On Saturday night at Commonwealth Stadium, the Ottawa Redblacks took on the Edmonton Elks to close out Week 12. The Redblacks were looking for redemption after last week’s 30-12 loss to the Elks at TD Place. Ottawa welcomed back DeVonte Dedmon to the lineup after he was cut by the Miami Dolphins last week.
Coming into the game, the Elks were looking to end a 12-game home winless streak. The last time Edmonton won a home game was October 12th, 2019, in a 19-6 win over the BC Lions.
The Elks jumped out to a 3-0 lead with seven minutes left of the first quarter on a 33-yard field goal by Sergio Castillo. Late in the first quarter, Ottawa quarterback Nick Arbuckle threw a 49-yard pass to Nathaniel Behar and then another pass for 24 yards to Darvin Adams at the Elks’ one-yard line. Nick Arbuckle took the ball and scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak. Unfortunately, Lewis Ward missed the extra point, and the Redblacks led 6-3 after one quarter.
After Edmonton went two-and-out, the Redblacks offense chewed up a lot of time with short runs and passes, reaching Edmonton’s two-yard line. Caleb Evans faked a handoff before running in for the touchdown, extending Ottawa’s lead 13-3 with 7:21 left.
On Ottawa’s next possession, Caleb Evans threw a 33-yard pass to Nathaniel Behar. The Redblacks reached the Elks’ one-yard line, and Evans took it in for the touchdown on a quarterback sneak for a 20-3 lead with 1:47 left.
The Elks tried to get on the board just as time expired, but Doug Coleman blocked Sergio Castillo’s field goal attempt. Ottawa had 217 yards on offense, while Edmonton had 207 yards. Nick Arbuckle was 13/17 for 148 yards, and Taylor Cornelius was 6/17 for 190 yards and one interception.
In the third quarter, the Elks finally scored a touchdown. On the second play, Cornelius threw a 42-yard pass to Kenny Lawler. They reached the Redblacks’ four-yard line before Taylor Cornelius faked a handoff and took it in for the touchdown, cutting Ottawa’s lead 20-10 with 7:49 left.
Ottawa moved the ball before punting inside the Elks’ three-yard line. After Ottawa’s defense stopped them, Edmonton took a safety in the endzone, and Ottawa’s lead grew 22-10 with 3:01 left. Edmonton had the ball and punted it back to Ottawa as time expired for the third quarter, trailing 22-10.
Early in the fourth quarter, Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward made a 28-yard field goal for a 25-10 lead with 12:01 left. Edmonton drew closer to Ottawa late in the fourth quarter when Taylor Cornelius scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak. Edmonton went for a two-point conversion and got it, making it a seven-point game, 25-18, with 4:56 left.
Edmonton had one more opportunity to tie the game, but they turned it over on downs, and Ottawa went into victory formation to win the game 25-18. Ottawa picked up its second win of the year and are now 2-8, while Edmonton drops to 3-8. Edmonton’s home winless drought has now reached 13 games.
Both teams need to keep an eye on the NFL as they trim their rosters down with training camp ending to find the best players available. Many of them will make it to an NFL team’s practice squad, but Ottawa and Edmonton need to scout everyone on the list. They may find some players that can make a difference for them.
Ottawa quarterback Nick Arbuckle went 21/32 for 219 yards and two carries for one yard and one touchdown. Meanwhile, backup quarterback Caleb Evans was 1/1 for 33 yards, five carries for seven yards, and two touchdowns.
Ottawa running back Devonte Williams had 12 carries for 58 yards, while wide receiver Nathaniel Behar had four catches for 101 yards. The Redblacks’ defense allowed 365 yards, 40 tackles, two sacks, four pass breakups, one interception, and one fumble recovery. The Redblacks play the Montreal Alouettes next Friday at 7:30 pm on ESPN+.
Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius went 14/37 for 287 yards, one interception, eight carries for 39 yards, and two touchdowns. Running back Ante Litre-Milanovic had seven carries for 18 yards, while wide receiver Kenny Lawler had three catches for 146 yards.
The Elks’ defense allowed 323 yards, 49 tackles, two sacks, two forced fumbles, four pass breakups, and one fumble recovery. Edmonton plays Calgary on Monday, September 5th, at 4:30 pm on ESPN+.
