Redblacks ride roughshod over Stampeders (& 10 other thoughts)

By
Santino Filoso
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Photo courtesy: Scott Grant/CFLPhotoArchive.com

Despite boasting a 4-2 record heading into last night’s game, some around the league — and in Ottawa itself — still weren’t convinced that the Redblacks were for real. Wins were chalked up to luck or the result of playing bad teams.

That’s why last night’s dominating 33-6 win over the visiting Calgary Stampeders was so important. Not only was it crucial for positioning in the standings, but it also sent a message. The win was good, but how it happened was even better; outclassing their opponent in all three phases of play.

Here are my thoughts on the game.

1) It was a clinical performance from Dru Brown. The 27-year-old pivot shredded Calgary’s secondary, completing 81 percent of his passes (30-of-37) for 325 yards and a touchdown.

What made Brown’s game even more impressive was that after the team lost their starting running back in the second quarter — more on that in a minute — and the Stamps knew Ottawa would lean on their aerial attack, he still moved the ball with ease.

Brown spread the ball around to seven different receivers and for the fourth time this season, kept a clean sheet in the turnover column. What stood out most — aside from his willingness to stand in the pocket while under heavy blitz pressure — was just how precise he was with his throws. More than once it seemed like a pass was at risk of being picked off, but instead landed between the numbers of an Ottawa receiver.

2) Offensive coordinator Tommy Condell called a heck of a game. Not only did the Redblacks rack up 24 first downs and 380 yards of offence, but they did so by averaging 8.2 yards per first down play on a night when they didn’t have a true running back on the field for more than half of the game. Calgary was kept off-balance by a good mix of screens, swing passes, and misdirection.

Ottawa scored on six of their twelve possessions and converted 47 percent of their second down opportunities. Of their four trips inside the red zone, two resulted in touchdowns.

3) It was not a banner night for rookie American running back Ryquell Armstead. After being flagged in the first quarter for objectionable conduct, he was flagged again in the second quarter for unnecessary roughness. The two misconduct penalties meant an automatic game ejection.

You never like to see a player get flagged for something done after the whistle and once they’re sitting on one misconduct, you’d like to think they would be extra careful not to get a second. Unfortunately, that was not the case.

What made Armstead’s ejection even trickier was that for the first time this season, the Redblacks only dressed a single running back. This was in response to Canadian defensive lineman Kene Onyeka being healthy and returning to the game-day roster.

Part of the reason the team felt comfortable arranging their roster that way was because of Bralon Addison’s experience and ability to rush the ball. Frequently this season, Condell has worked in handoffs and sweeps to his receivers and that was how Ottawa managed Armstead’s absence.

Once he was gone, Addison and Justin Hardy went on to combine for seven carries and 56 yards. Three of those carries went for 10+ yards.

Obviously, it wasn’t an ideal situation but all things considered, it worked out okay, mainly because of how effective Brown was passing the ball.

4) For the second time in three weeks, Kalil Pimpleton thrilled R-Nation with an electric performance. The 24-year-old made a game-high seven catches for 80 yards and was Ottawa’s most-targeted receiver. What’s most encouraging about his performance is that the speedster isn’t just running go routes but working the entire route tree.

As for the rest of the receiving corps, Dominique Rhymes hauled in five passes for 75 yards and Justin Hardy turned seven targets in seven catches for 65 yards.

Jaelon Acklin made five catches for 35 yards and a touchdown, while Addison tacked on three catches to go along with his five carries. Canadian rookie Nick Mardner made one catch for five yards.

5) It’s more than a bit ironic that after struggling to open lanes in the ground game in recent weeks, Ottawa’s offensive line got their rushing attack back on track on a night when they didn’t have a running back for most of the game.

Left tackle Dino Boyd was a late scratch for personal reasons and Drake Centers filled in admirably. The Redblacks averaged 6.6 yards per rush and paved the way for 79 yards on 12 carries.

In terms of pass protection, the Stampeders blitzed frequently and more often than not, Ottawa had an answer. That said, they did concede three sacks on their 37 dropbacks.

Overall though, it was a strong performance for the unit considering that both of the tackle roles were being played by backups with Jacob Ruby still starting for the injured Zack Pelehos.

6) For the second game in a row, Barron Miles’ defence dominated. The group swarmed to the ball and delivered punishing hits when they arrived at the ball carrier.

Whatever the Stamps tried to do, Ottawa had an answer. Of Calgary’s 13 possessions, ten gained 17 yards or less. The Redblacks forced two turnovers on downs, notched four sacks and limited Calgary to just eight-of-22 on second down (35 percent) while only conceding 241 yards of offence.

Several players deserve shout-outs for how they played. Linebackers Jovan Santos-Knox and Davion Taylor combined for nine tackles, two for a loss, and a knockdown. Defensive backs Damon Webb and Deandre Lamont both made four tackles, with the former also knocking down a pass at the goal line.

Defensive lineman Bryce Carter had a whale of a game, making three tackles and two sacks. Not to be outdone, Lorenzo Mauldin also made three tackles and had a sack of his own.

In his first game of the season, Canadian Kene Onyeka made a tackle and a sack.

7) Another game, another four field goals for kicker Lewis Ward. The seventh-year pro split the uprights from 40, 23, 42 and 34 yards out for another perfect kicking game. With the 12 points scored against Calgary, Ward now accounts for 81 of the 179 points Ottawa has scored in 2024.

Richie Leone punted six times for an average field flip of 38.8 yards, and the Redblacks did an excellent job of limiting Calgary’s return game. Adarius Pickett, Lucas Cormier, Ty Cranston and Gary Johnson each made two special teams tackles.

Johnson also led the blocking convoy down the sidelines on Pimpleton’s touchdown return in the third quarter.

8) Speaking of Pimpleton, in addition to his great game catching the ball, he did a hell of a DeVonte Dedmon impression returning it.

Obviously, there was the 99-yard punt return touchdown that speaks for itself, but he returned seven other punts and averaged a healthy 20.3 yards per. He only returned a single kickoff but that went for 47 yards — and nearly much more.

Whenever Dedmon gets healthy again, perhaps as soon as the week after the bye, Ottawa will face some tough decisions on how to manage their roster. Opposing teams won’t love the idea of kicking to either of Ottawa’s dangerous returners.

9) For the first nine seasons of the franchise’s existence, wins at TD Place were somewhat of a rarity. Not so in 2024, as this Redblacks squad is currently 4-0 at Lansdowne.

That’s what makes it so disappointing that many in R-Nation are slow to return to the stadium after a rough half-decade. Not counting pandemic crowd limits in 2021, last night’s crowd of 17,267 was the team’s second lowest turnout ever.

Full marks to those members of R-Nation who were in attendance — they were loud and rowdy — but it would really be great to see a fuller stadium. This is the best team Ottawa has fielded since 2018. Hopefully, fans won’t waste the opportunity to properly embrace them.

10) At 5-2, head coach Bob Dyce has his team off to the best start in Redblacks’ franchise history. With the win, Ottawa heads in their second bye week on a high, firmly entrenched in second place in the East Division and just a single game back of Montreal at 6-1.

Off next week, once the Redblacks return to play they’ll welcome a strong Saskatchewan squad into TD Place, where they’ll look to remain undefeated.

Santino Filoso
Santino Filoso
Santino Filoso is originally from Ottawa and has written about the Redblacks since 2013. He is the only CFL writer currently living in Brazil (as far as we know).

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