Thursday, September 30, 2021

July 30th, 1975: Ottawa Rough Riders 31 @ Hamilton Tiger-Cats 09

John Perlberg provided us with this statistical gem Tuesday night on Twitter following the REDBLACKS win over Edmonton.


Why, thank you for the post inspiration! I tracked down the Ottawa Journal summary of that game for your reading pleasure.

I find it interesting that so many of us are irritated by mid-week games yet I've come across a few from the past recently. You'll note that this one was played on a Wednesday. While gathering results from the late 40s, I noticed there were some mid-week games back then as well when games were only played within the Big Four teams, so not as a results of an odd number of teams in the league. Evidently, for a spell, playing on a Tuesday or Wednesday wasn't that unusual. 


Wednesday, September 29, 2021

Sept 28th, 2021: Edmonton Elks 24 @ Ottawa REDBLACKS 34

The game summary below is a slightly reduced version of the one that appears on cfl.ca. The quotes ate the bottom were lifted from two separate Ottawa Sun articles. 

OTTAWA — Led by rookie quarterback Caleb Evans, the Ottawa REDBLACKS notched their second win of the season with a victory over the Edmonton Elks.

With injuries at the quarterback position heading into the contest, Evans was thrust into his first CFL start on Tuesday night and helped Ottawa to a 34-24 win. The REDBLACKS pivot threw three touchdown passes in the game to Kenny Stafford, Ryan Davis and Timothy Flanders...

Ottawa’s special teams got in on the action as well with electrifying returner DeVonte Dedmon scoring on a punt return. The team’s defensive effort included four sacks on Elks’ quarterback Taylor Cornelius and two timely interceptions from Antoine Pruneau and Brandin Dandridge. SAM linebacker Don Unamba led the way for the home team on defence as well, tallying one of the aforementioned sacks along with a forced fumble and a game-high nine tackles.

...

Caleb Evans started the game for the home team, leading his REDBLACKS down the field and scoring a touchdown on the first drive of the evening. It was Ryan Davis who hauled in the 20-yard touchdown pass from Evans but not before the receiver threw a 37-yard pass to Kenny Stafford on the previous play, as Ottawa dug into their bag of tricks early. With the point after, the REDBLACKS took an early 7-0 lead.

Caleb Evans photography by Scott Grant, Image Communications

Taylor Cornelius then hit the turf for the Elks looking to respond but Don Unamba stripped the ball from Greg Ellingson on the first play of the drive. Ottawa recovered and brought their offence right back onto the field.

And the scoring didn’t stop there for Ottawa. Evans connected with Timothy Flanders (after Evans scampered 17 yards himself on the drive) and the running back rumbled his way into the end zone for the 15-yard score. With Lewis Ward’s point after, the REDBLACKS took a 14-0 lead just five minutes into the contest.

The big plays kept coming for the REDBLACKS from their rookie QB as the game was progressing. Ottawa was pinned in their own zone and Evans decided to stretch the field with a 44-yard pass to R.J. Harris as the first quarter was coming to a close. However, the Elks defence held strong on the drive and Ottawa had to punt the ball away to finish out the first frame.

....

DeVonte Dedmon‘s ensuing return, along with a 15-yard unnecessary roughness penalty on Edmonton, moved Evans and co. deep into Elks territory. After missing Anthony Coombs in the end zone and completing an eight-yard pass to Harris, the REDBLACKS settled for a field goal on third down, as Ward connected on his 15-yard attempt. That increased Ottawa’s lead to 17-0 midway through the second frame.

Ottawa’s defence continued to flex their muscles when Edmonton hit the field on their ensuing drive. Cleyon Laing stopped James Wilder Jr. on the first play of the drive, holding him to a two-yard gain, and that was followed by a Davon Coleman sack on Cornelius for a loss of seven yards, forcing the visitors to punt once again.

Edmonton got on the scoreboard with under three minutes left in the half. Cornelius aired things out, finding Shai Ross down field for the 77-yard touchdown score. With the completed convert, the Elks cut the REDBLACKS lead to 17-7.

....

To start the second half, the Elks went two-and-out as their first drive ended with Unamba getting the sack on Cornelius. On the ensuing punt, Dedmon did what Dedmon does best and took it all the way to the house for the 73-yard return touchdown. That score, along with the convert, extended Ottawa’s lead to 24-7.

Edmonton responded with a score of their own when they got the ball back, as Cornelius moved the Elks offence down the field 77 yards on seven plays to set up Ellingson’s first touchdown of 2021. The 18-yard touchdown and the completed convert cut Ottawa’s lead to 24-14.

Momentum continued to swing the Elks way late in the third frame, as Cornelius moved the chains into field goal range. Sean Whyte booted a 48-yarder with four minutes left in the quarter, cutting the REDBLACKS lead to 24-17.

On Ottawa’s next possession, they responded with a field goal, as Ward connected on his 32-yard attempt to cap the six-play, 30-yard drive that was highlighted by a 17-yard catch-and-run from Davis. That score increased the REDBLACKS lead to 27-17 as the third quarter came to a close.

Just as Edmonton was moving down the field and into scoring range to start the final frame, Cornelius was looking for Mike Jones in the end zone but the REDBLACKS defence was right there for the timely interception. Brandin Dandridge picked off the Elks pivot, bringing Evans and co. back into the game.

Brendan Gillanders photography by Scott Grant, Image Communications

Edmonton’s defence did their part, however, not allowing the REDBLACKS to capitalize on the turnover as Richie Leone had to punt the ball away.

The REDBLACKS defence continued their strong play late in the contest as they tallied their third sack of the night, with Avery Ellis getting to the Elks QB. That sack forced Edmonton to punt the ball away with 10 minutes left in the game.

When Evans got back on the field on the next drive, he called his own number twice (a 14-yard gain followed by a one-yard pick up) and then tossed an 18-yard pass to Davis. That moved the REDBLACKS deep into Edmonton’s zone. Following a two-yard gain from Davis, Stafford hauled in his first touchdown as a REDBLACK. The five-play, 42-yard drive, along with the convert, extended Ottawa’s lead to 34-17.

Edmonton wasn’t done scoring, however. With five minutes left in the game, Cornelius moved his team’s offence down the field to set up Ross’ second touchdown of the evening. That score, along with the point after, cut the REDBLACKS lead to 34-24.

With under two minutes left on the clock, the Elks were hoping to move down the field to try for a comeback but Antoine Pruneau intercepted Edmonton’s pivot to seal the deal for the home team.






QUOTES

Said Redblacks safety Antoine Pruneau (playing in his 100th CFL game), who had an interception and a fumble recovery: “There’s something I keep reminding myself – (former NBA star) Steve Nash said in his Hall of Fame speech, ‘Enjoy the plateaus, because they’re going to become a springboard to your next destination.’ I hope it’s going to be exactly that for us, that we can get back on track now and take that train to the station.”

“The emotions were high,” said (Caleb) Evans. “Timothy Flanders was telling me, ‘Take deep breaths when you’re out there.’ It’s football so you come and do what you normally do – it’s just pitch and catch. Hit the guys when they’re open, throw to somebody else when they’re not or use my legs. I was just trying to take what the defence was giving me.”

“Through training camp, he showed accuracy with the football,” said (Head Coach Paul) LaPolice. “He has the ability to use his legs and he certainly has a strong arm. Hats off to the kid. This is not an easy situation – for a kid to step in and play a professional football game without ever playing in a (professional football) pre-season game. Three touchdowns, zero interceptions – it was just an outstanding performance from him. We’ll work on the things he’s got to clean up. But he put us in a position to win a football game.”

“It was a great, great win, it was a great, great atmosphere for our fans – thank you, fans, for coming out,” said Stafford, who caught two passes, one for a touchdown, in his second game with the Redblacks. “Caleb played a hell of a game with him being a rookie. All night, he was out there playing unconscious. He was just letting it fly like he was back in high school back or college. It was a beautiful thing to see him do that. It seemed like after that first series, everything was clicking for us. We didn’t look back."

Sunday, September 26, 2021

Sept 25th, 2021: Carleton 30 @ York 17

TORONTO - The Carleton Ravens wasted little time getting their offence started on Saturday afternoon scoring twice in the opening four minutes on route to a 30-17 victory.


The Ravens offence established a rhythm early mounting strong drives leading to an opening field goal by Brandon Forcier (Sainte-Ange, Que.) On the next York possession, the Ravens Zendrew Audain Altidor would recover a first-down fumble setting up another Ravens drive. That next Ravens drive took only one play as Tanner DeJong (Ottawa, Ont.) would find Glodin Mulali (Moncton, N.B.) for a 32-yard touchdown.

/

Despite the strong offensive start, it was the Ravens’ defence that starred early and often. In the first half, the Ravens smothered the Lions, consistently forcing the Lions into two-and-out situations through a mix of pressures. By the end of the first half, the Lions had only managed 76 yards against the high pressure of the Ravens defence. In total, the Ravens held the Lions to 220 yards and only 11 first downs. 





Banner image taken from the Ravens' Instagram account, stats copied from the OUA website, text lifted from the Ravens website. 

Thursday, September 23, 2021

Oct 22nd, 1988: Calgary Stampeders 03 @ Ottawa Rough Riders 19

The Ottawa REDBLACKS seem to not tire of embarrassing themselves of late. They made sure to not squander another opportunity to do so last night in losing 24-07 to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in front of a rain-drenched home crowd, scoring zero points on offence while giving up six when Dominique Davis had an interception returned for a score.

The loss marked 11 in a row at home for the Redblacks. The record for consecutive home losses is held by none other than, naturally, the Ottawa Rough Riders

The 1987 team started the season 2-1. The defeated Toronto at home 34-27 on July 11th and things were looking up following a 3-14-1 record in 1986. They returned to their old ways though and won only one more game the rest of the way, in Saskatchewan, to end the year 3-15. 

Then came...Super Season 88!! The team cranked up the hype, being hosts of the Grey Cup game that year.

Then they promptly crapped their pants (figuratively). They won in Winnipeg early in the season then carrying a 1-14 record into their home contest against Calgary, they finally managed another victory, their first since that game against the Argos in July of the previous year. The summary of that game awaits you below.




The article above was written by Wayne Scanlan. 

I don't know how accurate the Wikipedia entry for CFL team records is, but if that page is to be believed, Ottawa owns the second-longest streak of home losses as well. The 1928 to 1932 Rough Riders lost 12 straight. Next Tuesday, the Redblacks could tie that total as they work their way to the top spot.

Yikes.

Tuesday, September 21, 2021

"(Alonzo) Addae Named Ronnie Lott Impact Trophy National Defensive Player of the Week"

At the risk of seeming to state the obvious, the Redblacks seemed particularly focused on future seasons with their 2021 draft selection. You can occasionally find guys that will contribute in their draft year but every player chosen by the team this past spring still had college/university eligibility left and was expected to go back to school. 

That includes Alonzo Addae, the team's selection in the second-round. And he appears to be making the most of his additional university experience. He was honoured earlier today for his performance this past weekend against Virginia Tech. 
 
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif. – Alonzo Addae of West Virginia has been named the Lott IMPACT Trophy Player of the Week.

The 5-foot-10, 190-pound safety from Pickering, Ontario, had 10 tackles, including four solo stops and a sack, in the win over Virginia Tech, 27-21.

Addae is a sixth-season senior, having been awarded the extra year due to the NCAA COVID-19 eligibility ruling.

He is the team's third-leading tackler with 17 tackles, including 10 solo stops, one sack, three tackles for loss and a team-leading two pass breakups.
 
He is a Big 12 Commissioner's Honor Roll student and is working on his master's degree in sport management.

Named after Pro Football Hall of Fame member, Ronnie Lott, The Lott IMPACT® Trophy is awarded to college football's Defensive IMPACT Player of the Year. Founded in 2004 by The Pacific Club IMPACT Foundation, The Lott Trophy is the first and only college football award to equally recognize athletic performance and the personal character attributes of the player. 

The Lott IMPACT Trophy is given to the player who exhibits the same characteristics Lott embodied during his distinguished career: Integrity, Maturity, Performance, Academics, Community and Tenacity. Voters for the award include selected members of the national media, previous finalists, the Board of Directors of the Pacific Club IMPACT® Foundation and a distinguished group of former college football head coaches.  

There are no guarantees he'll ever wear a Redblacks uniform and even if he did it may take years for that to come to pass, but it's easy to see why the team was interested in him.

Wednesday, September 1, 2021

Sure, Eight Interceptions Is Impressive, But...

Prior to the REDBLACKS' game against BC this past weekend, I located and posted what I believe to be the first regular season contest between the two teams. It turned out to be one of the first-ever regular East vs. West contests following the formation of the CFL, so a bit more historic than I thought.

I wanted to find a similarly historic event between Ottawa and Montreal in light of the game between the two teams this coming Friday night. I was reminded that Ottawa once picked off eight pass attempts by Montreal in a single game so I tracked that down. 

I was initially confused. I had read that the game took place on October 12th, 1947, and that Ottawa won (as you'd expect, when intercepting eight passes) 22-03. Yet when I pulled up the October 13th, 1947, Ottawa Citizen, it made reference to a loss by Ottawa to Montreal, 07-01. What the hell?

There were actually two game summaries in that paper because there were two games played that weekend. Ottawa hosted Montreal on October 11th, a Saturday, then the two teams played again the next day in Montreal. There were no Sunday papers then so both game summaries were in the Monday paper and I just happened to land on the wrong one. Hence the mention of "yesterday's performance" in the partial article below. 


That would be Howie Turner referred to in the first paragraph. With the score 6-3 in Ottawa's favour, Turner picked off Montreal passer Tommy Cates and ran "nearly forty yards" for the TD to make the game 12-03 at halftime. Then....


There you go. Now about those frayed tempers...


A couple of notable Jakes there. Dunlap played with the Ottawa Trojans for one year and seven seasons with the Rough Riders (and time with the Argos and TiCats as well). He has been general manager of the team and also a part owner.

Gaudar doesn't have much history within the Ottawa region as such, though he was on the 1943 Ottawa Combines team, but he was league commissions from 1968 to 1984.

Those two teams had quite a few people that would go on to be very influential, but that day they were just getting their noses bloodied.