Ryan Davis. Then Davis threw to Kenny Stafford for 37-yards. Caleb Evans from the pocket on the next play threw a 20-yard pass to Ryan Davis that put the Redblacks up 7-0 with 12:49 left in the first quarter.
The Redblacks’ defense made some noise in the first quarter. On the Elks’ first possession, quarterback Tayler Cornelius threw to former Redblacks player Greg Ellington. Redblacks defensive back Don Unamba knocked the ball out of Ellington’s hands as the Redblacks recovered the ball on the Elks 27-yard line.
Three plays later, Redblacks quarterback Caleb Evans on a screenplay, threw to Timothy Flanders, who danced his way around several Elks players to score a 15-yard touchdown. The Redblacks were now up 14-0 with 10:22 left in the first quarter.
On the next two possessions, the Elks were able to move the ball but could not come away with points. The Redblacks led 14-0 after the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Elks were mixing up the plays to try and throw off the Redblack’s defense. They did have some success but once again came away with no points. Midway through the second quarter, the Redblacks added to their lead on a 15-yard field goal by Lewis Ward for a 17-0 lead.
With under three minutes left before halftime, the Elks finally broke through on a five-play drive that capped off with Taylor Cornelius’ 77-yard touchdown pass to Shai Ross. The score was now 17-7 Redblacks at halftime.
In the third quarter, after the Elks went two-and-out, Redblacks punt returner Devonte Dedmon got some critical blocks for him to return the ball for a 73-yard touchdown. The Redblacks were pulling away 24-7 with 13:04 left.
Trailing by 13-points, the Elks needed to respond. The Elks went on a seven-play drive capped off by a Taylor Cornelius 18-yard touchdown pass to Greg Ellington that cut the Redblacks lead 24-14 with 9:45 left in the third quarter.
With 4:15 left in the third quarter, the Elks made a one-score game 24-17 on a 48-yard field goal by Sean Whyte. The Redblacks capped off the third quarter with a Lewis Ward 32-yard field goal for a 27-17 lead heading into the fourth quarter.
On the Redblack’s second possession of the fourth quarter, Caleb Evans led the team on a five-play drive that resulted in Evans throwing a seven-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Stafford for a 34-17 lead with 5:40 left in the game.
On the next Elks possession, they took too much time off the clock on an eight-play drive, resulting in Taylor Cornelius throwing a shovel pass to Shai Ross for an eight-yard touchdown, cutting the Redblacks lead 34-24 with 2:21 left in the game.
The Elks attempted an onside kick, but the Redblacks recovered the ball. The Redblacks won the game 34-24 to snap a five-game losing streak.
Redblacks quarterback Caleb Evans went 15.22 for 191-yards, three touchdowns, and 59-yards rushing. Running back, Timothy Flanders had 14 carries for 45-yards, two catches for 16-yards, and a touchdown. RJ Harris led the receivers with four receptions for 80-yards. Punt returner Devonte Dedmon had five punt returns for 151-yards and one touchdown. The defense recorded four sacks, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
For the Elks, quarterback Taylor Cornelius went 22/31 for 334-yards, three touchdowns, two interceptions, and 12-yards rushing. Running back, James Wilder had 14 carries for 89-yards. Greg Ellington led the receivers with seven catches for 126-yards and a touchdown. The defense recorded one sack.
Next week, the Redblacks will pull double duty in week 10. First, they visit BMO Field on Wednesday, October 6th, at 7:30 pm on ESPN+. Then on Monday, October 11th, at Percival Molson Memorial Stadium against the Montreal Alouettes at 1 pm on ESPN+. Finally, the Elks head to IG Field to take on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Friday, October 8th, at 8:30 pm on ESPN+.
