With Dru Brown out of action due to injury, it will be Jeremiah Masoli leading the Ottawa REDBLACKS into action against the Calgary Stampeders, Thursday night.
Making his first start in over a year, Masoli is under centre for Ottawa, when they visit McMahon Stadium for a 9:00pm kickoff.
In a bizarre game the week prior, Brown went down on a low hit early, with Dustin Crum helping the REDBLACKS to a 22-22 overtime tie with the Saskatchewan Roughriders at TD Place. Crum ran for the only Ottawa touchdown, in the low-scoring contest that saw victories for both teams overruled by the CFL Command Centre, in overtime.
Ottawa receives a boost in the secondary, with the return of former CFL All-Star Brandin Dandridge at cornerback. Alongside Brown, standout receiver Kalil Pimpleton is also sidelined due to injury. Eric Starczala makes his first start of the season at centre
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
The Stamps are looking to bounce back, after suffering a 39-25 road loss to the Toronto Argonauts in Week 10. Jake Maier threw for 373 yards, a touchdown, and an interception, completing 33 of 45 passes. Reggie Begelton broke the century mark with 104 receiving yards, while Peyton Logan, and Tommy Stevens both rushed for touchdowns.
On the defensive side of the ball, Demerio Houston logged an interception, also finishing tied with a team-high five tackles.
The last time these two teams faced off was during Week 8 in Ottawa, where the REDBLACKS cruised to a 33-6 win. Brown threw for 325 yards, including 80 to Jaelon Acklin, who also hauled in a touchdown grab.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Bob Dyce, Head Coach, on what to expect from the Stampeders: “That group is a very good team at home. They’re going to come out fired up, the trip in Toronto, they’re probably not very happy about, and they want to continue their success at home. So I know coach (Dave) Dickenson will have them excited and ready to play in front of their home fans.”
Jeremiah Masoli, quarterback, on the team’s expectations of each other: “We have high expectations here, so we do expect to execute. But you get to that level of execution in the game by doing it every day in practice, and building on that trust with each other, from the line to the quarterback to the receivers to the running backs. Just building that trust with each other is what it’s about during the week, and then going out there with that confidence to win.”
Jovan Santos-Knox, linebacker, on the defence’s recent dominance: “I think we know to play successful defence, the ultimate goal is to not give up any scores or any touchdowns. So I think it was just guys just locking into their assignment, their job, and just having a bunch of pride out there and playing for one another, and just saying, ‘Not my guy.”’
BROADCAST INFORMATION
9:00 PM ET | TV (ENG): TSN / TSN 4 / RDS2 | CFL+ | Radio: EN: TSN 1200, SiriusXM (ch. 167) | FR: 104,7 FM Outaouais
