Even thunder and lightning couldn’t stop the Ottawa Redblacks on Thursday night.
In a game that was delayed an hour by a storm, the Redblacks fought off the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 23-19 in their season-opener.
Following a couple of flashes of lightning — the game went on for 37 seconds after the first one — it was halted with 2:09 left, with the Redblacks leading 23-17.
One of the possible scenarios: CFL protocol is if the storm delay is more than an hour and it’s at least midway through the third quarter, the game is ended and the team winning at the stoppage is awarded the win. The last time it happened: A game between Montreal and Saskatchewan was called late in the third quarter in 2019, with the Roughriders awarded the win.
When the game resume at 11:13 p.m., with most of the fans long gone, the Redblacks defence stopped the Bombers as they were driving to try to win the game.
A terrific second-down diving knockdown by Damon Webb prevented a Winnipeg touchdown with just under a minute left. Then, Lorenzo Mauldin IV sacked Winnipeg QB Zach Collaros and the ball was turned over to Ottawa.
Winnipeg got one last chance after the Redblacks conceded a safety with 14 seconds left. A last-second Collaros pass finally fell to the turf after being batted around by a couple of Redblacks.
“The vibe in our locker room was we wanted to get back out there (and play),” said Redblacks coach Bob Dyce. “These guys wanted to win this game the way it should be won – on the field for 60 minutes. In the locker room, we stayed mentally prepared to go out there and finish the game.”
Coming off a bye week, the Redblacks did a lot of good things.
Other than a huge breakdown that resulted in a long completion by the Bombers, the Redblacks defence was very good.
The Redblacks led 16-10 at halftime.
After taking the opening kickoff, the Redblacks marched downfield with a drive that included a 30-yard completion to Bralon Addison and ended with a 12-yard field goal by Lewis Ward, giving Ottawa a 3-0 lead.
On Ottawa’s next drive, running back Ryquell Armstead, who had been listed as questionable on the depth chart, rambled for a 31-yard gain. But the drive stalled when Ottawa QB Dru Brown was sacked by Devin Adams.
Armstead was terrific, finishing with 95 yards rushing on 16 carries.
A 49-yard punt return by DeVonte Dedmon got Ottawa deep into Winnipeg territory, with an unnecessary roughness penalty taking it to the 14-yard line. Ottawa gambled on third-and-two, with Armstead dragging defenders to the two-yard line for a first down. Two plays later, backup quarterback Dustin Crum pushed his way into the end zone from the one. The convert made it 10-0 with 1:36 left in the first quarter.
