The Ottawa REDBLACKS have gone further west than ever before to kick off CFL Labour Day Weekend, and they’ll find themselves up against a familiar opponent when toe hits leather on Saturday night.
From Royal Athletic Park in Victoria, BC, the REDBLACKS take on the BC Lions in the first ever Touchdown Pacific celebration, in a 7:00pm ET/4:00pm PT kickoff.
Dru Brown went 28 for 37, racking up 390 passing yards and a trio of touchdowns in last week’s contest, leading the REDBLACKS to a 34-27 victory against these same Lions at TD Place. Justin Hardy paced the Ottawa receiver group with 114 yards, but it was the first two career touchdowns for Nick Mardner making all the difference.
On defence, Alijah McGhee picked off Nathan Rourke, and the REDBLACKS got to the BC quarterback three times, forcing a pair of fumbles in the process.
Despite the win, the REDBLACKS were dealt some tough injury luck, with Jovan Santos-Knox, Bralon Addison, and Jaelon Acklin all heading to the six-game injury list. Andre Miller and Eli Stove will see their first CFL action at receiver, today, with Davion Taylor sliding in at middle linebacker.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Rourke showed improvement from his return game against Winnipeg, throwing for 234 yards against Ottawa. William Stanback found success on the ground, rushing for 99 yards on 15 carries, and Justin McInnis tallied 79 yards on five catches.
Defensively, Emmanuel Rugamba led the Lions with nine tackles, also notching an interception.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Bob Dyce, Head Coach, on a pair of receivers getting an opportunity to play: “Obviously, we think a lot of them. Dre and Eli have maintained their positions because of the great work they’ve done. They came out of training camp, we were extremely happy with them. They’ve continued on that path and have continued to get better. It’s a great opportunity for those two young guys to step into the roster.”
Eli Stove, receiver, on cracking the lineup: “This is an opportunity to get out there and play football, something I’ve been doing for years.This game suits me more than the NFL. I’ve been watching, going over everything in my head. There’s no pressure. I’m going to go out and do what I do; I have the skillset to do it.”
BROADCAST INFORMATION
7:00 PM ET | TV (ENG): TSN / TSN 3 / TSN 5 / RDS2 | CFL+ | Radio: EN: TSN 1200, SiriusXM (ch. 167) | FR: 104,7 FM Outaouais
