Patrick Doyle/CFL.ca
OTTAWA – The Ottawa REDBLACKS hope to finish the 2016 campaign strong, both in the standings and in each of their final four contests.
The REDBLACKS first face a home-and-home with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats as they fight for first place in the East. Next, the club takes on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, in another home-and-home, to finish out the regular season.
Despite holding a record below .500 at 6-7-1, Ottawa sits one point ahead of the Ticats in the top spot. That makes a victory in both games against its provincial rival essential to winning the division and clinching a bye to the Eastern Final.
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This week Henry Burris (left) will be starting under centre for the REDBLACKS in place of Trevor Harris (right) (Johany Jutras/CFL.ca)
“Regardless of what the records are, the way the standings worked out is that we’re in a great position,” Head Coach Rick Campbell told OttawaREDBLACKS.com. “You could argue we’re in a better position than we were last year at this time. We have to play Hamilton back-to-back. They’re going to be big games and we’re looking forward to it.”
Taking advantage of playing back-to-back against Hamilton will be key to keeping their East Division foe behind them in the standings. In order to do so, Ottawa will have to bring as much intensity and competitiveness into the final quarter as it does in the first, second and third.
Ottawa is tied at third-worst in the league for the points given up in the fourth quarter with 122 (with Toronto). The only teams giving up more points in the final 15 minutes are Edmonton (131) and Saskatchewan (154).
“If you look at the last two weeks, we’ve played two games where easily we could win those games,” Campbell said of his team’s last two losses. “They come down literally to the last play or the last few plays of the game. We’ve had a lot of games like that. We’re right there, that’s part of what gets people frustrated too.
“I’m sure fans watching us (are frustrated too) and we feel the same way. We’re right there, we can get it done. The teams in this league are good and we have to get ourselves over the hump and get on the right side of the scoreboard in those close games.”
Last week, the REDBLACKS suffered an overtime loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders despite a valiant effort in the final quarter to tie the game. After Campbell made the decision to switch from Trevor Harris to Henry Burris, the veteran quarterback led his team down the field capping two drives by finding Greg Ellingson in the end zone, bouncing back from a 15-point deficit to force the game into extra time.
Chris Milo missed his field goal attempt in overtime, while Tyler Crapigna made his attempt for the Saskatchewan win.
In Week 15’s offensive showcase between Ottawa and the BC Lions, the REDBLACKS held a one point lead (34-33) and the ball in their own hands with 13 seconds left on the clock. Anthony Gaitor intercepted a Harris pass that the defensive back returned 37 yards for a touchdown, giving the Leos the victory.
With four minutes left in Week 10’s contest against the Lions, Milo scored a field goal to put Ottawa ahead 23-21. But it was Travis Lulay who ran in for a major with a minute and a half left in the final frame pushing the Lions into the lead. Harris and co. tried to move the chains on their final drive but the BC defence stopped them in their tracks and ultimately lost 29-23.
Lirim Hajrullahu scored a field goal with 1:20 left in Week 6’s contest against Toronto putting the Argos ahead 23-20. On the REDBLACKS’ final drive of the game, with a chance roll down the field to a win, Burris threw an interception to AJ Jefferson solidifying the loss.
“If you look at the last two weeks, we’ve played two games where easily we could win those games. They come down literally to the last play or the last few plays of the game.”
Rick Campbell
And finally, back in Week 5, Ottawa led 29-27 when Tyler Crapigna kicked the game-winning field goal with 1:09 left in the fourth quarter. On the REDBLACKS’s final drive, Brock Jensen, who was under centre for Ottawa, was sacked twice and threw an incomplete pass to Chris Williams as Ottawa lost 30-29 to the Roughriders.
“I think we’re all frustrated right now,” said defensive end Arnaud Gascon-Nadon, who will be facing his former team in Hamilton in his first game back from injury this week. “We could have won so many games, (including) those tied games. I think nine games came down to the last drive.
“We just have to find a way until the end of the year to just find ourselves, find the right chemistry there and find the right mindset towards the end of the game. So we can clinch these wins, get that bye and finish first.”
Burris, who will be starting at quarterback this week for the REDBLACKS, will have a sort-of new target, wide receiver Khalil Paden, to look to this week when they head to Steeltown.
Paden, who was asked to come back to the same club that released him just days earlier, will slot in this week for the injured Williams. Williams, who will miss the rest of the 2016 season with a torn ACL, has been one of Ottawa’s most dangerous weapons, hauling in 77 catches for 1246 yards and 10 touchdowns.
“We’re on the same page, we have a really good chemistry,” the 27-year-old said of playing again with Burris. “He came up to me when he saw that I was back and he was really excited and happy. He said that he was looking forward to working with me on the field again so I’m excited about it and I look forward to it”
Paden suited up in four games with Ottawa this season before being released, grabbing five catches for 118 yards. He also returned three punts, twice in Week 10 against BC and once in Week 11 against Montreal for 86 yards in total.
“It sucks for Chris,” said Paden when asked about slotting in for Williams. “He’s a great guy and I’m really disappointed that his season has to end this way. But I look forward to taking advantage of the opportunity given and stepping in that role and making sure there’s not really any drop-off from him to me.”
Now all that’s left for the REDBLACKS to do is to figure out how to finish their game strong in Hamilton to keep the top spot in the East on Friday night.
-With files from OttawaREDBLACKS.com
