As has been the case for most of the season, the Ottawa REDBLACKS fought their way back into the game, on the road Sunday night in Edmonton, but it wasn’t enough in a 30-20 defeat at the hands of the Elks.
Dustin Crum threw for 172 yards on 17 completions, rushing for an additional 28, while Devonte Williams paced the team with 84 rushing yards and a touchdown. On defence, the REDBLACKS sacked Tre Ford twice; courtesy of Jovan Santos-Knox, and Douglas Coleman, but the Edmonton pivot picked up 317 yards through the air, passing for a touchdown to Eugene Lewis and rushing in another.
After Richie Leone opened the scoring with an Ottawa punt single, Ford capped off a drive with an eight-yard rushing touchdown early in the second quarter, putting Edmonton up 7-1. Lewis Ward answered back with a REDBLACKS field goal, but Dean Faithfull soon returned fire for Edmonton, making this a 10-5 game after another Ward attempt went wide, but through the back of the endzone.
With just 41 seconds to play in the half, Lewis hauled in a pass from Ford, and slipped through the Ottawa defence for a 66-yard touchdown catch and run. The extra point by Faithfull saw Ottawa down 17-5 at the half.
An attempted Ottawa rally was dealt an early blow as Edmonton flipped the field on the first play from scrimmage, and the drive was finished by a one-yard Taylor Cornelius touchdown, for a 24-5 Elks lead.
Another Faithfull field goal added to their lead, and in the fourth quarter, Ottawa scored rushing touchdowns courtesy of a sensational 23-yard scamper by Williams, and a one-yard sneak by short yardage quarterback Tyrrell Pigrome, but the rally came too late for a comeback, on this night.
The REDBLACKS enjoy their first bye since Week 3, before returning home on Friday, September 8, in a massive game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 7:00pm ET.
