June 20 can’t come fast enough for the Ottawa REDBLACKS.
It’ll be Game 2 of the CFL season for the REDBLACKS, who have a bye week following Saturday’s rain-drenched 29-21 loss to the Edmonton Elks.
Too much went wrong in the opening-game setback to the Elks. But it’s stuff that can be adjusted, stuff that can be fixed, physical and mental reboots that will reflect much of what went sideways Saturday. And, if all goes well, it’ll be full steam ahead for the team’s second game, a Saturday afternoon (1 p.m.) meeting with the Toronto Argonauts.
It was one of those nights where the REDBLACKS would like a few do-overs. Too many turnovers, some costly penalties, missed tackles, poor play execution … it added up.
“It was a tough game, a sloppy, sloppy game,” said REDBLACKS head coach Ryan Dinwiddie in the post-game press conference. “We didn’t put it together. We have a lot to learn from; those self-inflicted wounds were tough to overcome.
“One game doesn’t define our season. It was one we wish we could have back and do some things differently. But, like I told those guys, I believe in everybody in that room. We have a good roster. We just have to find ways not to have self-inflicted wounds. You can’t win football games that way.”
So, what went wrong?
“We couldn’t get the run game going early,” said Dinwiddie. “In this weather, you have to be able to run it. It was tough being in second-and-long. There was just a dropped ball here, a missed throw there, it just wasn’t in sync. We found our rhythm after the third quarter.
“There are a lot of reasons why we didn’t win this football game. We have to clean up all three phases, and we’ll find a way to do that.”
Jake Maier, who earned the starting quarterback job for Ottawa in training camp, completed 22-of-37 passes for 203 yards.
“We were really competitive,” said Maier. “We have the players, we have the coach. We just didn’t play a clean enough game to win. There were also a handful of plays I’m sure everyone in the locker room wants back. That just happens to be our sport. If you play a perfect game and grade out perfectly, show me the guy.
“Credit to them, they deserve to win, they did their thing, but the key here now is the next game we play, are we going to be better than we were tonight? And if we are, then we should like where we’re going because I feel like we have the team to do it.”
Key Highlights & Game Breakdown
- A big bright spot for Ottawa: The running of Canadian Daniel Adeboboye, who put up 87 yards on 12 carries on the stat sheet after taking starting reps away from Elijah Collins, who was “dinged up” early in the game.
“Daniel ran it downhill,” said Dinwiddie. “He’s always got that good initial burst when he gets through the hole. He did a good job in pass protection, too. He was solid.”
While rain and the threat of storms kept the size of the crowd down (15,038), there were thousands of fans in the concourse, staying dry.
Despite three early turnovers, the REDBLACKS went into the second half trailing just 13-10.
A couple of penalties proved costly to the REDBLACKS, but Ottawa’s defence tightened up at its five-yard line, and Edmonton settled for a 12-yard field goal by Vincent Blanchard with 3:29 left in the first quarter.
After a couple of penalties to Edmonton – unnecessary roughness and offside – the REDBLACKS got deep into the Elks’ end, but a botched snap resulted in a fumble.
After an Ottawa third-and-one gamble failed near midfield, the Elks found the end zone in three plays, with Austin Mack snagging a 10-yard touchdown pass.
Another fumble – with Collins coughing up the ball after catching a short pass – led to an 18-yard field goal, making it 13-0, with a bit more than five minutes left in the first half.
The REDBLACKS put together a good drive, helped by a pass interference penalty in the end zone, with Adeboboye pushing in from the one-yard line with 2:24 remaining in the opening half. The convert made it 13-7.
A last-minute drive, highlighted by Adeboboye runs of 13 and 14 yards and a 26-yard Maier completion to Kalil Pimpleton, led to a 35-yard field goal by Brett Lauther on the final play of the first half.
The Elks opened the second half with a 63-yard catch-and-run by Justin Rankin, with plenty of missed tackles along the way. An 11-yard field goal gave Edmonton a 16-10 lead.
Sloppy tackling on an Elks’ punt return allowed Javon Leake to run for 36 yards, finally pulled down at the Ottawa 45. Edmonton booted a 27-yard field goal, and it was 19-10.
Adeboboye found daylight and sped ahead for a 30-yard gain to the Elks’ 40. A time-count violation took Ottawa out of field-goal range. A punt trickled into the the Elks’ end zone; it was bad news for Ottawa, with Edmonton getting the ball at its own 40.
With 10:43 left in the fourth quarter, Rankin ran 61 yards for an Edmonton touchdown.
Lauther’s 34-yard field goal made it 26-13. But Edmonton got the three points back on a 44-yard field goal.
A 40-yard completion to Geno Lewis pushed the ball to the Edmonton 21. A third-down gamble paid off as Maier found Justin Hardy for a 12-yard touchdown pass. Then, the two-point convert was successful, with Keelan White scoring.
A last-minute drive by the REDBLACKS was halted near mid-field.
Looking Forward
So, the mindset is now to focus on the Argos.
“Like I told the boys, let this sting, lick your wounds,” said linebacker Nyles Morgan, who had seven tackles vs. his former team. “But never dwell on the past, never let anything affect you from before. Everything should be about the next game and getting the next win.”
