The Ottawa Redblacks (2-1) concluded Week 4 of the CFL season by hosting the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (0-4) from TD Place Stadium. The storyline of this game coming in was would the Redblacks end their losing streak to Hamilton?
The last time the Redblacks beat the Tiger-Cats was in the 2018 Eastern Final (2,051 days) in which Ottawa went onto the Grey Cup losing to the Calgary Stampeders. In the last six meetings, the games were decided by the final three minutes and this game provided another thrilling finish in the last three minutes.
First Quarter:
The game got off to an exciting start in the first quarter. On the kickoff, Ottawa returner DeVonte Dedmon had the ball stripped by Robert Panabaker and recovered by Felix Garand-Gauthier on the Redblacks’ 30-yard line. Three plays later, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw a 25-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Tim White for a 7-0 lead with 10:12 left.
On Ottawa’s first possession of the game, quarterback Dru Brown threw two passes for 35 yards, along with two carries for 12 yards, then running back Ryquell Armstead’s seven-yard run got them to the Ticats’ one-yard line. Backup quarterback Dustin Crum came in and scored a one-yard touchdown using the quarterback sneak. Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward missed the extra point wide right and Hamilton maintained a 7-6 lead with 10:12 left of the first quarter.
During the latter part of the first quarter, Ottawa went on a six-play drive for 45 yards resulting in kicker Lewis Ward making a 34-yard field goal for a 9-7 lead with 11:55 left. Soon after Hamilton moved the ball to the RedBlacks’ 30-yard line when time expired. They would start the second quarter facing second down. The Redblacks led 9-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made a 38-yard field goal to take a 10-9 lead with 13:59 left. For the majority of the second quarter, there were a lot of two-and-outs. The two teams were playing sloppy football, calling predictable plays, and the defenses were making poor tackles.
Late in the second quarter, Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward made a 36-yard field goal for a 12-10 lead with 47 seconds left. After Hamilton went two-and-out, the Ticats’ defense made a big play when defensive back Richard Leonard stripped Bralon Addison of the football and it was recovered by Jonathan Moxey on their 41-yard line. However, the Ticats could not take advantage of the take away. The Redblacks led 12-10 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Ottawa had 193 yards on offense (152 yards passing, 41 yards rushing). Quarterback Dru Brown completed 13 of 19 passes (68.4%) for 152 yards, and two carries for 12 yards. Running back Ryquell Armstead had six carries for 22 yards and made two catches for 27 yards.
Wide receiver Jaelon Acklin made five catches for 53 yards, while Justin Hardy made two catches for 38 yards. Ottawa’s defense made one sack and one tackle for loss. The Redblacks were penalized twice for 29 yards.
Hamilton had 128 yards on offense (108 yards passing, 29 yards rushing, 9 yards lost). Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 12 of 17 passes (71%) for 108 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for nine yards. Running back Greg Bell had seven carries for 17 yards and made three catches for 17 yards.
Wide receiver Tim White made six catches for 70 yards, and one touchdown, while Shemar Bridges made two catches for 20 yards. The Ticats were penalized three times for 20 yards.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw two passes for 60 yards before the dive stalled. Kicker Marc Liegghio made a 36-yard field goal for a 13-12 lead with 12:09 left. Those were the only points scored in the third quarter.
For the remainder of the third quarter, there were more two-and-outs. On the final play of the third quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed an 11-yard pass to Kiondre Smith. The Ticats led 13-12 at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Hamilton kicker Marc Liegghio made a 28-yard field goal extending their lead to 16-12 with 13:20 left in the game. This was soon followed by, Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward kicking a 42-yard field goal making the score 16-15 with 11:07 left.
The game did pick up in the final three minutes of the game. Ottawa had the ball on the Ticats’ 54-yard line. Running back Ryquell Armstead had two carries for 31 yards before quarterback Dru Brown threw a 15-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Justin Hardy. They attempted a two-point conversion but did not get it. The score was now 21-16 with two minutes left.
Hamilton came back putting together a nine-play drive for 61 yards with Bo Levi Mitchell throwing a four-yard touchdown pass to Shemar Bridges. They too attempted a two-point conversion but were unsuccessful. It was now 22-21 with 28 seconds left.
Then Ottawa quarterback Dru Bown threw two passes for 19 yards leading them to the Ticats’ 39-yard line. Kicker Lewis Ward came out to kick the game-winning 46-yard field goal and the Redblacks defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 24-22. The win snaps Ottawa’s losing streak against Hamilton.
Final Stats:
Ottawa had 335 yards on offense (265 yards passing, 70 yards rushing). Quarterback Dru Brown completed 24 of 39 passes (62%) for 265 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for 12 yards. Running back Ryquell Armstead had 10 carries for 51 yards and made six catches for 53 yards.
Wide receiver Jaelon Acklin made seven catches for 90 yards, while Justin Hardy made five catches for 74 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Lewis Ward made four field goals with a long of 46 yards. Ottawa’s defense made 47 tackles, two tackles for loss, 11 tackles on special teams, two sacks, and one fumble recovery. The Redblacks were penalized three times for 39 yards.
Hamilton had 379 yards on offense (322 yards passing, 73 yards rushing, 16 yards lost) Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 30 of 45 passes (66%) for 322 yards, two touchdowns, and one carry for nine yards. Running back Greg Bell had 13 carries for 56 yards and made seven catches for 40 yards.
Wide receiver Tim White made eight catches for 118 yards, and one touchdown, while Steven Dunbar Jr. made four catches for 90 yards. Kicker Marc Liegghio made three field goals with a long of 38 yards. Hamilton’s defense made 36 tackles, two tackles for loss, nine tackles for loss, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries. The Ticats were penalized seven times for 60 yards.
Final Thoughts:
Kickers in the CFL do not get enough credit. They should be paid more money than the other position players because they are relied on more to score points than the offense. This weekend, three of the four games came down to kickers who won the game for their respective teams (Rene Paredes (CGY), Sean Whyte (B.C.), Lewis Ward (OT)).
As for the game itself, it was a snooze fest. Outside of the first and fourth quarters, it ws lackluster. The teams continue to make the same mistakes, the play calling was predictable and stale. The execution was sloppy, and there was a ton of poor tackling.
For the coaches, I wish they would have taken a gamble in some situations instead of settling for field goals. They need to create a better playbook because the plays they were calling were foreseeable. The defenses recognized the plays as they were frequently called and positioned themselves to try and halt the play. The only time these touchdowns happened tonight was when there were blown coverages.
The stars in this game were the defenses. Outside of the poor tackling and blow coverages, they did a decent job making quick work and giving their offenses a chance. Ottawa linebacker Frankie Griffin was all over the place making 11 tackles and two tackles for a loss. If you are a fan of defenses, this was your game.
For Hamilton, something needs to change in that organization. I think Taylor Powell should start at quarterback. Tonight, Bo Levi Mitchell’s passes nearly put his receivers on the injured list. His guys were taking some big hits and not catching the football. Mitchell is not the only player to do this, there are a ton of quarterbacks who put their guys in danger of getting hurt.
Yes, the offensive line did not give Mitchell much time to look down the field, but he needs to do a better job protecting his receivers. If he keeps this up, he may not have many receivers to throw to later in the season. The rest of the team is struggling and does not have an identity. The lineup needs changing, the playbook needs changing, and possibly a coaching change is in order.
Like Hamilton, Ottawa needs to change the playbook. The head coach needs to create new plays for Dru Brown like a play fake or a trick play using two quarterbacks. The current playbook is too predictable and won’t go very far if they continue to use it.
The positives for the Redblacks is running back Ryquell Armstead. Ottawa needs to commit more to the running game. Armstead is a good running back and he needs to be more involved in the offense along with Amlicar Polk.
Next Friday, the Ottawa Redblacks visit the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 8:30 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Hamilton Tiger-Cats host the B.C. Lions on Sunday at 7 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
