Ottawa Redblacks go down to defeat again in disappointing finish against defending champs

An Ottawa Redblacks logo on a sweatshirt. Photo by Ashley Fraser /Postmedia Network

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The Ottawa Redblacks took a different route, but wound up at the same destination on Friday night.

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Against the defending Grey Cup champs, they started well and survived some hiccups along the way, but in the end they went down to defeat for the fourth straight time and extended their losing streak to an even 10 games dating to last season.

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The 27-22 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, in front of 15,154 fans at TD Place, leaves the Redblacks with an 0-4 record and facing a short turnaround, as they kick off Week 6 in the CFL with a Thursday night game in Edmonton against the undefeated Elks.

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Trailing Saskatchewan by 11 heading into the fourth quarter, Redblacks quarterback Jake Maier connected on a 34-yard pass to Geno Lewis that put the ball on the Saskatchewan one, and after some stumbling and bumbling by the home team, short yardage QB Bryson Barnes scored his first CFL touchdown.

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But when a two-point conversion attempt failed, the Redblacks remained behind by five points instead of three.

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Maier got the ball back later in the game, but on a third-and-one gamble just outside the Roughriders 15 with about two and a half minutes to go, they failed to move the chains.

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It was the sixth such gamble Ottawa has failed to convert this season.

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Head coach Ryan Dinwiddie was visibly infuriated early in the second half, and it had less to do with the 101-yard punt return by Saskatchewan’s Mathew Sexton — who was cut by the Redblacks in the off-season and was making his CFL debut — than with the officials.

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Right before the Sexton touchdown that broke a 13-13 deadlock, it was ruled that rookie receiver Cade McDonald had been grounded on his way to a first down, forcing Ottawa to boot the ball away.

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The official who was standing near the Redblacks’ bench might still have a red ear from the lambasting he took from Dinwiddie.

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The Redblacks were in position to pull even on their next series, but on a third-and-two at the Saskatchewan six-yard line they took a time count violation while trying to draw the defence offside instead of gambling.

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Brett Lauther continued his streak of 13 straight successful field goal attempts with an 18-yard chip shot as consolation.

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Despite not enjoying his most stellar evening, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris dragged the Roughriders downfield on an eight-play, 70-yard drive culminating in a perfect pass to KeeSean Johnson, who had a great game, for a 23-yard score that put Saskatchewan ahead 27-16 on the final play of the third quarter.

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The night couldn’t have started any better for the Redblacks.

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On the second play from scrimmage, Harris’ short pass attempt to Kian Schaffer-Baker was interrupted by Alonzo Addae, whose hard hit on the receiver popped the ball into the air.

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A.J. Allen, playing his first game against his former team, dove to make the interception, and the Redblacks offence capitalized on the turnover.

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Picking up where he left off in the second half of last Sunday’s game in Montreal, Maier orchestrated an eight-play, 42-yard drive that was finished by a dump pass to McDonald for a 15-yard touchdown.

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McDonald, who lined up a wide receiver against the Alouettes, moved inside on Friday to fill in for Keelan White, who sat out the game with an ankle injury.

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The Ottawa defence came up big on the Roughriders’ next possession.

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After limiting their guests to just one first down, former Hamilton Tiger-Cat Brian Cole II burst through the protection to block Oscar Chapman’s punt and give the Redblacks the ball on Saskatchewan’s 31-yard line.

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When Greg Bell was stuffed on a one-yard run and McDonald pulled in a six-yard pass, Ottawa had to settle for a 32-yard field goal by Lauther, a former Roughriderr.