REDBLACKS stun Lions with last

OTTAWA — The Ottawa REDBLACKS certainly didn’t make it easy for themselves, but in the end, they got it done. Quarterback Dustin Crum led Ottawa to a stunning 34-33 comeback victory over the BC Lions, winning it with a touchdown pass to Eugene Lewis in the dying seconds.

Down 10 at halftime, the REDBLACKS scored 18 to the Lions’ six in the final quarter of play to come out with a much-needed victory and stay in the East Division playoff picture. Crum ran in for two second-half touchdowns to go with his 301 passing yards and late touchdown toss to Lewis.

Kalil Pimpleton was Ottawa’s leading receiver on Friday night. He had seven catches for 95 yards, including a 52-yard reception which set up Lewis’ fourth-quarter touchdown.

Despite the production from their offence in recent weeks, the Lions have now dropped two in a row. Nathan Rourke threw for 284 yards, a touchdown, and a pair of interceptions. He leapt to third on the all-time passing yards leaderboard for Canadian quarterbacks.

Justin McInnis was BC’s top receiver, catching seven of 10 targets for 148 yards and a score, while James Butler rushed for 77 and got the game’s first touchdown from five yards out.

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The two teams began the ballgame by exchanging punts on the first three drives. Bryce Carter dragged Rourke to the turf on second down to bring BC’s second possession to an abrupt end as both defences dominated the early moments at TD Place Stadium.

The away team would get on the board first late in the opening quarter. Starting their drive in helpful field position, Rourke went across the middle to find the league’s leading receiver in Keon Hatcher for a 19-yard play. A couple of plays later, Rourke took it upon himself to scramble for 13, sliding to get get his team into the red zone. An incomplete pass end zone look meant BC would try for three through Sean Whyte. His 18-yarder put the Leos into a slight lead after the first quarter.

The Lions continued to keep Crum and his offence under wraps early in the second frame. Crum escaped the pocket for a 26-yard run on his team’s first drive of the quarter, but that would be the only first down of the drive. On the hosts’ second possession, Marcus Moore burst through the Ottawa offensive line to sack Crum for a nine-yard loss, leading to a two-and-out and Ottawa’s fifth straight punt.

Rourke and the BC offence got into their groove later in the quarter, putting together the game’s first touchdown drive. Rourke connected with four different pass-catchers as the Lions offence travelled 100 yards across 12 plays. Butler ran in from five yards out to secure his ninth major of the season.

A face mask penalty against Kemoko Turay helped Ottawa on their final possession of the half. After a pair of incompletions, Lewis Ward converted his 32-yard kick to put the home team on the board.

Looking to build on their lead before the break, the Lions converted on third down through Butler to keep their drive alive. With the clock stuck at three seconds, head coach Buck Pierce ensured that the Lions would have the chance to pick up points. Whyte was called on to make his second field goal of the half as the visitors went into the dressing room up 13-3.

Another sack by the Lions defensive front shut down Ottawa’s opening drive in the third quarter. This time it was Jonah Tavai who was able to get to Crum, pulling him down for the sack.

With their offence struggling, the REDBLACKS’ defence came up with a vital turnover on BC’s first possession of the half. Keon Hatcher bobbled the football which ended up in the hands of a diving Lucas Cormier for his first career interception, setting up the REDBLACKS five yards from the BC end zone. William Stanback managed to get through for a rushing score and Ward’s extra point meant they would be down three with just less than 10 minutes to go in the third.

It didn’t take the Lions very long to restore a 10-point lead. Rourke looked downfield to find a wide-open McInnis over the middle for a 51-yard score, putting BC up 20-10 midway through the quarter.

After forcing another punt out of Ottawa’s Richie Leone, the Lions boosted their advantage through their special teams unit. Seven McGee broke free for a 93-yard punt return touchdown, BC’s first kick-return score of the season.

The REDBLACKS did well to respond to the special teams score, manufacturing their second touchdown drive of the game. Crum completed four straight passes and his team picked up four first downs on the possession. It was Crum who cashed in from nine yards out after bouncing off a couple of tackles to bring Ottawa within striking distance of their opponent. Ward sent the extra point wide to leave Ottawa down 11 going into the fourth quarter.

It remained an 11-point game through the first part of the fiourth after Whyte and Ward traded field goals. The REDBLACKS got the game’s next score to inch closer. Crum kickstarted the drive with an 18-yard pass to Justin Hardy and then got his second score of the night when he put his body on the line on a 13-yard touchdown run. Stanback got into the end zone on the two-point conversion to make it a three-point game midway through the final quarter.

Whyte’s fourth field goal of the night meant that Ottawa needed a touchdown after the three-minute warning. The Lions’ defence forced Ottawa into a punt and then turnover on downs after a blindside block called against Pimpleton set the REDBLACKS back.

Trying to make it a two-score game, Whyte missed a 46-yard field goal attempt, allowing Pimpleton to make a 38-yard return. An unnecessary roughness penalty against Carl Meyer tacked on another 15. Crum then delivered a 52-yard bomb to Pimpleton to give Ottawa a chance to tie it up with just seconds remaining. Lewis caught the game-tying score and Ward made no mistake with the extra point to give Ottawa a one-point lead with 17 seconds to go. From there they would survive, grabbing a remarkable 34-33 comeback victory in front of a stunned home crowd.

The Lions don’t have to wait long to get their shot at revenge against the REDBLACKS. The two clubs will meet once again in Week 15 on Friday, September 15, this time facing off at Save-on-Foods Field at BC Place.

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