Redblacks lose game to Ticats, Pickett to injury

Article content

Tiger-Cats 37, Redblacks 21

After losing defensive pulse Adarius Pickett to a leg injury on the very first play from scrimmage Saturday, the Ottawa Redblacks aimlessly fumbled their way around Tim Hortons Field until the fourth quarter.

By that time, even Jeremiah Masoli’s heroics couldn’t save them.

Returning to his old stomping grounds, the former Hamilton Tiger-Cat star orchestrated touchdown drives on his first two possessions, turning a 29-6 deficit into a one-score Canadian Football League game.

Article content

But, rather than complete a rally that would have clinched a playoff spot, the Redbacks fell 37-21 to the last-place Hamilton Tiger-Cats.

“Just felt like we put ourselves in a hole early on, with penalties and stuff like that,” Masoli, who completed 13 of 19 pass attempts for 183 yards and the scores before throwing a couple of interceptions in relieve of struggling starter Dru Brown, told TSN 1200’s A.J. Jakubec. “As an offence, we were still able to put some drives together and really get into their territory, but we just weren’t able to finish. So it was just a little too much for us to overcome today.”

The loss dropped Ottawa to 8-4-1, while Hamilton improved to 4-9.

The penalties were costly — the Redblacks were flagged 10 times for 87 yards while the Tiger-Cats were called just three times for 57 yards, including a 37-yard pass interference penalty on the Redblacks first offensive play.

But even more detrimental were six turnovers: fumbles by Brown and Dom Rhymes; a total of three interceptions; and a failed third-down gamble on their own 39-yard line, leading to a Hamilton field goal.

Article content

Article content

Brown completed 17 of 27 pass attempts for 164 yards and, on his last play of the day, gave up an interception, but head coach Bob Dyce confirmed after the game that Brown will start next Saturday’s home showdown with the Montreal Alouettes at TD Place.

“This is a tough league, and you got to bring your best every single week,” Dyce told Jakubec. “And this wasn’t our best. All of us. From coaches to to the players. And, if you don’t play great for four quarters, I don’t care who you’re playing, you’re not going to have a successful day. And today we did not.”

Dyce said he replaced Brown with Masoli to give the team a spark.

“We just hadn’t had any real continuity offensively,” Dyce said.

Along with losing Pickett, the Redblacks, already ravaged by injuries, also saw starting left tackle Dino Boyd leave the game with an injury in the second half.

Like Pickett, fellow linebacker Frankie Griffin left early, favouring one arm, but did return.

Dyce didn’t have any updates on the newest rash of injuries after the game.

The Redblacks managed only six first downs and six points — on Lewis Ward field goals of 24 and 30 yards — while allowing the home team to put up 21 on the board in the opening half.

Article content

Ottawa gave up an early 83-yard punt-return touchdown return by Lawrence Woods III, who came off the practice roster for his first game since June 30, and a 54-yard Bo Levi Mitchell to Steven Dunbar Jr. pass-and-run in the last minute of the first half.

“We should have made the tackle … We had them wrapped up, that simple,” Dyce told Jakubec of the Woods return. “I don’t like to say things unless I’ve been able to really analyze it, but we’ve got to get everybody to the ball. And, even though we didn’t make the play on that, there should have been extra bodies there to clean it up when he did break the tackle.”

The Redblacks scored their first touchdown of the day on Masoli’s first series early in the fourth quarter with a third-down, 13-yard pass to Dre Miller.

With his next chance, Masoli led the Redblacks on an eight-series, 84-yard drive that culminated with a 10-yard scoring toss to Rhymes.

The Redblacks made it a one-score game when Khalan Laborn scored on the two-point conversion.

The Tiger-Cats immediately stole momentum back, though, with a seven-play, 64-yard drive that ended with Greg Bell’s 15-yard run into the end-zone.

Article content

That touchdown illustrated how much the Redblacks missed not only Pickett, but also starting middle linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox, both of whom were watching on crutches from the sidelines.

When Masoli returned for his third series, he underthrew a wide-open Justin Hardy, who would have had an easy touchdown. Instead the pass was picked off by Hamilton’s Destin Talbert.

Masoli, who was also picked off by Jamal Peters, also overthrew Hardy on what would have been another score.

“Felt all right, getting more comfortable, but, obviously, wanted those last two throws back,” Masoli said in reference to the interceptions. “We had one there to already down the middle that just kind of surprised me and I wasn’t able to get enough on it, so that could have changed the game right there. But, besides that, we just continue to keep getting better. Trusting the teammates, learning from Dru, watching him operate the offence this whole year has been good for me as well. So just getting more comfortable as the time goes.”

The Redblacks did get into the end zone once in the opening half, when defensive back Damon Webb picked up a fumble and ran 98 yards untouched. However, the play was called back when it was ruled that Bell’s fumble had been caused by the ground.

It would have been the third TD in two games for Webb.

Meanwhile, Hardy went over the 1,000-yard mark in receiving with eight catches for 103 yards, giving him 1,013 on the season.

Rhymes led Redblacks receivers on Saturday with his second triple-digit performance in a row, grabbing 10 passes for 129 yards.

Laborn was Ottawa’s top rusher with 13 carries for 84 yards, most of which came after Masoli entered the game.

On defence, Alijah McGhee had a forced fumble and Davion Taylor made the recovery, while Brandin Dandridge added an interception.

Article content