Montreal Alouettes vs Ottawa REDBLACKS May 26, 2023 PHOTO: André Ringuette/Freestyle Photography
The stage was a little bit bigger as the Ottawa REDBLACKS kicked off their preseason schedule on Friday night, but the goal remained the same as the rest of training camp: build each day, focusing on the process.
The scene of the visiting Montreal Alouettes and fans in the stands offered a welcome change from the sometimes mundane practice days, and the chance to hit someone wearing a different uniform is always exciting. It’s an important stepping stone for Bob Dyce’s club, who dropped the decision 22-21, with thin margins being the difference.
With many of the REDBLACKS’ veterans suiting up, the hometown crowd got the chance to taste-test what the Dyce-led team would look like, and what new coordinators, Khari Jones and Barron Miles bring to the table. It was the first time anyone had this opportunity in a game situation, and internally, some success was found, but so were opportunities for growth.
“There’s a lot of positives to take out of this game,” Dyce said. “I think Nick [Arbcukle] showed that he can run our offence, Demontre Tuggle carrying the ball, and our defensive front was good, but just like any game, if you turn the ball over in the scoring zone, it’s going to cost you. I’m really looking forward to watching tape.”
Leading at halftime, Ottawa found a way to consistently move the ball into scoring range, but came up short on capping off drives. Four Lewis Ward field goals set the REDBLACKS off on the right foot, but finding the endzone will continue to be the offensive focus.
“You don’t want to kick short field goals, but that’s what preseason is for,” Dyce said. “We’ll evaluate, we’ll see what was challenging in those situations, and we’ll make the corrections.”
There’s no worry or panic in the REDBLACKS locker room right now. With a brand new offence still being implemented, things are work-in-progress, as Jones takes things day by day.
“At this point in camp, we haven’t delved into too much of the red zone offence, and there isn’t really a short-yardage package installed yet, either,” Arbuckle said. “Those are things that as we go on in camp, we’ll [get to], now that we have the basics of the offence.”
A touchdown did come in the second half. With Tyrie Adams at the helm, Ottawa marched down the field using a mixture of trickery and the occasional frozen rope from the sophomore pivot, with Daniel Oladejo securing the ball about five yards deep in the east endzone.
The positives on offence show what the REDBLACKS hope to be sustainable improvements compared to last season. For that to happen, the offensive threats need to play a big role, and after a night where Arbuckle was able to throw for 209 yards in just over a half of work, he’s happy with what he saw.
“We have some great athletes in the room,” Arbuckle said. “Guys who can make plays after the catch, make guys miss, or drive guys across the field. You saw multiple times, even with the second group, guys getting first downs on check-downs, and that’s huge, because defences can’t drop down to the sticks on second down.”
Among the most impactful players on the night was American receiver, Savon Scarver, who has done plenty of impressing at training camp. He hauled in four passes for 53 yards, and flashed his skills as a kick returner, where he made his mark in college at Utah State.
The wins and losses in the preseason may not matter when the season ends and the playoff bracket is being sorted, but for players like Scarver looking to make a name for themselves, it’s critical for different reasons.
“Every game matters to me, I give it my heart and my soul,” he said. “I’m not going to ever go out there and treat a game like it’s not important, I’m going to take it to 100 every time I’m on the field.”
On the defensive side of the football, the REDBLACKS’ top unit caused Alouettes quarterback Caleb Evans fits for the duration of the first half, surrendering just six points. It was done with a consistent dose of pressure from the defensive front, as the secondary held strong, breaking up a handful of passes.
It was exactly the kind of performance Dyce was hoping to see from his veteran unit in their first live-action of the year, but like the offence, there’s still work to do.
“They did some really good things,” Dyce said. “They stopped them on third down, there were a lot of two-and-outs, but at the end, we were a little bit challenged. The whole thing is to evaluate these guys and see what happens. Then you can get a little bit more of an idea of what’s going on.”
The REDBLACKS have one final tune-up game before things get going for real, as they head to Guelph to take on the Toronto Argonauts on Thursday night.
“We’ve got a short week, so we’ll watch the film and learn from it, and then take the upcoming week to polish things,” Scarver said. “We have to come in ready to work, that’s it.”
