Ottawa –
It was dicey in direction of the top, however the Ottawa Redblacks can breathe a bit of straightforward after ending a prolonged winless skid.
Dustin Crum threw a pair of landing passes and ran for one more to steer the Redblacks to a 36-28 win over the visiting Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday. The Redblacks led 36-14 late however held on for the win.
“Positively relieved. It was good to see guys step up, take that progress and be capable to end off the sport,” mentioned Crum, who completed with 243 passing yards because the Redblacks (4-10) snapped a seven-game shedding skid and saved their faint playoff hopes alive.
“Everybody says successful solves every little thing. It was irritating greater than something.”
The Roughriders (6-8) suffered their third straight loss however remained third within the CFL West. QB Jake Dolegala threw two touchdowns and handed for 291 yards.
Ottawa obtained some respiratory room underneath two minutes into the fourth quarter when Crum related on a 32-yard catch-and-run landing that led to a 29-14 lead after the Michael Domagala further level.
Crum ran for a 35-yard rating seven minutes into the quarter that led to a 38-14 lead for the Redblacks after the conversion.
The ultimate 90 seconds turned fascinating after Roughriders particular teamer Mario Alford returned a punt 106 yards for a rating slicing the Redblacks result in 36-20 after a failed two-point conversion.
Saskatchewan then recovered an onside kick, and some performs later Antonia Pipkin scored on a one-yard run with 60 seconds to play. The 2-point conversion move to Samuel Emilius was good and out of the blue it was 36-28.
It might get no nearer.
“A variety of the video games we had the lead and let it get away from us, know that we have been higher than our file indicated,” mentioned Crum of Ottawa practically blowing its lead. “Being on the fitting facet of this we’re relived and hopefully it may possibly encourage guys and get us locked into this playoff run.”
The Redblacks are chasing the Montreal Alouettes and Hamilton Tiger-Cats for a playoff berth after the CFL East-leading Toronto Argonauts clinched their spot.
“We gained this recreation tonight and that is what we have been centered on” mentioned Ottawa coach Bob Dyce. “Now we have an opportunity to play Montreal twice, which is the staff that’s proper in entrance of us, and we really feel that we management our future in that regard.
“That is what we’re centered on. We’re not wanting on the previous, we’re simply seeking to get higher every week.”
It took solely 22 seconds for the Redblacks to place up 11 factors on the finish of the primary half and switch a 13-8 deficit right into a 19-13 lead on the halfway level of the sport.
An interception by Deandre Lamont at midfield and returned to the Saskatchewan six-yard line led to a landing move from Crum to Bralon Addison on the following play. The 2-point conversion, a move from Crum to Justin Hardy, gave the Redblacks a 16-13 lead.
On the following sequence, a fumble restoration by the Redblacks led to a 42-yard subject purpose by Domagala on the buzzer despatched the house staff into the break with a 19-13 lead.
The sport was tied 7-7 to start out the second quarter however a 54-yard landing move from Dolegala to Samuel Emilus simply over a minute into the quarter put the Western Riders up 13-7 after a failed conversion.
“We’re a resilient group and we confirmed that tonight once we did not stop. Clearly we’ve got to construct on this and provide you with the identical vitality subsequent week,” Emilus mentioned.
“We simply have to return out higher within the second half higher. We got here out flat and we will not do this no extra. We’re making an attempt to get the playoff spot so we simply should make the push, and I am assured we will get it finished.”
A 54-yard punt single by Ritchie Leone narrowed that result in 13-8 with simply over three minutes to play within the half earlier than the defence allowed the offence to shine.
Saskatchewan opened the scoring within the first quarter on an 11-yard landing strike for Dolegala to Kian Schaffer-Baker 9 minutes into the sport. Brett Lauther’s further level put the Riders up 7-0.
Ottawa drew even earlier than the top of the quarter when Tyrell Pigrome scored on a one-yard run and Domagala transformed the additional level within the last minute of the quarter.
The Redblacks outscored the Riders 3-1 within the third quarter. After Adam Korsak delivered a 55-yard punt single early within the quarter slicing the result in 19-14, Domagala hit on a 32-yard subject purpose with three minutes to play within the quarter to ship the Redblacks into the ultimate quarter with a 22-14 lead.
