The Ottawa REDBLACKS fell short on the west coast, losing 29-5 to the BC Lions on Friday night.
In his return to BC Place, Jonathon Jennings threw for 239 yards and ran for another 37. Dominique Rhymes was his most dependable target, accumulating 113 receiving yards on five receptions.
Mossis Madu got the start at running back, earning 77 all-purpose yards on 14 touches.
DeAndre Farris led the defence with six tackles and a pick. Gump Hayes also earned an interception.
The Lions struck first, with Mike Reilly hitting Lamar Durant and Duron Carter on consecutive drives to give BC an early 14-0 lead.
The defences dug their heels in for the majority of the first half. Ottawa earned two key turnovers in the red zone, with Farris intercepting a pass and De’Andre Montgomery forcing a fumble. Both takeaways put a halt to dangerous Lions drives.
Reilly would find the endzone on a quarterback draw before the second quarter was out, making the score 21-0 at the break.
Ottawa got on the board in the third quarter with a midrange Lewis Ward field goal. Reilly plunged in for his second touchdown of the game on the final play of the third quarter, making the score 28-3 after the extra point.
Jennings helped the REDBLACKS deep into Lions territory in the fourth quarter, but Ottawa couldn’t find pay dirt and BC got the ball back after a third down stand.
The Lions would grind the game out in the closing stages, earning their first home win of the season by a 29-5 score.
The REDBLACKS (now 3-9) will return to Ottawa next week for the back half of their home-and-home with the Lions (now 2-10). Kickoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. at TD Place on Saturday, September 21.
WHAT THEY’RE SAYING
“I’m disappointed that we’re not showing progress. I don’t think we’re getting better right now. As the weeks go by, the idea is you should be getting better as a team. I know we had some new guys playing tonight, but regardless I always want to make sure we play smart and we play hard, with great hustle and great effort. I have to keep these guys’ confidence up, but something’s missing right now.” – HC Rick Campbell
“It was frustrating to say the least. Once again, we didn’t make any plays and didn’t give ourselves any shots to really move the ball down field. We shot ourselves in the foot once again – too many missed assignments tonight to give ourselves a chance and that really hurt us.” – QB Jonathon Jennings
GAME NOTES
This was Jennings’ first career game against the Lions. They are the only team he has yet to beat… Brad Sinopoli missed his first game of the season. He missed just one game in 2018, being given Week 21 off to rest for the playoffs… Mike Reilly moved into 15th place on the all-time CFL passing yards list, surpassing Sam Etcheverry.
GAME GALLERY
SCORING SUMMARY
First Quarter
BC – TD Reilly to Durant (Castillo conv.) – 11:58
BC – TD Reilly to Carter (Castillo conv.) – 5:27
Second Quarter
BC- TD Reilly (Castillo conv.) – 0:21
Third Quarter
OTT – FG Ward – 8:40
BC – TD Reilly (Castillo conv.) – 0:00
Fourth Quarter
BC – SI Bartel – 1:44
OTT – Safety– 0:03
Attendance
15,052
