REDBLACKS and Eskimos meet for Thursday Night Football

Ottawa REDBLACKS

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With Week 8 already upon us, the REDBLACKS Thursday Night Football tilt has the makings of a ‘turning point’ game against one of their longstanding rivals the Edmonton Eskimos. Ottawa and Edmonton square off on Canadian Armed Forces Appreciation night that will open with a flypast of two C-130 Hercules aircrafts following our national anthem.

When the game kicks off the REDBLACKS will look to reverse their misfortunes against the league’s only remaining unbeaten team that also houses a cast of former REDBLACKS players.

A total difference of just 36-points separates the perfect Eskimos (6-0) from the unlucky REDBLACKS (1-5-1); the former has won all but one game by a single score, while the latter has dropped all five of its defeats by four points or less.

“What you have to do is keep your chin up and work,” said REDBLACKS head coach Rick Campbell. “Nobody’s taken the bull by the horns in the East Division — it’s wide-open right now, it’s all there for the taking.”

Despite its record, Ottawa retains the best point differential (minus-eight) in the CFL’s East Division; the REDBLACKS know that if they can find a way to get over a fourth-quarter mental hump, they can still very much compete in the inconsistent East.

“I’ve seen some teams with our record that weren’t very good football teams, but I don’t think we fall in that category,” reflected Campbell. “We’re also not in the category of being a good football team yet, because those teams find ways to win, (but) we have a lot of the makings here.”

Storylines

Banged Up Esks — Thursday’s visitors have continued to win despite missing a plethora of starters on both sides of the ball; defensive captain J.C. Sherritt has been out since Week 1, while running backs John White and Travon Van — the latter a former REDBLACK — are also on the shelf with long-term injuries. Receiver Brandon Zylstra is also out for Edmonton.

Ball Management — GM Marcel Desjardins pointed to turnovers as a major cause for Ottawa’s early-season struggles; protecting the rock will be critical on Thursday against an Esks team that ranks top-two in possession (32:34), sacks allowed (10) and offensive turnovers (6). In contrast, the REDBLACKS have allowed six more sacks and sit last in turnovers (13).

Debuts — DE Teidrick Smith and LB Adrian James will make their first starts with the REDBLACKS on Thursday. Smith, 22, joined Ottawa after spending time with the Los Angeles Rams; James, 25, has dressed in three games but will see his first action of the season against the Esks.

Scouting the Opposition

Despite their injuries, the Edmonton Eskimos are a perfect 6-0 entering Thursday’s contest and boast a plethora of talent at different spots.

The Esks offence is anchored by veteran quarterback Mike Reilly; the Central Washington alum has thrown 11 touchdowns to just two interceptions this season en route to a league-best 91.1 QUAR rating.

Vidal Hazelton will have to continue to step up in the Edmonton receiving core with star receiver Adarius Bowman and the consistent Brandon Zylstra both out for Thursday’s contest. Hazelton has touchdown receptions in each of his last three games.

Though Sherritt’s absence is notable in the heart of the Eskimos defence, Kenny Ladler and Korey Jones have picked up the slack; Ladler leads the Esks in tackles (36) and interceptions (3), while Jones has recorded a second-best 27 tackles.

Edmonton kicker Sean Whyte is one of the best in the business, having made 13 of 14 field-goal attempts — including a league-long 55-yarder against Montreal in Week 2 — thus far in 2017.

What They’re Saying

“You can only do so much talking and analysis. What you have to do is keep your chin up and work; in the East, nobody’s taking the bull by the horns, it’s wide-open right now. We know there’s good teams in the division but nobody’s found a groove yet. There’s a lot to be played for.” — HC Rick Campbell

“Sometimes in games we’re failing; it’s like anything in life — if you’ve ever typed a paper without hitting backspace, you’re an animal. We’ve just been making mistakes in big moments; jobs are on the line, games are on the line, and we’ve got to make the frickin’ play right now. That’s our mindset.” — QB Trevor Harris

GAME INFO

Edmonton Eskimos at Ottawa REDBLACKS
Week 8 — August 10, 2017
Kickoff: 7:30 p.m. ET | TD Place (Ottawa, ON)

BROADCAST INFO

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