The Ottawa Redblacks (2-6) hosted the Calgary Stampeders (5-3) on Thursday night from TD Place Stadium to kick off Week 9 of the CFL season. Dru Brown returned as Ottawa’s starting quarterback after missing three games with a neck injury.
For Calgary, P.J. Walker made his first career start in the CFL as Vernon Adams Jr. was out with a head injury.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Ottawa center Peter Godber snapped the ball over Brown’s head. Brown chased the ball before falling on it for a 22-yard loss. Calgary got the ball on the 50-yard line. Quarterback P.J. Walker threw one pass for four yards to the 46-yard line. They would go two-and-out.
Calgary kicker Rene Paredes missed a 53-yard field goal. Ottawa returner Kalil Pimpleton returned the ball for 54 yards to the 49-yard line. Ottawa’s offense went two-and-out. Calgary’s offense started its next drive at the 12-yard line.
Quarterback P.J. Walker threw three passes for 91 yards, and running back Dedrick Millis had two carries for two yards to reach the 30-yard line. On third down, kicker Rene Paredes made a 37-yard field goal. Calgary led Ottawa 3-0 with 4:24 left.
Late in the first quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown threw two passes for 31 yards, and William Stanback had two carries for nine yards to the 12-yard line as the first quarter ended. The Redblacks trailed the Stampeders 3-0.
Calgary’s offense had 80 yards (75 yards passing, 5 yards rushing), and Ottawa’s offense had 35 yards (43 yards passing, 14 yards rushing, 22 yards lost).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown threw a 12-yard touchdown pass to Justin Hardy. Hardy was wide-open with no one around him. The Redblacks took a 7-3 lead with 14:27 left.
Calgary’s offense moved the ball on its next drive. Quarterback P.J. Walker threw one pass for 21 yards, and running back Ludovick Choquette had two carries for seven yards to the 42-yard line.
On the next play, Walker got protection up front, which bought him time to find a receiver. Then, he threw the ball in the direction of Daylen Baldwin, but Ottawa defensive back Amari Henderson intercepted it. He returned it for 10 yards to the 21-yard line. Ottawa’s offense gained 33 yards before the drive stalled.
Later in the second quarter, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the 14-yard line. On third down, kicker Lewis Ward made an 18-yard field goal. The Redblacks extended their lead to 10-3 with 5:39 left.
Late in the second quarter, Ottawa’s offense had the ball on the 50-yard line. Quarterback Dru Brown completed two passes for 45 yards, including a 34-yarder to Eugene Lewis. The ball was at the 15-yard line. On the next play, Calgary blitzed Dru Brown. There was a busted coverage in the back, allowing Brown to throw the ball to a wide-open Justin Hardy for the touchdown. Ottawa’s lead was now 17-3 with 2:36 left to cap off a three-play drive for 60 yards.
Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the 33-yard line. On the next play, quarterback P.J. Walker attempted the throw the ball in the direction of Dominique Rhymes. However, Ottawa defensive back Deandre Lamont intercepted it. He returned it for 18 yards to the 28-yard line.
Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the 45-yard line and was out of field goal range. The Redblacks led the Stampeders 17-3 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Ottawa’s offense had 195 yards (174 yards passing, 43 yards rushing, 22 yards lost), 10 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized one time for 10 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 13 of 19 passes (68.4%) for 174 yards, two touchdowns, and one carry for 16 yards.
Running back William Stanback had five carries for 17 yards. Wide receiver Justin Hardy made four catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns, while Eugene Lewis made four catches for 84 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss and two interceptions.
Calgary’s offense had 148 yards (130 yards passing, 20 yards rushing, 2 yards lost), 6 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized six times for 53 yards. Quarterback P.J. Walker completed 9 of 17 passes (52.9%) for 130 yards and two interceptions.
Running back Dedrick Mills had five carries for 10 yards. Wide receiver Dominique Rhymes made two catches for 58 yards, and Erik Brooks made four catches for 44 yards. The defense made two tackles for loss.
Third Quarter:
Ottawa got the ball to start the third quarter from the 42-yard line. Quarterback Dru Brown attempted to throw the ball to William Stanback. Instead, he overthrew him, and it was intercepted by Calgary defensive back Jaydon Grant at the 42-yard line.
Calgary’s offense moved the ball to the 42-yard line before the drive stalled. On third down, kicker Rene Paredes missed a 31-yard field goal wide left and out of bounds for a single point. Calgary trailed Ottawa 17-4 with 8:12 left.
Late in the third quarter, Calgary’s defense sacked Dru Brown twice. On the last play, Calgary defensive lineman Jaylon Hutchings sacked Brown for an 11-yard loss. However, an illegal contact penalty on Calgary defensive back Anthony Johnson gave Ottawa a first down. The Redblacks led the Stampeders 17-4 to end the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Ottawa moved the ball to the 48-yard line before the drive stalled. Calgary got the ball at the 25-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 53-yard line. On the next play, quarterback P.J. Walker attempted to throw the ball to Erik Brooks. He threw it inside, and Ottawa defensive back Alijah McGhee intercepted it for a 61-yard pick-six touchdown. Ottawa’s lead was now 24-4 with 9:16 left.
On the kickoff, Calgary returner Kaylon Horton returned the kickoff for a 91-yard touchdown. However, it was called back on a holding penalty by Anthony Federico. Calgary’s offense worked its way up the field to the 29-yard line. On the next play, quarterback P.J. Walker threw the ball to Dominique Rhymes for a 29-yard touchdown. Calgary trailed Ottawa 24-11 with 5:46 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 86 yards.
Late in the fourth quarter, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the 36-yard line. Kicker Lewis Ward missed a 43-yard field goal. Calgary returner Kaylon Horton returned it from the endzone 16 yards to the nine-yard line. After two incomplete passes, Calgary went for it on third down.
On third down, Ottawa defensive lineman Lorenzo Mauldin IV sacked P.J. Walker for an eight-yard loss at the one-yard line. Ottawa backup quarterback Dustin Crum scored the one-yard touchdown to seal the game. The Redblacks defeated the Stampeders 31-11 for their first win at home this season. It was the fifth consecutive win for Ottawa against Calgary.
Final Stats:
Ottawa’s offense had 274 yards (225 yards passing, 86 yards rushing, 37 yards lost), 17 first downs, 3 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 55 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 19 of 27 passes (70.3%) for 225 yards, two touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for 16 yards.
Running back William Stanback led the rushers with 13 carries for 52 yards. Wide receiver Eugene Lewis led the receivers making five catches for 110 yards, while Justin Hardy made four catches for 62 yards and two touchdowns. The defense made 37 tackles, four tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception.
Calgary’s offense had 298 yards (273 yards passing, 35 yards rushing, 10 yards lost), 16 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized 12 times for 113 yards. Quarterback P.J. Walker had a rough debut completing 20 of 37 passes (54%) for one touchdown, three interceptions, and one carry for 12 yards.
Running back Dedrick Mills had seven carries for 11 yards. Wide receiver Dominique Rhymes led the receivers making four catches for 103 yards and one touchdown, while Erik Brooks made six catches for 69 yards. The defense made 43 tackles, four tackles for loss, two sacks, and one interception.
Next Saturday, the Ottawa Redblacks visit the Toronto Argonauts at 3 pm on TSN, CTV, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+, followed by the Calgary Stampeders hosting the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+.
