The Saskatchewan Roughriders (11-4) visited TD Place Stadium on Friday night against the Ottawa Redblacks (4-11). Saskatchewan came into this game without quarterback Tommy Stevens (Knee) and kicker Brett Lauther (Back). Campbell Fair was kicking for Saskatchewan.
Ottawa was missing a couple of players. They were defensive backs Justin Howell (Hamstring) and Mark Milton (Personal Reasons).
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Saskatchewan had the ball on the 26-yard line. Running back A.J. Ouellette started the drive with two carries for 11 yards to the 37-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the one-yard line before Ouellette finished it off by scoring a touchdown. Kicker Campbell Fair missed the extra point. The Roughriders led 6-0 with 7:59 left to cap off an 11-play drive for 84 yards.
Later, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the 29-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Dru Brown’s pass intended for William Stanback was intercepted by Benny Sapp III on the 50-yard line. However, after further review, the command center determined it was an incomplete pass.
Ottawa’s offense got a second chance, but they ended up punting the ball. Late in the first quarter, Ottawa’s offense had the ball on the 23-yard line. They moved the ball to the 29-yard line to end the first quarter down 6-0.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 97 yards (81 yards passing, 17 yards rushing), and Ottawa’s offense had 97 yards (93 yards passing, 4 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Dru Brown’s pass intended for Eugene Lewis was intercepted by Antonie Brooks. He returned it for an 85-yard pick-six touchdown. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw the ball to Ajou Ajou in the end zone for a two-point conversion. Saskatchewan extended its lead to 14-0 with 14:19 left.
Ottawa had the ball on the 43-yard line. On the next play, Dru Brown’s pass intended for Justin Hardy was intercepted by A.J. Allen on the 44-yard line. Saskatchewan’s offense went two-and-out. On third down, Ottawa returner Kalil Pimpleton avoided two tackles on his way to scoring a 97-yard touchdown. However, an illegal blocking penalty on Ottawa wiped away the touchdown, and the ball was placed on the 26-yard line.
Late in the second quarter, Ottawa’s offense had the ball on the 32-yard line. Quarterback Dru Brown completed three passes for 40 yards, and running back William Stanback had three carries for 11 yards to the 17-yard line. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 25-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Roughriders 14-3 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Saskatchewan’s offense had 136 yards (115 yards passing, 29 yards rushing, 8 yards lost), 10 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 20 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 11 of 16 passes (68.7%) for 115 yards.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had 10 carries for 29 yards and one rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Dohnte Meyers made three catches for 31 yards, while KeeSean Johnson made three catches for 30 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made two tackles for loss, two interceptions, and one touchdown.
Ottawa’s offense had had 172 yards (141 yards passing, 31 yards rushing), 7 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 44 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 11 of 19 passes (57.8%) for 141 yards, two interceptions, and one carry for two yards.
Running back William Stanback had seven carries for 29 yards. Wide receiver Eugene Lewis made four catches for 47 yards, while Kalil Pimpleton made two catches for 35 yards. The defense made one sack.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Ottawa had the ball on the 26-yard line. Dru Brown’s pass intended for Justin Hardy was intercepted by Jameer Thurman on the 51-yard line. It was Brown’s third interception of the game. After Saskatchewan’s offense went two-and-out, Brown was benched for Dustin Crum.
Both offenses struggled for the majority of the third quarter. Late in the third quarter, Ottawa had a chance to get closer to Saskatchewan, but kicker Lewis Ward missed a 48-yard field goal wide right. Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed three passes for 29 yards to the 44-yard line to end the third quarter up 14-3. The Roughriders had 64 yards on offense, and the Redblacks had 47 yards on offense.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw a quick slant pass to Dohnte Meyers. He used his speed to blow by three Ottawa players on his way to scoring a 66-yard touchdown. Kicker Campbell Fair missed the extra point. It was now 20-3 with 14:20 left to cap off a four-play drive for 110 yards.
Later, Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum completed seven passes for 51 yards and rushed for six yards to the nine-yard line. On the next play, Crum threw a quick pass to Justin Hardy, who dived into the endzone for the touchdown. The Redblacks trailed the Roughriders 20-10 with 7:49 left to cap off an 11-play drive for 56 yards.
Late in the game, Saskatchewan’s offense was on the five-yard line. Ottawa’s defense blitzed Trevor Harris. Davion Taylor hit Harris, causing the ball to go up in the air, and recovered by Bryce Carter. He ran for 81 yards before A.J. Ouellette brought him down on the 17-yard line.
Saskatchewan defensive lineman Mike Rose sacked Crum for a six-yard loss before Crum completed a four-yard pass to Keelan White on the 19-yard line. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 26-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Roughriders 20-13 with 2:06 left.
Saskatchewan had the ball on the 40-yard line. Trevor Harris threw two passes for 39 yards, and A.J. Ouellette had two carries for 10 yards to the 20-yard line and sealed the game. The Roughriders snapped a two-game losing streak with a 20-13 win over the Redblacks. With the loss, Ottawa has been eliminated from playoff contention for the fifth time in seven seasons.
Final Stats:
Saskatchewan’s offense had 374 yards (341 yards passing, 56 yards rushing, 23 yards lost), 19 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 75 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 27 of 33 passes (81%) for 341 yards and one touchdown.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had 18 carries for 53 yards and one rushing touchdown. Wide receiver Dohnte Meyers made six catches for 158 yards and one touchdown, while KeeSean Johnson made seven catches for 68 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made 38 tackles, three tackles for loss, one sack, three interceptions, and one touchdown.
Ottawa’s offense had had 283 yards (240 yards passing, 49 yards rushing, 6 yards lost), 15 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized nine times for 64 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 11 of 20 passes (55%) for 141 yards, three interceptions, and one carry for two yards. Dustin Crum completed 12 of 16 passes (75%) for 99 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for eight yards.
Running back William Stanback had 11 carries for 39 yards. Wide receiver Eugene Lewis made five catches for 56 yards, while Justin Hardy made five catches for 57 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 49 tackles, three sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Next week, the Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Toronto Argonauts on Friday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+. The Ottawa Redblacks visit the Montreal Alouettes on Monday at 1 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.
