The Ottawa Redblacks have officially named Jeremiah Masoli their starting quarterback for Saturday’s game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
“We continued with the same thing we always did every week and had a week meeting,” head coach Bob Dyce told the media on Tuesday. “Jeremiah was very excited and anxious to go as was I, so we’re looking forward to working through this week of practice with him as our starting quarterback.”
The 34-year-old passer has been out for a year with a leg injury he sustained early last season. Nick Arbuckle started the club’s two season-opening losses, while Tyrie Adams helped lead Ottawa to a win over the Edmonton Elks this past week.
It has been a long road to recovery for Masoli, who suffered an infection to his leg following surgery. He was a limited participant in practice for the first month of the season but took first-team reps on Tuesday.
“I don’t know where I’d be without my wife and my kids, I’d probably be driven insane with this injury. They’ve given me peace and really helped me all the way to this point, not just my family here but back in the (United) States,” said Masoli. “My teammates really was a big part of me being consistent and showing up and putting in rehab work day after day.”
Masoli completed 66.7 percent of his passes last season, his first in Ottawa, for 1,083 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. He also carried the ball 11 times for 39 yards and one touchdown.
The five-foot-ten, 218-pound passer has thrown for 16,182 yards, 79 touchdowns, and 50 interceptions over the course of his decade-long CFL career, most of which was spent in Hamilton. This week will mark the first time he has had the opportunity to play against his former team.
The Redblacks (1-2) will visit the Ticats (0-3) on Saturday, July 8 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT.
