Ottawa Redblacks Keep Streaking, Top BC Lions
The feel-good story of the CFL season continues, as the Ottawa Redblacks picked up a 34-27 win over the BC Lions on Saturday night.
It was not the cleanest game by either team, as they turned the ball over three times with two fumbles and one interception each. Ottawa separated themselves from BC thanks to 451 yards of offense and was better in the red zone with a 50% conversion rate to touchdown on two trips, while the Lions had a 40% conversion rate to touchdown off of five trips.
Dru Brown came out firing for the Redblacks with 390 passing yards and three touchdowns. Second overall pick Nick Mardner had the best game of his young CFL career with 95 receiving yards and the first two touchdowns of his career. Defensive lineman Michael Wakefield had one play in the second half where he sacked Nathan Rourke, stripped the ball from him and recovered his own fumble.
Many wondered if Nathan Rourke would bounce back as the Lions' starting quarterback and he did with 234 passing yards and 63 rushing yards, but had two turnovers. Running back William Stanback rushed for 99 yards in the loss.
The Redblacks have gone six straight games without a loss, moving to 7-2-1 on the season. BC is going in the opposite direction, with five consecutive losses and a 5-6 record.
3 Takeaways from Ottawa's Win Over BC
1. QB Evaluation Between Brown and Rourke
Brown won the quarterback duo on Saturday night as he returned strong from his injury after completing almost 76% of his passes against BC. Some wondered after last week if Jeremiah Masoli could make a run at the starting, just with head coach Bob Dyce shutting those conversations down. That has seemed to be the right call as Brown is still developing, but he looks like the future franchise quarterback.
Rourke showed encouraging improvement but nearly had a third turnover called off due to a penalty. CFL fans' expectations seem to have simmered for Rourke, which is correct, as he needs more time and could use some support from his offensive line to protect him better.
2. BC Has a Defensive Problem
BC's offense improved dramatically from what it looked like in the last two games. The defense, on the other hand, seems to be on a crash course to disaster, especially in the secondary. In a league that has shown that teams will make necessary coaching changes if things are bad, fans can't help but wonder if the Lions need to change something, as poor tackling and blown coverages have been the theme of this defense lately.
3. Can Ottawa Catch Up with Montreal?
It's a shame Ottawa isn't in the West, as the Redblacks would dominate that division. Unfortunately, the Montreal Alouettes are standing in their way of an East Division title. Montreal has a run with West opponents over the next three games, which means that the Week 16 matchup between the Redblacks and the Alouettes could determine who wins the division.
Up Next
- Ottawa Redblacks at BC Lions (Saturday, Aug. 31 at 7:00 pm EST)
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ANTHONY MILLER