Williams went on to lead the team in carries rushing yards, receptions, and reception yards. He finished the game with 17 carries for 146 yards, and 4 receptions for 69 yards. He would have to watch as his touchdowns were vultured by every other ball carrier however. Dustin Crum, Ante Milanovic-Litre, and Tyrell Pigrome all scored on the ground. They also looked to Pigrome three straight times on the one yard line only to walk away empty handed.
I understand the hesitancy to give Williams more of a role on offense given his size but at this rate at 3-9 having accounted for three of Hamilton’s five wins the Redblacks have no choice but to win more games than Hamilton, Calgary, and Edmonton to make the playoffs as it stands every one of those teams has beaten Ottawa at least once. Currently Calgary is 4-9, and Edmonton is 3-10. The frustrating part about this team is their ability to play up or down to any opponent. They can beat team’s like Winnipeg, and Calgary, only to turn around and lose to Edmonton, or Hamilton three times.
First Half Miscues
In the first half alone the Redblacks managed to leave at least 12 points on the board. With two missed field goals, an interception, the turnover on downs, and the fumble by Devonte Williams. This can not continue to happen if Ottawa is ever going to climb out of the hole they have dug for themselves. If we are being honest, Ottawa has a lot of talent on this team but currently mistakes, and the pass defense are overshadowing how good this team can be.
Injuries haven
217;t helped but the depth on this team has been truly remarkable. Dustin Crum was once our fourth string quarterback, sitting on the practice roster. At running back Demontre Tuggle has been on and off the active roster but has come up clutch when counted on, including a 100 yard rushing game earlier this season. Jovan Santos-Knox, and Blessman Ta’ala both missed a significant amount of time, yet he run defense didn’t miss a beat and kept dominating.Unfortunately, this comes back to coaching. I am a huge Bob Dyce fan but so far it’s not looking good for his long-term prospects as Ottawa’s Head Coach. He has done a tremendous job of eliminating penalties, but I would rather have penalties than turnovers especially five in the first half alone. The fact that Ottawa only lost by 3 after all that happened in this game, is a testament to how talented this team truly is.
Heading into a matchup with BC, there is a lot of work to be done in Ottawa, but most if not all of it is in the mental side of the game. Eliminating turnovers, better clock management, and more creativity on defense all need to be be explored as soon as possible so Ottawa isn’t looking at another loss this weekend. BC is currently 8-4 and sitting in third place in the league, while Ottawa has fallen to 8th. If these turnovers and miscues continue against BC Ottawa could be walking into a blowout loss.
The Redblacks have to focus on three things in this game to make sure they win a game for the first time since July.
They must produce more pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Last season Lorenzo Mauldin was the defensive player of the year for his ability to sack 16 quarterbacks. This season under Barron Miles he has 4 in 12 games. He will be lucky to have double digits by season’s end. This is across the board, given that Bryce Carter leads the team with 5. Douglas Coleman currently has 4. We need more creativity on defense to create pressure., specifically from the interior while keeping contain on the edge.
Contain Vernon Adams. Adams is one of the most athletic starting quarterbacks in the league. He has averaged 6.1 yards per carry or more the past two seasons, showing a knack for knowing when to take off and run. The problem is he can also beat you from the pocket, he is having one of his most accurate seasons to date completing over 68% of his passes. This is why getting pressure up the middle is key. Rush his timing, and keep him from escaping the pocket, and he has shown he will turn the ball over with 11 interceptions in 12 appearances.
We must find a wa
y to slow down this passing attack. What has made BC so efficient is their ability to simply take what defenses give them. Adams has spread the ball around nicely with five different pass catchers over 400 yards. They also have had seven different players catch 22 or more passes this season. The Redblacks have struggled in this area all season, and they haven’t faced many offenses that can attack a defense like BC can. If you don’t rush Adams, he will carve up this secondary.Injury Report
Where to Watch
For international viewers like myself this game can be caught at 7 pm on CFL+ for free. Canadian Viewers can find the game as usual on TSN. You can watch former Redblacks Head Coach Paul LaPolice talk about the team he coached last season, and his former assistant coach who took over for him.
Betting Odds and Prediction
The Redblacks are 9.5 underdogs in this game and most of that has to do with the defense. This match up on paper doesn’t favor Ottawa at all, and could turn into a nightmare quickly. The money line is +320 for Ottawa, and -110 for BC. Over/Under is 47 points. Ironically it wouldn’t shock me if Ottawa covered the spread in this game. This offense isn’t what I would call high scoring but like mentioned above they find ways to play up to the competition. Regardless I would be a fool to say Ottawa finds victory here.
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