This feature has only been running for two weeks, and for the second time, I’m writing about the Ottawa Redblacks. The purpose of this piece is to analyse the biggest play or plays of the week, so until someone else steps up, this will continue to be the Dustin Crum Report.
I’ve noticed a trend with Crum, other than his tendency to crush the dreams of opposing teams in overtime. When the game is on the line, he looks for Nate Behar.
That may seem obvious in examining Behar’s stats over the past two weeks, during which time he’s caught 18 passes on 24 targets for 168 yards and a touchdown. However, it’s worth noting that 14 of those targets came in the fourth quarter or overtime, three of which were on critical two-point conversions.
When asked about Behar, Crum told TSN’s Brit Dort, “He’s the guy that’s always going to run good routes for me, create separation, and knowing in that situation when we absolutely have to have it, he’s going to be one of those guys you can lean on as a quarterback.”
It’s safe to say Nate Behar is Crum’s go-to guy.
The wheel
With a minute and a half remaining against the Calgary Stampeders on Sunday, the game was truly on the line for Ottawa. They hadn’t scored any points on their previous three drives and were down 32-28, facing a second-and-nine from Calgary’s 23-yard-line.
DUSTIN CRUM ➡️ NATE BEHAR 🤯
TUNE IN: TSN, RDS, CFL+ & CBS SN pic.twitter.com/sdABW0Mtrp
— CFL (@CFL) July 24, 2023
As they did repeatedly in the late stages of last week’s comeback over Winnipeg, Ottawa lined up two receivers to each side with split backs flanking Crum to help with protection.
Calgary was in cover one but were a man short because linebacker Cameron Judge was spying Crum. Calgary used Judge as a spy a lot leading up to this point of the game to help ensure Crum didn’t hurt them with his legs, but this was largely unsuccessful. Ottawa quickly started accounting for Judge in their run-blocking and on quarterback scrambles, he kept getting caught in the wash. Crum finished with nine carries for 63 yards and a two-point conversion.
Ottawa didn’t send any receivers to the middle of the field on this play, which essentially eliminated Judge from the action. Crum had far easier options available but Behar is clearly his number one target in crunch time.
Siaosi Mariner got open on a 13-yard out, Justin Hardy had a large cushion on a 10-yard hook, and Devonte Williams had a lot of space after leaking out of the backfield. Crum never even looked at them.
Behar had a wheel route but because he was facing man coverage, he ran it like a chair route or an out-and-up, making it a double move. This is an unusual route for an outside receiver because of the lack of space but Behar lined up on the inside of the numbers, giving him room to operate.
Crum pump-faked to Behar on the speed-out portion of the route and Behar actually looked back for the ball, which is a crucial detail. The pump fake itself does nothing against press man coverage because the defender has an inside shade and is honed in on the receiver. Behar’s quick glance as he came out of his turn was what sold the double move to cornerback Natrell Jamerson and the receiver created three yards of separation as he turned up the sideline.
Despite the increased protection against a four-man rush, Crum got hammered as he released the ball and was unable to step into it. The Stampeders had an inside twist called, which resulted in Ottawa centre Cyrille Hogan-Saindon being put on skates by Mike Rose, who drove into Crum’s midsection.
This caused the ball to be under-thrown, though Behar was able to out-leap Jamerson to pluck it out of the air for the go-ahead touchdown.
The speed out
With the game tied 41-41 in overtime and Ottawa forced to go for two due to the CFL’s overtime rules, Dustin Crum went right back to his favourite target.
NATE BEHAR.
BALL GAME. pic.twitter.com/YixcIKcZnY
— CFL (@CFL) July 24, 2023
Calgary had been playing Ottawa aggressively all night inside the red zone, which Ottawa surely anticipated in this situation. Seven Stampeders showed pressure pre-snap and all of them came, leaving a vulnerable cover zero on the back end. Redblacks’ right guard Jacob Ruby was the unsung hero because he blocked both Cameron Judge and Titus Wall, allowing Crum to plant his feet and zip it in to Behar on the speed out.
Ottawa had trips to the right with Behar lined up as the inside-most receiver. He drew coverage from rookie safety Michael Griffin, so he definitely had the best matchup on this play. Jaelon Acklin and Raphael Leonard both cleared out to create space for Behar, who took advantage of Griffin’s heavy inside shade. The result for Ottawa was a successful conversion and a second straight walk-off winner.
Young quarterbacks need a receiver they can trust with the game on the line. Crum has survived a number of high-pressure moments over the past two weeks thanks to the play of Nate Behar, which will only serve to increase the 24-year old’s trust in him.
Crum and Behar will look to continue their success when they host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday, though the Ticats now have two weeks of very helpful film to study.
