It wasn’t the start to the 2023 season the Ottawa REDBLACKS were hoping for, as they fell 19-12 to the Montreal Alouettes.
Save for a couple of big plays, the defence stood tall, sacking Alouettes’ quarterback Cody Fajardo six times, forcing a turnover on short yardage, all while allowing just one touchdown, and a handful of long field goals. When they needed a stop, they found a way to get it, and overall, the REDBLACKS’ defence was the highlight of the night.
“Our defence played really well, especially with us putting them out of the field more than they should have been,” said REDBLACKS’ quarterback, Nick Arbuckle. “They did a great job of getting us plenty of opportunities.”
Offensively, the REDBLACKS struggled. The chances were there, including a pair of balls into the back of the endzone at the end of the first half, one of which was barely through the fingertips of Jaelon Acklin. Nick Arbuckle couldn’t find his marks, throwing three interceptions, while showing a tremendous amount of faith in his receivers.
Immediately following the game, Head Coach Bob Dyce diagnosed turnovers as a problem in the opener, not leaving much to be imagined about his disappointment.
“We can’t turn over the ball,” he said. “It’s too tough to recover from things like that.”
The offence – despite the aforementioned chances – couldn’t find the endzone on the night, settling instead for four field goals. The love for Lewis Ward in the locker room, and in the stands at TD Place is real, but no one hopes to see the kicker on the field that often – unless it’s for a point-after attempt.
“We can’t be a field goal-kicking team,” Arbuckle explained. “It’s great having Lewis, but we don’t need him setting any records again.”
Part of the struggle for the offence can be credited to the Alouettes’ defence, Arbuckle says.
“I’ll give credit to their defence, they did a great job,” Arbuckle admitted. “They came out doing some very different things that they didn’t show in the preseason, some coverages Defensive Coordinator Noel Thorpe hasn’t shown since my rookie season.”
Other factors can be pinned squarely on the REDBLACKS’ shoulders. Arbuckle took responsibility handful of mistakes he believes he made, and the thoughts will be similar for other members of the team.
“I’m going to look at myself in the mirror, I don’t think I gave us enough of a chance to win,” Arbuckle said. “You can’t have that many turnovers, regardless of where and how they take place, and we have to finish more drives with touchdowns. As a quarterback, I have my hands on the ball every play, and I didn’t do enough for us to win.”
The lack of touchdowns looks bad on the offence, but a deeper examination reveals another troubling stat for the REDBLACKS, who started most of their drives deep in their own territory.
The Alouettes won the field position battle, and rather handily. When the game became a stalemate, the typical Montreal drive began within striking distance, leaving Ottawa hemmed well inside their own half. It left the offence needing 80 or more yards to score a touchdown, sending Dyce back to the drawing board, as he continues to search for an answer on special teams.
“That’s why I say we have to be better on special teams,” Dyce said. “We have to put the offence in better field position, we put them in spots where they were backed up. That puts the defence in a better position too.”
Moral victories are certainly available, but with the REDBLACKS expecting more of themselves, that won’t cut it.
“It shouldn’t be all positive right now, guys should be pissed off, angry as hell,” receiver Nate Behar said. “We all need to find a way to make our individual output better. I’m not here for the moral victories, I’ve been on this team for four years, so I think that’s all that needs to be said about that.”
The focus now turns forward, but Arbuckle believes there are plenty of lessons worth learning from the loss.
“You don’t want to flush it too fast,” Arbuckle said. “These losses should sting a little. You don’t want to hang on to it and have it leak over into your preparation for the next game, but we want to win so badly.”
With the home opener next, the Calgary Stampeders will provide stiff competition as the REDBLACKS look to earn their first win of the season, and give the home fans something to cheer about.
“I know this group is super resilient,” Dyce said. “They’re excited, we’re looking forward to playing Calgary in front of our fans.”
