'THIS WON'T DEFINE US': Ottawa Redblacks look to bounce back from loss to B.C. Lions

Published Sep 02, 2024  •  4 minute read

Ottawa Redblacks quarterback Dru Brown is sacked by B.C. Lions' Christian Covington. The Canadian Press

As much frustration and disappointment as there was for the Ottawa Redblacks in a bad loss to the B.C. Lions on Saturday, the team already has moved past it.

It’s done.

The focus is now on a Saturday home date with the Toronto Argonauts.

As much of a mismatch Saturday’s game was — with the Lions dismantling the Redblacks in just about every way imaginable in a 38-12 win — it was one game. Just one game.

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For context, the Redblacks’ previous loss had came July 5, nearly two months ago.

Also remember that the Redblacks beat the Lions 34-27 the previous week.

Saturday’s setback was every bit as ugly as it sounds: The Redblacks were flatter than flat and the Lions, who came into the game on a five-game losing skid, looked like the Lions should look, boosted by the return of defensive end Mathieu Betts, who signed in the middle of the week after being released by the Detroit Lions.

There’s no panic button for the Redblacks. With their six-game undefeated streak gone, the Redblacks are still 7-3-1 and they have the second-best record in the CFL.

Let’s circle back to Saturday, where the Redblacks trailed 31-6 at halftime.

Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown wasn’t good enough, running back Ryquell Armstead wasn’t good enough, the offensive line wasn’t good enough, the defence wasn’t good enough. And, there were too many penalties — way too many.

The Lions offence, led by QB Nathan Rourke, in his third game back in B.C. after being waived by the NFL’s Atlanta Falcons, looked terrific.

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Rourke completed 16-of-20 passes for 246 yards just in the first half, shredding the Redblacks defence. With the Lions going into lead maintenance mode in the second half, Rourke ended up with 325 yards passing with three touchdown passes.

Brown completed 21-of-33 passes for 206 yards with an interception. There was also this: Ottawa had just 44 yards rushing, 24 of those from Armstead.

In the moments after the game, Brown told TSN 1200’s AJ Jakubec: “This won’t define us, we’ll be OK. It’s one game, we played poorly. We’ll come back next week, we’ll execute better and we’ll be better.”

The Lions had their offence, which had been lacklustre through much of the losing skid, humming against an Ottawa team that didn’t do a great job of defending.

“We started slow and didn’t really speed up,” Redblacks coach Bob Dyce said.

Let’s look at some of the statistics, which paint an accurate picture of how the game went.

B.C. had 29 first downs, Ottawa had 14. Ottawa had 12 penalties for 144 yards, B.C. had four for 40. B.C. had four sacks, Ottawa had one. Time of Possession favoured B.C. 33:46-26:14. B.C. completed four passes of 30 yards or more, Ottawa had none.

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“It was tough,” Brown said. “They came out ready to play, we didn’t. You watch it, dissect it, see what you can do better, then you flush it.”

Asked about the offence, he said: “(The Lions) made good adjustments, but you still think you can execute regardless of what they do. Ultimately, it comes down to me, my decision making and getting the ball to guys in space.”

One Redblacks defender who was all over the field was linebacker Frankie Griffin, who had 10 tackles.

Asked about the loss, he said: “I don’t think they were hungrier. But, across the board, we weren’t playing our best football.”

Injuries to linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox (knee) and receivers Bralon Addison (hand) and Jaelon Acklin (head) hurt Ottawa, which also lost elite returner DeVonte Dedmon (hand) and defensive end Bryce Carter (hip) during Saturday’s game.

Dedmon was Ottawa’s best weapon Saturday — he had a 54-yard punt return and a 73-yard run on a B.C. missed field goal (offensive lineman Sukh Chungh made the touchdown-saving tackle). A 60-yard kickoff return was wiped out by a holding penalty.

Worth mentioning was the exceptional effort shown by Marco Dubois, who chased down B.C. returner Terry Williams from behind on a 72-yard punt return, preventing a touchdown. Dubois also was on the receiving end of a trick-play 27-yard pass from punter Richie Leone.

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Santos Knox and Addison both have been added to the six-game injured list, though Dyce doesn’t think their injuries are season-ending. Acklin is also on the six-game list, but it’s possible he could be back in the lineup early.

Eli Stove, one of the replacements Saturday, was Ottawa’s leading receiver with eight catches (on nine targets) for 73 yards.

“I’m not really a personal stat guy,” Stove told Jakubec. “I’m more of a team man. I don’t care how much I had or how many passes I caught. We didn’t get a win, so I can’t be happy.”

Now, it’s all about preparing to face the Argos at TD Place, where the Redblacks have yet to lose this season.

“Focus on the next game, focus on what we have to do,” Griffin said when asked about what needs to happen in the coming days. “Rest up and attack the day on Day 1 (of practice).”

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