RIDERS DUMPED 36-28 IN OTTAWA
Photo: CFL
OTTAWA – It was dicey towards the end, but the Ottawa Redblacks can finally breathe easier after ending a lengthy winless skid.
Dustin Crum threw a pair of touchdown passes and ran for another to lead the Redblacks to a 36-28 win over the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday. The Redblacks led 36-14 late but held on for the win.
“Definitely relieved. It was good to see guys step up, take that growth and be able to finish off the game,” said Crum, who finished with 243 passing yards as the Redblacks (4-10) snapped a seven-game losing skid and kept their faint playoff hopes alive.
“Everyone says winning solves everything. It was frustrating more than anything.”
The Roughriders (6-8) suffered their third straight loss but remained third in the CFL West. QB Jake Dolegala threw two touchdowns and passed for 291 yards.
Ottawa got some breathing room under two minutes into the fourth quarter when Crum connected on a 32-yard catch-and-run touchdown that led to a 29-14 lead after the Michael Domagala extra point.
Crum ran for a 35-yard score seven minutes into the quarter that led to a 38-14 lead for the Redblacks after the conversion.
The final 90 seconds became interesting after Roughriders special teamer Mario Alford returned a punt 106 yards for a score cutting the Redblacks lead to 36-20 after a failed two-point conversion.
Saskatchewan then recovered an onside kick, and a few plays later Antonia Pipkin scored on a one-yard run with 60 seconds to play. The two-point conversion pass to Samuel Emilius was good and suddenly it was 36-28.
It would get no closer.
“A lot of the games we had the lead and let it get away from us, know that we were better than our record indicated,” said Crum of Ottawa nearly blowing its lead. “Being on the right side of this we’re relived and hopefully it can motivate guys and get us locked into this playoff run.”
The Redblacks are chasing the Montreal Alouettes and Hamilton Tiger-Cats for a playoff berth after the CFL East-leading Toronto Argonauts clinched their spot.
“We won this game tonight and that’s what we were focused on” said Ottawa coach Bob Dyce. “Now we’ve got a chance to play Montreal twice, which is the team that is right in front of us, and we feel that we control our destiny in that regard.
“That’s what we’re focused on. We’re not looking at the past, we’re just looking to get better each week.”
(Canadian Press)
I’m discouraged by how many Roughrider defenders seem incapable of wrapping-up whoever has the ball. They seem to prefer to try to bodycheck the ballcarrier. It’s like they’ve never been coached in the basics of tackling.
Apparently listening to fans phone in after game whom have gone to practices they DON’T! In fact, they don’t practice much of ANYTHING except special teams! And they don’t do a lot of running, which would explain last year and this year’s home stretch collapses. Can you imagine Kent Austin or Miller was around??
Dickie bemoaned the fact that they only get one padded practice per week……well, there’s EIGHT other teams that seem to know how to tackle!!!!
10 years ago was the peak of Riderville & 6 years into a new stadium & the Roughies will never emulate the buzzing atmosphere that is the current state of IGF on a game day. When you took out Taylor Field; you took the life out and pride out of the franchise. What an astronomical waste of money that stadium was. A quarter billion dollars for 6400 minutes of football (Average) and who can afford the $200 price tag just to get into the building?? Craig Reynolds should be embarrassed. I never pictured this would be the state our team… Read more »
3 weeks ago Ballsy had us as the second best team in the CFL. Hahaha
What or who is a Ballsy? talking second place roughriders team? not happening. O’Day, Dickinson and the rest have to go straight to the unemployment line asap.
Rider play-play with the football IQ of Sandra Masters
🤣🤣