The Ottawa Redblacks (4-8) hosted the B.C. Lions (5-7) on Friday night from TD Place Stadium. The B.C. Lions came into this game winning nine of ten from the Redblacks. Both teams were on a bye last week. This was the first game of a home-and-home series.
First Quarter:
Both teams got off to a slow start in the first quarter. Ottawa defensive lineman Muftah Ageli sacked Nathan Rourke with 7:45 left. B.C.’s offense had the ball on the 52-yard line. Quarterback Nathan Rourke threw two passes for 31 yards and rushed for 13 yards to the 14-yard line. Running back James Butler rushed for four yards to the 10-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Sean Whyte made an 18-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 2:14 left.
Late in the first quarter, B.C.’s offense got the ball back on the 42-yard line. Running back James Butler rushed for five yards to the 47-yard line, and that was all they got. Punter Carl Meyer punted the ball 51 yards out of bounds on the 12-yard line. The Lions led the Redblacks 3-0 to end the first quarter.
B.C.’s offense had 68 yards (46 yards passing, 30 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), and Ottawa’s offense had 27 yards (18 yards passing, 9 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, rain began to fall at TD Place Stadium. Later, B.C.’s offense moved the ball to the five-yard line. On the next play, running back James Butler rushed up the middle for the touchdown. B.C. extended its lead to 10-0 with 3:34 left to cap off a 12-play drive for 100 yards, chewing up over five minutes off the clock.
Late in the second quarter, Ottawa’s offense had the ball on the 47-yard line. They moved the ball to the 14-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 32-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Lions 10-3 with 2:08 left.
B.C.’s offense moved the ball to the 16-yard line. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 24-yard field goal, and the Lions led the Redblacks 13-3 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
B.C.’s offense had 228 yards (150 yards passing, 86 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 14 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 40 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 14 of 18 passes (77%) for 150 yards and four carries for 29 yards.
Running back James Butler had 10 carries for 55 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Justin McInnis made four catches for 74 yards, while Keon Hatcher made three catches for 33 yards. The defense made two tackles for loss and one sack.
Ottawa’s offense had 84 yards (56 yards passing, 37 yards rushing, 9 yards lost), 6 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized one time for 10 yards. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 6 of 11 passes (54%) for 56 yards and led the rushers with two carries for 32 yards.
Running back William Stanback had five carries for four yards and two catches for 21 yards. Wide receiver Justin Hardy made two catches for 17 yards, and Bralon Addison made one catch for 11 yards. The defense made one sack and one forced fumble.
In the first half, B.C. punter Carl Meyer punted the ball four times for 160 yards, and Ottawa punter Richie Leone punted the ball five times for 193 yards.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke’s pass intended for James Butler was batted up in the air and intercepted by Lucas Cormier on the five-yard line. B.C. challenged for defensive pass interference and lost. Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum handed the ball off to William Stanback, who followed linemen into the endzone. The Redblacks trailed the Lions 13-10 with 9:48 left.
Later, B.C.’s offense had the ball on the 44-yard line. Running back James Butler caught a 12-yard pass from Nathan Rourke and rushed for three yards to the 51-yard line. On the next play, Rourke completed a pass to Justin McInnis for a 51-yard touchdown. The Lions extended their lead to 20-10 with 8:01 left to cap off a three-play drive for 64 yards.
Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the 38-yard line before the drive stalled. Ottawa punter Richie Leone punted the ball 55 yards to Seven McGee. McGee made a couple of nice juke moves before sprinting toward the endzone for a 93-yard touchdown. The Lions extended their lead to 27-10 with 4:53 left.
Late in the third quarter, Ottawa’s offense had the ball on the 45-yard line. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed four passes for 44 yards, followed by running back Daniel Adeboboye’s 12-yard run to the nine-yard line.
On the next play, Dustin Crum broke two tackles to score the touchdown. Lewis Ward missed the extra point, and the Redblacks trailed the Lions 27-16 with 1:23 left to cap off a six-play drive for 65 yards.
B.C. running back James Butler had two carries for 12 yards, and Nathan Rourke completed a 10-yard pass to Justin McInnis to the 52-yard line to end the third quarter. The Lions led the Redblacks 27-16.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, B.C.’s offense moved the ball to the 39-yard line before kicker Sean Whyte made a 47-yard field goal. It was now 30-16 with 13:02 left. Ottawa’s offense responded by moving the ball to the 31-yard line. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 39-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Lions 30-19 with 11 minutes left.
Later, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the 13-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Dustin Crum was looking to throw the ball before taking off. He plowed his way into the endzone for a 13-yard touchdown. William Stanback scored the two-point conversion, and the Redblacks trailed the Lions 30-27 with 7:08 left to cap off a six-play drive for 70 yards.
B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke threw three passes for 29 yards to lead the offense down to the 29-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Sean Whyte made a 37-yard field goal for a 33-27 lead with 4:01 left.
Late in the fourth quarter, B.C.’s offense moved the ball to the 38-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Sean Whyte missed a 46-yard field goal, and Ottawa returner Kalil Pimpleton returned it for 38 yards, and got hit late out of bounds for an extra 15 yards to the 48-yard line.
Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum saw Kalil Pimpleton beat his man before throwing the ball to him for 51 yards to the 10-yard line. On the next play, Crum threw a touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis for a 34-33 lead with 17 seconds left.
B.C. kick returner Seven McGee returned a 57-yard kickoff for 19 yards to the 42-yard line. On the final play of the game, Ottawa defensive back Mark Milton intercepted Rourke’s pass to end the game. The Redblacks came back to beat the B.C. Lions 34-33.
Final Stats:
Ottawa’s offense had 377 yards (301 yards passing, 112 yards rushing, 36 yards lost), 23 first downs, 4 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 65 yards. Quarterback Dustin Crum completed 24 of 32 passes (75%) for 301 yards, one touchdown, and led the rushers with eight carries for 69 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Running back William Stanback had nine carries for 27 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Kalil Pimpleton made seven catches for 95 yards, while Eugene Lewis made three catches for 31 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 43 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, and two interceptions.
B.C.’s offense had 384 yards (284 yards passing, 108 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 21 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized nine times for 105 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 22 of 32 passes (68.7%) for 284 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and four carries for 29 yards.
Running back James Butler had 18 carries for 77 yards, one rushing touchdown, and one catch for 12 yards. Wide receiver Justin McInnis made seven catches for 148 yards and one touchdown, while Keon Hatcher made five catches for 64 yards. The defense made 46 tackles, four tackles for loss, four sacks, one forced fumble, and one turnover on downs.
Next Friday, the two teams will meet in a rematch at 10 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.
