The Ottawa Redblacks (5-2-1) hosted the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-3-1) on Thursday night at TD Place Stadium to kickoff Week 10 of the CFL season. There was a lot of hype surrounding this game featuring two teams sitting in second place in their respective divisions.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, both offenses struggled to move the ball. Rain began pouring down late in the first quarter. Ottawa had the ball on the Roughriders’ 42-yard line facing third down. The offense stayed on the field hoping to get the first down but the Roughriders’ defense stopped backup quarterback Dustin Crum from getting the first down.
It was the first turnover of the game for either side. On the final play of the first quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Shea Patterson completed a pass to Dhonte Meyers for six yards at the Redblacks’ 42-yard line. The game remained a scoreless tie.
Saskatchewan had 59 yards on offense (53 yards passing, six yards rushing). Quarterback Shea Patterson completed 7 of 11 passes for 53 yards. The Roughriders had four first downs.
Ottawa had 38 yards on offense (36 yards passing, two yards rushing). Quarterback Dru Brown completed 4 of 5 passes for 36 yards. The Redblacks had one first down in the first quarter.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball up to their 35-yard line. On the next play, Saskatchewan defensive lineman Miles Brown leaped over right tackler Dariusz Bladek and landed on quarterback Dru Brown’s right leg well after Brown threw the ball. Brown was given a roughing the passer penalty for 15 yards at the Redblacks’ 52-yard line.
Brown was out for the rest of the game. He finished the game completing 6 of 9 passes (66%) for 55 yards. Dustin Crum was the new quarterback for Ottawa. He led the team down to the Roughriders’ 51-yard line before the drive stalled. The Redblacks punted the ball back to Saskatchewan.
Saskatchewan quarterback Shea Patterson threw a 15-yard pass to Samuel Emilus before the drive stalled. The Roughriders caught a big break when Ottawa returner DeVonte Dedmon had the ball stripped by Kosi Onyeka and recovered by Jordan Herdman-Reed on their 11-yard line.
Despite being given a second chance, the Roughriders could not move the ball and again punted it back to Ottawa. When Saskatchewan’s offense went back out with 4:26 left of the second quarter, quarterback Shea Patterson’s pass intended for Jerreth Sterns was intercepted by Ottawa linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox for a 13-yard return to the Roughriders’ 52-yard line.
Ottawa’s offense moved the ball up to the 31-yard line before stalling. Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward attempted to make a 38-yard field goal but Saskatchewan defensive lineman Miles Brown blocked it. The game remained scoreless with 2:07 left of the second quarter.
On the third play for the Roughriders, quarterback Shea Patterson overthrew wide receiver Shawn Bane Jr. and it was intercepted by Alijah McGhee. McGhee returned the ball for 43 yards before getting brought down on the Roughriders’ 38-yard line.
Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum threw a 29-yard pass to Dominique Rhymes on the Roughriders’ 9-yard line. They gained an additional two yards before kicker Lewis Ward made a 14-yard field goal giving the Redblacks a 3-0 lead with 22 seconds left of the second quarter.
Saskatchewan’s offense quickly went to work putting together a three-play drive for 31 yards. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 47-yard field goal and the game was tied 3-3 to end the first half.
First Half:
Saskatchewan had 145 yards on offense (127 yards passing, 18 yards rushing). Quarterback Shea Patterson completed 13 of 22 passes (59%) for 127 yards, and two interceptions. Running back Frankie Hickson had 8 carries for 18 yards.
Wide receiver Shawn Bane Jr. made five catches for 69 yards, while Dhonte Meyers made four catches for 45 yards. The Roughriders had 8 first downs and were penalized three times for 31 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made two sacks and two tackles for loss.
Ottawa had 101 yards on offense (98 yards passing, 35 yards rushing, 32 yards lost). Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 5 of 6 passes (83%) for 43 yards, and four carries for 21 yards. Running back Ryquell Armstead had five carries for 14 yards and two catches for 8 yards.
Wide receiver Dominique Rhymes made two catches for 36 yards, while Jaelon Acklin made three catches for 24 yards. The Redblacks had 7 first downs and no penalties. Ottawa’s defense forced three turnovers and three tackles for loss.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, both teams went two-and-out on their first possessions of the second half. On Ottawa’s second possession, they went on an 8-play drive for 74 yards setting up Lewis Ward to attempt a 22-yard field goal. Once again, Saskatchewan defensive lineman Miles Brown blocked the field goal keeping the game tied 3-3 with 6:38 left.
Ottawa’s defense came up with another nice play when Saskatchewan quarterback Shea Patterson threw the ball off the hands of Ajou Ajou before Alonzo Addae intercepted it. He returned it for 25 yards before getting pushed out of bounds on the Roughriders’ 21-yard line.
Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum threw two incomplete passes before kicker Lewis Ward made a 28-yard field goal giving the Redblacks a 6-3 lead with 4:54 left of the third quarter.
On Ottawa’s next drive, quarterback Dustin Crum threw a three-yard pass to Dominique Rhymes before the drive stalled. Ottawa punter Richie Leone punted the ball 80 yards. Saskatchewan returner Mario Alford watched the ball bounce into the endzone and out of bounds for a single point. The Roughriders trailed the Redblacks 7-3 with 1:47 left of the third quarter.
On the final play of the third quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum was sacked by C.J. Avery for a six-yard loss forcing third down to start the fourth quarter. The Redblacks led the Roughriders 7-3.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Ottawa’s offense went on a 10-play drive for 68 yards before kicker Lewis Ward made a 34-yard field goal extending the RedBlacks lead 10-3 with 5:13 left of the game.
On Saskatchewan’s next drive, quarterback Shea Patterson threw five passes for 63 yards to the RedBlacks’ 7-yard line. On third down, Patterson threw a seven-yard touchdown pass to a wide-open Shawn Bane Jr., and the game was tied 10-10 with 1:53 left of the fourth quarter. The drive went nine plays for 70 yards.
Saskatchewan’s defense stepped up. First, Micah Johnson sacked Dustin Crum. Then, Crum’s pass intended to Jaelon Acklin was intercepted by Rolan Milligan Jr. for a 20-yard return on the Redblacks’ 31-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 37-yard field goal giving them a 13-10 lead with 45 seconds left of the game.
Ottawa’s offense went back on the field with 38 seconds left. They went on a three-play drive for 28 yards. On the final play, kicker Lewis Ward made a 47-yard field goal and the game was tied 13-13 heading to overtime.
Overtime:
In overtime, Ottawa won the coin toss and elected to get the ball first. Three plays in, quarterback Dustin Crum could not find anyone open before scrambling to his right side and scoring an 11-yard touchdown. In overtime, teams must go for the two-point conversion. They did not get it and the Redblacks led 19-13 with Saskatchewan starting at the Redblacks’ 25-yard line.
On third down, quarterback Shea Patterson threw an incomplete pass to Shawn Bane Jr. and head coach Corey Mace challenged the play for defensive pass interference while the Ottawa players were celebrating. Mace won the challenge and the Roughriders were given a second chance.
On the next play, Patterson threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Samuel Emilus. They did not get the two-point conversion and the game was tied 19-19. Saskatchewan’s offense had the ball to start the second overtime. Shea Patterson threw two passes for 14 yards before kicker Brett Lauther made a 29-yard field goal for a 22-19 lead.
Ottawa had one more shot to win this game. On the first play, former Redbacks linebacker Adam Auclair stripped the ball away from Crum and recovered for what was a game-ending play. However, the Roughriders were called for a roughing the passer penalty giving Ottawa an automatic first down.
The Redblacks reached the Roughriders’ 7-yard line. Instead of going for the win, kicker Lewis Ward made a 14-yard field goal and the game ended in a 22-22 tie. It was the first since July 8, 2016, when the Ottawa Redblacks and Calgary Stampeders finished in a 26-26 tie. The last time the Roughriders ended a game in a tie was in 2009 against the Calgary Stampeders 44-44.
Final Stats:
Ottawa had 313 yards on offense (266 yards passing, 107 yards rushing, 60 yards lost). Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 21 of 32 passes (65.6%) for 211 yards, one interception, 9 carries for 72 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Ryquell Armstead had 13 carries for 37 yards and five catches for 28 yards.
Wide receiver Dominique Rhymes made 5 catches for 72 yards, while Justin Hardy made four catches for 54 yards. Kicker Lewis Ward made 5 of 7 field goals with a long of 47 yards. The Redblacks were penalized 7 times for 44 yards. Ottawa’s defense made 43 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions, and eight tackles on special teams.
Saskatchewan had 321 yards on offense (299 yards passing, 24 yards rushing, 2 yards lost). Quarterback Shea Patterson completed 30 of 49 passes (61.2%) for 299 yards, two touchdowns, three interceptions, and one carry for one yard. Running back Frankie Hickson had 12 carries for 23 yards, and one catch for -1 yard.
Wide receiver Dhonte Meyers made 8 catches for 101 yards, while Shawn Bane Jr. made 8 catches for 90 yards and one touchdown, and Samuel Emilus made 8 catches for 56 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Brett Lauther made 3 for 3 field goals with a long of 47 yards.
The Roughriders were penalized 6 times for 61 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made 58 tackles, six tackles for loss, five sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and 9 tackles on special teams.
Final Thoughts:
This was a bad game for both the teams and the fans. It felt like watching an NFL preseason game. Both coaches failed to adjust throughout the game. Yes, both defenses played an average game. However, the offenses on both teams were terrible and the coaches kept calling the same plays over and over again that led to nowhere. These two teams did not play like they wanted to win the game. It’s a shame.
For the officials and command center, I get that fans are angry at the officials deciding the game. However, in their defense, Ottawa defensive back Alijah McGhee did commit a defensive pass interference penalty.
The fans, especially Ottawa fans, should be angry at the defensive coaches for telling players to play from behind instead of getting in their opponent’s face to force them to make a mistake.
Defensive backs have to stop waiting for the guys to catch the ball before making a tackle. Get in there and break up the play without nailing the receiver causing the penalty. A simple run-up and batting the ball down would’ve done the trick. The play calling must change for both teams next week.
Next week, the Ottawa Redblacks visit the Calgary Stampeders on Thursday at 9 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Montreal Alouettes on Friday at 9 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.
