REDBLACKS fall to Eskimos on the road

The Ottawa REDBLACKS got off to a promising start but failed to score in the second half while losing to the Edmonton Eskimos 34-16 in Edmonton Saturday evening. The Eskimos scored 27 unanswered points to solidify the victory.

Trevor Harris went 21-for-26 and connected with Diontae Spencer for a touchdown. William Powell was quiet accumulating a mere 40 yards on the ground.

The Ottawa defence forced two turnovers, but failed to notch a sack. Rico Murray had a team-best seven tackles.

The REDBLACKS moved down the field on their very first drive of the game. They set up Lewis Ward for a mid-range field goal – his 41st straight.

Edmonton found the end zone midway through the first quarter, when Martese Jackson punched it in. The extra point made the score 7-3 for the Eskimos.

Ottawa got some momentum on the penultimate play of the first quarter. Devin Butler forced and recovered a fumble deep in Edmonton territory. They had to settle for a Ward three-pointer, however.

On Edmonton’s ensuing drive, the REDBLACKS forced another fumble – this time Jonathan Rose was the culprit. The possession ended in another short field goal from Ward.

Trevor Harris reared back and took a shot in the second quarter. Diontae Spencer burned his defender and it was a simple pitch-and-catch, with Spencer darting into the end zone for a 61-yard strike. A Ward convert made the score 16-7.

The Eskimos responded with C.J. Gable plowed in for the score before the half, making the score 16-14 at the break.

Edmonton put together an 11-play drive to start the second half which resulted in a Sean Whyte field goal. The green & gold made it 17 unanswered points when Gable found pay dirt for his second score in three drives. Gable’s touchdown gave Edmonton a 24-16 advantage.

Whyte kicked his 300th career field goal on the second play of the fourth quarter, extending their lead. A Mike Reilly deep ball to Bryant Mitchell eliminated any possibility of a REDBLACKS comeback, making the score 34-16.

The REDBLACKS (8-7) have back-to-back key matchups over the next two weeks against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (8-7). They will welcome the Tabbies to TD Place Friday, October 19 (KO 7:00 p.m.). The Eskimos (8-8) will continue their hunt for the playoffs versus the B.C. Lions on the 19th in Vancouver.

WHAT THEY’RE SAYING

“We’ve had trouble the last two weeks with not being able to get off the field on defence and staying on the field on offence. When you lose the time of possession that badly, things wear down. You want to score sevens, but we’re going to take the points as we go. We played a good half of football, but in the second half it wasn’t good enough and they beat us.” – HC Rick Campbell

“We couldn’t get any traction offensively and couldn’t stay on the field. It was not a good half of football from us. We’ve got to be better than that – I think that’s the worst half we’ve played as a team this season and that’s unfortunate.” – QB Trevor Harris

GAME NOTES

Trevor Harris’s touchdown pass to Diontae Spencer was his 100th career touchdown strike. Harris has also completed 20 or more passes in 11 consecutive games… Chris Ackie made his REDBLACKS debut. He recorded three tackles… Brad Sinopoli had his 100th reception of the season in the second quarter. His previous career-high was 91… Lewis Ward has now converted 43 straight field goals. The professional football record is 44 (Adam Vinatieri, Indianapolis Colts)… The time of possession was 36:04-23:56 in favour of Edmonton.

SCORING SUMMARY

First Quarter
OTT – FG Ward – 11:42
EDM – TD Jackson (Whyte conv.) – 3:30

Second Quarter
OTT – FG Ward – 13:34
OTT – FG Ward – 8:20
OTT – TD Harris to Spencer (Ward conv.) – 4:25
EDM – TD Gable (Whyte conv.) – 0:29

Third Quarter
EDM – FG Whyte – 9:29
EDM – TD Gable (Whyte conv.) – 4:47

Fourth Quarter
EDM – FG Whyte – 14:25
EDM – TD Reilly to Mitchell (Whyte conv.) – 8:38