On Friday night, under the lights at TD Place and in front of a sold out crowd of 24,000 strong, the Ottawa REDBLACKS will host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats with a chance to win the CFL’s East Division.
No, you haven’t transported back in time a year, although that scenario is very similar to the one that played out in this very spot on in 2015. And if you’ll recall, that worked out pretty well for Le ROUGE et NOIR.
A year later, the REDBLACKS are as hungry as they were then, if not hungrier, for a repeat performance against Hamilton.
Last week, after coming up short against Saskatchewan the week before, Ottawa picked up a 30-29 road win against the Tiger-Cats. Losses by Toronto and Montreal the following day officially punched Ottawa’s ticket to the playoffs. While that was a big moment in the season for the REDBLACKS, Friday presents an even bigger opportunity — to win the CFL East for a second-straight year, get a bye in the first week of the playoffs and then host the East Final.
The REDBLACKS will once again face this latest challenge with veteran quarterback Henry Burris under centre after the reigning CFL Most Outstanding player connect on 27 of 39 passes for 393 yards and a touchdown, while rushing into the end zone for two more. Those numbers earned him a spot on the CFL’s list of Top Performers for Week 17 though the accolade, along with the last win, is already in the rear view mirror.
“I’m out for bigger stakes this year,” said Burris, crediting his teammates for his impressive numbers. “It’s great to have a good week but for me it’s something to build upon. I told our guys, it’s time to set the bar high for ourselves. It’s time for us to win here at home.”
Burris stressed the team doesn’t want to drag the process of capturing the East out any longer than necessary.
“We all know the easiest road to get there is straight ahead,” he said. “We’re looking forward to playing Hamilton again. You always try to make it the easiest scenario for yourself and winning Friday would put us at the doorstep of where we need to go … and that’s to the big show.”
For REDBLACKS head coach Rick Campbell, the focus has to be on one game at a time.
“It’s obviously a huge game, games keep getting bigger as we go,” Campbell said. “There’s a lot to play for and we’re just concentrating on us and doing everything we can to tip the odds in our favour.”
Following Friday’s game, the REDBLACKS will close out the regular season with back-to-back games against the Blue Bombers on October 29 and in Ottawa on November 4.
