Arbuckle shines, Redblacks’ defense holds on late to seal the victory

By Adamo Marinelli

August 29, 2022

Paul LaPolice made the quarterback change that fans have wanted for multiple weeks, by electing to start Nick Arbuckle over Caleb Evans ahead of their rematch against the Edmonton Elks. It paid off as the Redblacks got their revenge on the Elks after a 30-12 loss last week.

The Redblacks got their second win of the season by beating the Edmonton Elks 25-18, thanks to a fantastic first half from the Redblacks’ defense, which only allowed three points, Nick Arbuckle who completed 13/17 passes for 148 yards, and one rush TD, Caleb Evans who had two rush TDs, and Nate Behar who had his first 100+ receiving yard game, with four receptions for 101 yards in the first half alone. He finished with 101 yards and two of his catches directly led to points. 

Despite Arbuckle only throwing for 71 yards in the second half, the run game and defense made enough plays to give Arbuckle his first win as the Redblacks’ starter and beat his former team. Their offense wasn’t as good in the second half, but their defense still did enough to win.

The Elks got on the board first with a long drive to the brink of the Redblacks’ red zone, which led to a 33-yard field goal by Elks’ kicker Sergio Castillo, but the Redblacks’ defense shut out the Elks’ offense for the rest of the first half. 

The Redblacks scored 20 consecutive points to end the half and take a 20-3 lead with three long drives in which the offense drove the ball downfield consistently. Arbuckle didn’t panic, didn’t make any significant or costly mistakes, and used his legs to extend plays by giving receivers time to get open. He also didn’t force much; instead, he took what the defense was giving them and completed many short passes to open receivers that led to yards after the catch, leading to first downs to keep the drive alive. 

The Redblacks were perfect in the red zone, scoring on all three trips. On their red zone trip, Nick Arbuckle ran a one-yard QB draw for a rush TD, and on their next two trips, Caleb Evans scored a two-yard rush TD on a QB draw and a one-yard rush TD on a QB draw.  

Even with a quiet first half from the Elks, there were still some positives. Wide receiver Kenny Lawler proved why he is one of the best receivers in the league. He had two catches for 102 yards in the first half (54 and 48 yards) and added another 44-yard catch (to up his total to 146 yards) which set up a Taylor Cornelius four-yard rush TD on a QB draw. Two of Lawler’s three highlight reel catches helped set up the Elks’ opening field goal and their first TD. 

Near the end of the third quarter, a huge stop by the Redblacks’ defense, the Elks who were backed up at their own three-yard line, conceded the safety to avoid punting to special teams weapon Devonte Dedmon, who’s back in the CFL after a stint with the NFL’s Miami Dolphins. The Redblacks now led 22-10. 

After struggling a bit in the third quarter, throwing for less than 40 yards, Arbuckle found his groove again in the Redblacks’ first drive of the fourth quarter, making numerous accurate throws and smart decisions. A few huge runs and 22 rush yards from Devonte Williams, who started after an injury to William Powell, helped Arbuckle’s momentum. Unfortunately, the Elks’ 20-yard line would be as far as they’d get. The Elks’ front four brought immense pressure all night long and on 2nd&10, an Elks’ defensive lineman hit Arbuckle’s arm as he threw it which forced the incompletion. Kicker Lewis Ward drilled the 28-yard field goal to extend his team’s lead to 25-10. 

Elks’ QB Taylor Cornelius wasn’t great today but wasn’t horrible either. Despite his three large completions to Lawler which made up the majority of his yards, he wasn’t nearly as effective as he was in the second half of the Elks’ 30-12 rout of the Redblacks last week. His stat line was respectable; he completed 11/30 passes for 270 yards, and two rush TDs. His only big mistake was an interception in the first half to Redblacks’ linebacker Avery Williams which led to a TD.

Down 15, Cornelius was calm in the pocket and made some nice throws to move the ball downfield. Backup QB Kai Locksley took it 21 yards on a receiver sweep which set up Cornelius at Ottawa’s one-yard line. He took it in for a one-yard rush TD and ran in the two-point convert after a defensive pass interference penalty brought the ball to the one. 

Only down 25-18, the Elks had all the momentum, and the Redblacks’ offense needed to respond with a big drive. Arbuckle went deep twice and both times it fell incomplete. The first pass was defended nicely by veteran DB Ed Gainey. The second pass was ruled a catch by Jaelon Acklin but overturned after a successful challenge by Elks’ coach Chris Jones. Acklin had control of the ball as he was falling down but he used the ground to secure it.

The Redblacks’ defense needed to make a final stop to help secure the win. The secondary played very well to force two incompletions and on third down, the front four converged on Cornelius to make the tackle short of the sticks. That was Edmonton’s fourth turnover, the Redblacks only had one. 

The Redblacks’ offense had the chance to seal the game but a two-and-out caused by a sack from Elks’ DB Enock Makonzo – the Elks’ second sack – gave the Elks another chance on offense. Three incompletions by Cornelius caused by excellent pressure from the Redblacks’ defensive line forced a fifth Elks’ turnover and sealed the win for the Redblacks. 

The Redblacks improve to 2-8 on the season and sink the Elks to 3-8. The Redblacks play the Montreal Alouettes next week, in a huge game in the East Division playoff race. The Redblacks are half-game back of the third-place 3-8 Hamilton Tiger-Cats and two games back of the second place, 4-6 Alouettes. If the Redblacks win that game, they are much alive in the playoff race. Meanwhile, the Elks visit the 6-4 Stampeders.

Premier League roundup - game week three

By: Adamo Marinelli

August 21, 2022

What a wild week of football in the Premier League with many interesting matchups, some spectacular results, and a handful of upsets that no one saw coming. Let’s break down each game.

Despite an even, scoreless first half, Harry Kane scored his 185th goal in the Premier League for the Tottenham Spurs to move him into fourth place on the all-time scoring list ahead of Manchester City’s Sergio Aguero to give the Spurs a 1-0 win over the Wolverhampton Wanderers to keep their undefeated season alive. The possession battle was relatively even and the Wolves had 20 shots to the Spurs’ 11, but the Spurs had four shots on target to the Wolves’ three and capitalized on their biggest chance to get a much-needed win to improve to 2-1-0 (7 points), for sole possession of fourth place in the league. Wolves are 17th in the league, just outside the relegation zone with a 0-1-2 record (1 point).

Nottingham Forest and Everton played to a 1-1 draw, with both goals coming in the last 10 minutes. Both teams had many chances early on but couldn’t finish. Brennan Johnson got Forest on the board and seven minutes later, Everton left forward Demarai Gray equalized in the 88th minute with a nice strike after Forest’s defense couldn’t recover from a breakdown. Everton outshot Forest 19-14 and 8-5 on target but Forest won the possession battle and controlled most of the game. Forest sit 10th in the league with a 1-1-1 record (4 points), and Everton sit 16th in the league, just above the relegation zone with a 0-1-2 record (1 point).

Southampton substitute forward Che Adams made an immediate impact scoring two goals against Leicester City to complete the comeback and win 2-1. Leicester dominated possession 62-38 percent, controlled play on both sides of the ball in the first half, and took a 1-0 lead in the 54th minute after a skillful goal by James Maddison. Southampton took control after the hour mark and they ended up outshooting Leicester City 9-6 (3-1 on target). Southampton sit mid-table in 11th and Leicester, who haven’t won a game, sit 18th in the relegation zone.

Aleksandar Mitrovic was the hero again for Fulham in the 90th minute, scoring his third goal of the season, which proved to be the game-winning goal against a struggling Brentford side. Fulham controlled the game in the early stages and took an early 2-0 lead in the first 20 minutes after goals from Bobby Reid and Joao Palhinha. Brentford stormed back and controlled the game from the 40th minute until the 80th and Christian Norgaard and Ivan Toney both scored to tie the game before Mitrovic’s winner. Despite being out-possessed 57 to 43 percent, Fulham outshot Brentford 18-13 (9-5 on target). 

Wilfrid Zaha scored two goals to help lead Crystal Palace to a resounding 3-1 victory over Aston Villa. Aston Villa took an early lead in the fifth minute with a goal from Ollie Watkins. Zaha responded less than two minutes later to tie the game 1-1. From that point on, Palace dominated the game, constantly attacked, and showed their presence in the midfield. Possession was slightly in Palace’s favour and Palace outshot Villa 17-13 (9-5 on target). Zaha scored again in the 58th minute and Jean Philippe Mateta sealed the game for Palace in the 71st minute. Palace sits 9th in the league with four points, and Villa sits 13th with three points. 

Martin Odegaard was spectacular, recording a brace in a 3-0 win over newly promoted Bournemouth. Arsenal created several chances early and Odegaard was in the right place at the right time to open the scoring in the 5th minute by tucking in a rebound and he scored again less than 10 minutes later with a fantastic strike to make it 2-0. Center-back William Saliba scored an absolute screamer into the top right corner of the net early in the second half to seal the win for Arsenal. The Gunners were dominant from start to finish. They won the possession battle 59-41 percent, but at the half-hour mark had 80 percent possession and outshot Bournemouth 14-6 (6-1 on target). Jesus’ goal to make it 4-0 was ruled out for offside. The Gunners sit atop the league, as the only team to get three wins & nine points from three games.

Brighton Hove and Albion are continuing their impressive start to the season with a 2-0 win over West Ham, who currently sit rock bottom of the league after losing their first three games. Brighton now has a 2-1-0 record and find themselves in 5th place with seven points. Possession was pretty even and West Ham outshot Brighton 13-11 (3-2 on target), but Brighton was just able to convert on their chances better than West Ham. Alexis Mac Allister scored on a penalty in the 22nd minute and Leandro Trossard sealed the game in the 66th minute. Brighton is 5th in the league with a 2-1-0 record for seven points, tied with Man City, Leeds, and Tottenham on points but behind them all on goal difference.

The upset of the week saw Chelsea get dominated and outplayed in a 3-0 loss to Leeds United.

While Chelsea did win the possession battle 61-39 percent and outshot Leeds 14-12, Leeds had six shots on target to Chelsea’s three and did a much better job converting the chances they got. Edouard Mendy made a huge mistake trying to dribble by Brenden Aaronson, which led to a takeaway and Leeds took a 1-0 lead. Less than four minutes later, Leeds doubled their lead with a goal from Rodrigo Moreno after a horrible defensive miscommunication by Chelsea. Jack Harrison sealed the upset win for Leeds with a 69th-minute goal. Chelsea defender Kalidou Koulibaly got sent off in the 84th minute to put more salt in the wound. Chelsea now has a 1-1-1 record (4 points) and is 12th in the league, Leeds sits third in the league, in a UCL spot with a 2-1-0 record (7 points).

In the game of the week, Manchester City and Newcastle drew 3-3 in a wildly high-scoring affair. Ilkay Gundogan opened the scoring for City in the 5th minute before Newcastle scored three unanswered goals by Miguel Almiron, Callum Wilson, and Kieran Trippier - who scored arguably the best goal of the season so far with a stunning free-kick - to take a commanding 3-1 lead. Man City didn’t give up, however, and they took back control after the hour mark. Man City forward Erling Haaland scored his third goal of the season and less than five minutes later, Bernardo Silva equalized the game for City to secure a point. No one expected City to come out of this game with less than three points, but they dropped two crucial points. City is second in the league with a 2-1-0 record (7 points) behind Arsenal and Newcastle sits fifth in the league with a 1-2-0 record (5 points).

To end off game week three, two teams in dire need of a win, Manchester United and Liverpool met at Old Trafford. While Liverpool dominated possession 71-29 percent and outshot Man United 17-12 (5-4 on target), it was United that came away with a massive 2-1 win, their first under new manager Eric Ten Hag. Jadon Sancho opened the scoring in the 16th minute, by calmly controlling the ball, juking around Liverpool midfielder James Milner before slotting it into the bottom left corner. Virgil Van Dijk made no effort to step up and block the shot, instead just watching the ball enter the net. Marcus Rashford calmly struck the ball into the net in the 53rd minute on the counterattack to give United a 2-0 lead after a beautiful long pass from Anthony Martial. Mo Salah scored on a rebound off a corner to make it 2-1 in the 81st minute but it was too little, too late. United got their first win of the year, and are 14th in the league with a 1-0-2 record (3 points). Liverpool has still not won a game and are 16th in the league with a 0-2-1 record (2 points). This was also quite an upset.

Game week four in the EPL proves to be a fun one, with several interesting matches and storylines. Can Arsenal win again, can Chelsea and Liverpool rebound from miserable performances, and can Brighton, Newcastle, and Fulham continue their strong starts? We'll see next week.

Redblacks’ offense struggles, lose in humiliating fashion to Elks at home

 By Adamo Marinelli

August 19, 2022

In a must-win game for the 1-7 Redblacks to keep their slim playoff hopes alive and a game which was potentially the last chance for both quarterback Caleb Evans and head coach Paul LaPolice to keep their jobs, the Redblacks got humiliated at home, losing 30-12 to the 2-7 Edmonton Elks, who were the worst statistical team in the CFL on both sides of the ball before the game.

The Redblacks have now lost 8 consecutive home games and are 1-19 in their last 20 home games since the 2019 season. The Redblacks did some good things in the first half, despite leaving multiple points on the board, but were utterly embarrassed in the second half, getting outscored 21-0. 

It’s hard to believe considering the game’s outcome, but the Redblacks actually moved the ball well in the first half and used a mix of the run and the passing game to find holes in the Elks’ defense to efficiently string first downs together. 

Midway through the first quarter, Lewis Ward drilled a 46-yard field goal down the middle to give the Redblacks a 3-0 lead. However, a roughing-the-kicker penalty against the Elks gave the Redblacks a first down at the Elks’ 29-yard line. Two plays later, Caleb Evans scrambled out of the pocket and took it to the house himself from 21 yards out on a quarterback draw, breaking several tackles and juking out a handful of defenders on his way to the endzone. Kicker Lewis Ward hit the convert and the Redblacks took a 7-0 lead with 6:06 left in the opening quarter. 

After a 52-yard field goal by the Elks to cut the lead to 7-3, the Redblacks’ offense continued to operate efficiently. Caleb Evans made some questionable reads but used his legs and arms to extend drives. However, two missed field goals from Ward in the second quarter, from 40 and 47 yards out, resulted in two points instead of six. The Redblacks left four points on the board but still had a 9-3 lead. 

On the Redblacks' next drive, a nice punt return from Terry Williams, who has been fantastic on special teams all season, and a 50-yard pass from Evans to Darvin Adams set up the Redblacks in the red zone. They couldn’t convert on first or second down and settled for a 13-yard field goal from the Elks’ six-yard line, which Ward hit it to extend his team’s lead to 12-3. That was another instance where LaPolice’s conservative play calling cost them - by taking that field goal, the Redblacks left another four points on the board. 

They should have gone for it on third and goal, if they converted, they would’ve taken a 16-3 lead, if not, they would’ve had a struggling Elks’ offense who could barely move the ball, backed up at their own six-yard line. 

Multiple penalties against the Redblacks’ defense on their next drive, including a roughing the passer, offside, and defensive pass interference penalty, set up the Elks on the Redblacks’ one-yard line. The Redblacks’ defense stuffed the Elks twice before backup QB Kai Locksley found the endzone on a one-yard QB draw to the right. 

The Redblacks were outgaining the Elks both on the ground and through the air and had a 12-9 lead at halftime, their first halftime lead all year. The Elks’ offense was struggling and QB Taylor Cornelius had only completed three passes at the half. The Redblacks’ defense was playing very well, recording a ton of pressure and disrupting his reads, making him feel uncomfortable, despite Lorenzo Mauldin recording their only sack. 

In the second half, the Elks’ offense woke up and the Redblacks’ defense had no answers. Their run game opened things up and Cornelius became a lot more comfortable. He made many accurate throws and very often stepped up in the pocket to avoid pressure and find open receivers in the middle of the field, which gave the Elks first downs and kept their offense on the field for so long while Evans and company sat on the bench.

Cornelius led his team on three long TD drives in the second half, including an 8:45-minute drive at the start of the fourth quarter, which was capped off by a four-yard TD pass from Taylor Cornelius to Derel Walker to give the Elks a 30-12 lead after Cornelius led two TD drives in the third quarter. 

After struggling mightily in the first half, only completing 3/11 passes for only 45 yards, Cornelius’ stellar second half was ultimately enough to give the Elks a much-needed victory to stay alive in the West Division playoff race. He finished the game completing 16/27 passes for 208 yards and two TDs and picked up 47 yards on the ground.

The Redblacks’ offense hardly saw the field in the second half, especially the third quarter, because the Elks’ offense was on the field for so long. When they were on the field, they struggled to move the ball. The Redblacks only ran 24 offensive plays in the second half, 15 of those were after the Elks took a 30-12 lead. 

Not only was there no creativity in the offensive play-calling - which proves LaPolice should hand the play-calling duties to someone else and simply focus on head coaching - but LaPolice also waited too long (until the Elks took a 30-12 lead) to put Nick Arbuckle in at quarterback. By that time, the game was already lost. As a result of LaPolice’s dull offensive play-calling, his bad game management, and the fact that he now has a 4-19 record (1-8 in 2022) as the Redblacks’ head coach, he has to be fired. 

Their playoff hopes are officially gone with tonight’s loss to the Elks, so bring in another experienced coach who has the rest of this season to come up with new offensive schemes and play calls that work so that he’s ready to go next season when the games matter again and when Jeremiah Masoli is healthy.

In addition, Caleb Evans should no longer be the starting QB for the Redblacks. He led both teams in rush yards with 82, got the Redblacks on the board with his phenomenal TD run, and threw no interceptions, but was inaccurate on many of his throws, made several bad reads that almost caused turnovers, and was unable to find the endzone with his arm, which is disappointing considering all the talent in the receiver room.

Evans finished the game completing 10/16 passes for 111 yards. Nick Arbuckle, who played for just over six minutes and only had 15 offensive plays completed 7/13 passes for 85 yards, 0 TDs, and 0 INTs. Granted, he played in garbage time, where the Elks were playing mostly prevent defense, but Evans has not shown enough to start, Arbuckle has shown enough to be given a chance to start. 

These two teams will meet again next week. The 1-8 Redblacks, hopefully with Arbuckle starting and LaPolice fired, look to rebound from an embarrassing home performance. The 3-7 Elks look to sweep the Redblacks to keep pace with the 5-5 Saskatchewan Roughriders in the West Divison playoff race. 

This was the most winnable game on the Redblacks' schedule and doing so would've given the Redblacks momentum and put them right back in the playoff race. They didn't just lose, they were humiliated by the worst statistical team on both offense and defense in the CFL. Their season is now officially over. Ottawa football fans deserve better.

Premier League Round-up: game week two

Adamo Marinelli

August 16, 2022

The first two weeks of the 2022-23 Premier League season have come and gone and to say there have been many crazy storylines is a severe understatement. There have been teams that have exceeded expectations so far and have gotten off to surging starts and there have also been teams who have played well below their expectations and struggled to start the season on the right foot.

Aston Villa’s late goal in the 86th minute by Emi Buendia gave Everton their second loss of the season and cemented their position in the relegation zone despite Frank Lampard’s best efforts to keep them up. A late own goal by Lucas Digne in the 87th minute gave Everton life, but they couldn’t equalize. A quiet summer transfer window didn’t help set up Everton for much success this year and Lampard may be on the hot seat.

Leeds United started the game well with two goals early in the second half from Rodrigo Moreno in the 46th and 60th minutes. After controlling the first half and dominating the start of the second half, they couldn’t hold on for back-to-back wins as late goals from substitute Joe Aribo and Kyle Walker-Peters in the 72nd and 81st minute, respectively tied the game for Southampton. Despite the draw, Leeds sit 6th in the league and Southampton sit 17th. 

Gabriel Jesus proved why he’s arguably the best summer transfer with two goals and two assists in a 4-2 home win over Leicester City. Jesus was on fire in the first half, scoring two spectacular goals. In the second half, he assisted Granit Xhaka and Gabriel Martinelli’s goals and had several chances for his hattrick which he couldn’t convert. Arsenal conceded their first two goals of the campaign, one of which was William Saliba's own goal, but they responded with their own goal less than two minutes later on each occasion. 

Manchester City controlled the entire game against newly promoted Bournemouth, cruising to a 4-0 victory to sit atop the EPL table, ahead of Arsenal, the only other team who has won both their games this year, on goal difference. City won possession 67-33 percent and outshot Bournemouth 19-3 (7-1). Ilkay Gundogan, Kevin DeBruyne, and Phil Foden were the first-half goal scorers and an own goal by Jefferson Lerman made it 4-0. Manchester City has not conceded a goal yet this year.

Brighton Hove and Albion and Newcastle United played to a 0-0 draw despite many chances for the Seagulls. Brighton controlled the game from start to finish, slightly out possessing Newcastle 55-45 percent and outshooting their opponents 13-4 (7-1). Newcastle’s keeper Nick Pope played very well, making seven saves to secure the draw and the clean sheet. Eddie Howe and Graham Potter are two of the best English managers and they have their teams sitting 5th and 8th in the league, respectively. 

The Wolverhampton Wanderers and Fulham also played to a 0-0 draw in a close, back and forth defensive game that was controlled in the midfield. Wolves were outshot 9-7 and 3-1 on target but they controlled the possession battle 60-40 percent and controlled the midfield with their short accurate passes and their counter attacks. It was a conservative game from both sides, but in 13th place, Fulham looks good so far, drawing Liverpool in their first match and keeping another clean sheet against 14th place Wolves.

This next matchup was the game of the week, but for all the wrong reasons for Manchester United, who were battered 4-0 by Brentford. Brentford scored four goals inside 35 minutes and they capitalized on several mistakes from Manchester United’s defense and their goalkeeper David DeGea. United won the possession battle 67-33 percent and outshot Brentford 15-13, but had only four shots on target vs Brentford’s seven. After being up 4-0 at the half, Brentford just sat back and defended. It was utter domination in the midfield and upfront from Brentford, who sit third in the league after the win. United sit 20th and play Liverpool next week. Eric Ten Hag’s men are in a load of trouble.

Speaking of Liverpool, they drew 1-1 against Crystal Palace in a game that which saw Palace strike first with a wonderful counter-attack and Darwin Nunez get sent off. Liverpool now have drawn their first two games of the season and sits 12th in the league. Wilfried Zaha gave Palace an early lead in the 32nd minute with a wonderful finish into the bottom corner after a stellar, accurate long pass from midfielder Eberechi Eze. Four minutes after Nunez was sent off, a phenomenal strike from Luis Diaz tied the game for Liverpool. This is still a disappointing result considering they outshot Palace 24-7 (4-3) and had 73 percent possession. 

Newly promoted Nottingham Forest also came away with a 1-0 win against a pretty solid West Ham side. West Ham had a lot of chances to score, including a penalty that was saved by Forest’s goalkeeper Dean Henderson, and out-chanced Forest 19-13 while handily winning possession 57-43 percent. West Ham also controlled the midfield, making considerably more passes more accurately than Forest. Ultimately, a Taiwo Awoniyi goal in first-half stoppage time and several West Ham missed chances sealed the game.

The real game of the week and the one with the most controversy was a 2-2 draw between Chelsea and Tottenham. Chelsea dominated the first half in terms of chances created, shots on target, and possession. Kalidou Koulibaly got Chelsea on the board first with a phenomenal strike. The Spurs turned it on in the second half and took control of the game offensively. Jorginho lost the ball in his own box to Ben Davies, who passed it to Pierre-Emile Hogberg who slotted it in to equalize for Spurs in the 68th minute immediately after an alleged foul against a Spurs player for badly tackling Kai Havertz. Less than 10 minutes later, some great passing from Raheem Sterling who found Reece James wide open in the box, led to James tucking it away to retake the lead. The Spurs kept pushing and Harry Kane equalized off a corner in the 96th minute after referee Anthony Taylor failed to notice an obvious foul when Cristian Romero pulled Marc Cucarella’s hair. Both managers were shown red cards for another argument after the whistle and were feuding with each other all match long. Taylor and VAR official Mike Dean is facing serious criticism from fans. The Spurs sit 4th in the league with a +3 goal difference, and Chelsea sits 7th with +1 GD.

It was a great week of football and next week promises to be just as exciting. There are many interesting matches with a lot of interesting storylines, the biggest game, however, is Liverpool traveling to Old Trafford to play Manchester United. Liverpool beat United 9-0 on aggregate last year, and while both these teams have regressed from last year, this game will be very important for both teams who desperately need a win to keep their title hopes alive. They may have to do it in front of an empty stadium due to the hashtag #EmptyOldTrafford to stand up against the Glazer's poor ownership.

Redblacks' offense struggles mightily against the Stampeders

By: Adamo Marinelli

August 6, 2022

After an excellent performance from Caleb Evans and Jaelon Acklin last week to combine for 144 yards and a passing touchdown against the Argonauts, the entire Redblacks’ offense struggled to move the ball, score points, string together first downs and gain any momentum offensively against a very good Stampeders defense, that forced five turnovers against the Redblacks, including three interceptions, one of which was returned for a touchdown. 

The Calgary Stampeders were coming into this game looking to rebound after suffering two consecutive losses against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. They needed a win to keep pace with the 5-1 BC Lions who currently hold second place in the West division, for that all-important home-field advantage in the West semifinal playoff game. 

The Stampeders also faced another challenge on their sideline. They would have to get a win against a Redblacks team with a lot of momentum after getting their first win of the season without their head coach Dave Dickenson, who was still in COVID-19 protocols. Mark Kilam, who has been with the Stampeders for 18 seasons, serving in many different capacities such as the strength and conditioning coach, defensive quality control coach, linebackers coach, special teams coordinator, and assistant head coach, served as an acting head coach for the first time in his career and his defense led the way in his first career CFL win as a head coach. 

The Stampeders’ equipment manager George Hopkins also celebrated his 1,000th game with the team, spanning over 51 seasons. He’s been a part of six of Calgary’s eight Grey Cups.

Entering the game, Bo Levi Mitchell - who has seen a lot of success in his career against the Redblacks, with an 8-2-2 record - needed just 143 passing yards to break Henry Burris’ record for most passing yards in Stampeders’ history with 32,335. He started the game quietly, only having 22 passing yards in the first quarter, but he warmed up in the second quarter, throwing for 41 yards. Mitchell finished the game completing 13/27 passes for 137 yards and one interception and he sits only a mere seven passing yards back of breaking Burris’ record. Despite the loss, at least Mitchell didn’t break the record against Ottawa, a team Burris won a Grey Cup for.

Ahead of their game against the Stampeders, the Redblacks knew in order to get their second consecutive win against a very good team, Caleb Evans and Jaelon Acklin would need to have another MVP type of performance like they did against the Argos. Acklin leads the CFL in receiving yards with 687 entering week nine, into this game, which is an astonishing 98.2 yards per game. He has exceeded all expectations and been a massive part of why the Redblacks have been competitive in most of their losses despite being 1-7. Acklin was blanketed by a tremendous Stampeders’ secondary and finished with only three catches for 28 yards. After the loss against the Stampeders, he fell to second in the league in receiving yards with 715, 27 behind Montreal’s Eugene Lewis, and his yards per game fell to 89.4, which is still impressive, but not the type of performance we’re used to seeing from him.

The Redblacks struggled mightily to move the ball and keep their drives alive with first downs. Both Caleb Evans and Nick Arbuckle struggled to find their rhythm, although Arbuckle, who finished 17/23, for 186 yards was able to provide more of a spark than Evans, who completed only 10/21 passes for 66 yards and struggled mightily all game long, never being able to find his footing. The Redblacks went three and out 11 times against the Stampeders and were shut out for over 55 minutes until Lewis Ward broke the shutout with a 25-yard field goal. It would be the only points they would score all game.

The current Redblacks team has never been shut out in a CFL game. They were four and a half minutes from being shut out tonight and that is a combination of poor offensive execution from the Redblacks and great defense, both upfront and in the secondary by the Stampeders. The Redblacks’ next lowest single-game point total - aside from only scoring one point in a 31-1 loss against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on July 19, 2019 - was scoring only three points in a 48-3 loss against the Stampeders in week eight of the 2015 season.

Several miscommunications by the Redblacks’ offense led to many incompletions, turnovers, and multiple punts. Although Richie Leone - the best punter in the CFL, who leads the league in punt yards with 2,625 and averages 47.7 yards per punt on 55 punts this season, the second most yards per punt in the CFL only behind Lions’ punter Stefan Flintloft, who averages 48.9 yards per punt on 28 punts this season - has consistently pinned teams back deep inside their own territory, that is not enough to win football games, especially if your offense only score three points which was all the Redblacks could do against the Stampeders.

The Redblacks also turned it over five times, which hindered their offensive production. Three interceptions, one by Caleb Evans and two by Nick Arbuckle; one fumble lost in the red zone by Arbuckle, and one failed third down attempt on a QB draw by Arbuckle, were all contributing factors to the Redblacks’ loss. 

Evans’ interception - his first in 90 passes or since he threw two in their week six loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats - was returned for a touchdown by Stampeders’ defensive back Titus Wall to give the Stampeders a 13-0 lead near the end of the second quarter. Wall recorded his second interception of the game with 1:45 left in the game after Nick Arbuckle underthrew his target to prevent the Redblacks from scoring a touchdown on a long drive and to preserve the Stampeders’ 17-3 lead. On the Redblacks’ next drive, Arbuckle’s pass to the endzone on third and goal was intercepted by Dionte Ruffin with under 10 seconds left to seal the win.

On defense, in order to win, the Redblacks needed to ensure they collapsed the pocket around Mitchell to speed up his reads, make him feel uncomfortable and force him to make mistakes. Cleyon Laing recorded the Redblacks’ only sack and third-string linebacker Shaheed Salmon - who replaced the injured Adam Auclair that started in place of Frankie Griffin who did not play against the Stampeders after being sidelined with an injury last week - recorded a crucial interception against Mitchell. However, the Redblacks could not score any points off their lone turnover, even with great field position inside Calgary’s 25-yard line after the interception because immense pressure from the Stampeders’ pass rush forced Evans to cough up the ball, which went backward over 20 yards before the Redblacks recovered their fumble and on third down, they were forced to punt it away. Lorenzo Mauldin, who is tied for the league lead in sacks with seven, made a few tackles, including a tackle for loss, but was less of a factor against a strong Stampeders’ offensive line than in previous games. 

The Redblacks’ defense did enough to hold Mitchell to a modest 137-yard game, only completing 48 percent of his passes, but could not stop running back Dedrick Mills, who ran for 100 yards on 16 carries and recorded 32 yards on two receptions. Mills was the offensive hero for the Stampeders (Titus was the defensive hero) and his production on the ground and through the air was a huge factor in why the Stampeders improved to 5-2. 

After tonight’s abysmal showing against the Stampeders, the Redblacks have now lost their last 7 home games and are a measly 2-18 at home since the 2019 season. While they’ve played pretty well in three of their four home losses, a 19-12 loss against the Blue Bombers, a 34-31 loss against the BC Lions, and a 40-33 against the Montreal Alouettes, they still couldn’t find themselves on the right side of the scoreboard in front of their home crowd, something that has eluded them for so long. The Redblacks have only beaten the Stampeders once since their 2016 Grey Cup win, in an exhilarating back and forth game that ended 32-28 in Ottawa’s favour on June 15, 2019.

The Redblacks have been a very good first-quarter team this season. Their defense consistently starts games well, often shutting down opposing offenses in both the run and the passing game while forcing the occasional turnover. Meanwhile, their own offense gets going early and often by using William Powell in the run game to open up the field for their many talented receivers like Jaelon Acklin, who leads the league in receiving yards, Darvin Adams, Shaq Johnson, Nate Behar, and R.J Harris. Entering tonight, the Redblacks have only trailed once after the first quarter to the BC Lions. They’ve led after the first quarter four times and have been tied twice. They’ve led after the first quarter in their last three games entering tonight but found themselves trailing the Stampeders 3-0 after the first quarter thanks to a 51-yard field goal from Rene Paredes, despite the stats being pretty even after the first quarter. Both teams recorded under 30 pass yards and under 20 rush yards in a quarter dominated by special teams and defense.

The Redblacks allowed only 13 points the entire game last week against the Argonauts, while also scoring 13. They allowed 13 points in the first half against the Stampeders while scoring no points and struggling to move the ball on offense, a problem they didn’t face last week. 

Lewis Ward scored all three of the Redblacks’ points with a 25-yard field goal and has now hit 144/162 career field goals (88.9 percent), the best by a current kicker in the CFL. Rene Paredes’ hit three of his four field goals, and one extra point after the pick-six accounting for 10 of the Stampeders’ 17 points. He has made 464/530 field goals in his career (87.5 percent) and is still chasing Lewis Ward’s CFL best field goal percentage.

Terry Williams has consistently recorded over 100 special teams yards in every game this season. He continued his dominance on special teams against Calgary, recording 48 yards on two kick returns and 67 yards on seven punt returns. He leads the league in punt return yards with 788, 246 yards above second place, and is fifth in the league in kick return yards with 260. To make up for Acklin’s off night, Nate Behar and Darvin Adams both stepped up, for 78 yards on seven catches and 70 yards on five catches respectively, but despite the nice stat lines, it wasn’t enough to give the Redblacks the victory.

Oddly enough, despite the loss, the Redblacks outgained the Stampeders in total yards by a 319-252 margin and outgained them in the passing game 252-149, but were outgained on the ground 103-67. It is strange that the Redblacks outgained their opponents in the passing game, especially considering how dreadful and inconsistent Evans was. Arbuckle was responsible for the majority of the Redblacks’ passing yards and despite leading his team on long drives down the field, he didn’t play much better than Evans because he too couldn’t find the endzone and he also threw multiple interceptions.

The 17-3 loss to the Stampeders, although not their biggest margin loss of the year - that honor belongs to the 28-13 loss to the Roughriders - it was by far the Redblacks’ worst loss of the season as they trailed from essentially the beginning of the game. Even though the score was only 3-0 in favour of the Stampeders after the first quarter and the stats were similar, the Redblacks were never competitive in this game and never had a chance of winning as a result of their abysmal offensive performance.

With the win, the Stampeders improve to 5-2, a half-game back of the 5-1 BC Lions who sit second in the west division. Mitchell is also bound to break Burris’ franchise passing yards record in what will be a crucial game for positioning next week against BC. With the loss, the Redblacks fall to 1-7. While technically not out of the playoff race yet, only being 1.5 games back of second place in the East Divison (as of Aug. 6), things are looking bleak. 

Once again, the question looms if Paul LaPolice should keep his job. I think for now he does, but after the bye, it will be Arbuckle starting over Evans. If the Redblacks want to keep their slight chances for the playoffs alive, they need to win games. Evans has been extremely inconsistent this season and I’m not sure if he is the guy to lead this team to multiple consecutive wins. Arbuckle isn’t much better, but at least he's a veteran with numerous years of CFL experience, Evans is still young, learning the game. 

Redblacks are winless no more, defeat talented Argonauts 23-13

 Adamo Marinelli

August 1, 2022

The Ottawa Redblacks get their first win in Toronto since July 13, 2016, after defeating a very talented Toronto Argonauts' squad by a score of 23-13 to improve to 1-6 on the season. All of a sudden, they’re right back in the playoff race.  

The win comes on the shoulders of the Redblacks’ defense which shut down Andrew Harris - one of the CFL's leading rushers, who eclipsed 10,000 career rush yards last week - and forced four sacks and multiple turnovers, wide receiver Jaelon Acklin, who became the CFL’s leading receiver in 2022 with 687 yards after recording seven catches for 144 yards and one touchdown tonight, and quarterback Caleb Evans, who played mistake-free football and got it done with his arms and his legs. He completed 24/29 passes for 286 yards, two TDs, and zero INTs. 

The Redblacks started the game well on defense forcing a punt on the Argos’ first offensive drive after Avery Williams nearly forced an interception at midfield, but bobbled the ball before dropping it. 

Acklin started the Redblacks’ first offensive drive with a huge 46-yard reception on 2nd & 8 to give the Redblacks a huge first down at the Argos’ 41-yard line. The Redblacks couldn’t advance the ball much further and settled for a 46-yard field goal by Lewis Ward to take a 3-0 lead. 

The Argonauts responded nicely with a huge 25-yard reception from wide receiver Markeeth Ambles, who made several huge receptions in the game, to set the Argonauts up at the Redblacks’ 45-yard line. A few plays later, on 2nd and 10 from the Redblacks’ 35, Argos’ QB Macleod Bethel-Thompson’s intended pass to Kurleigh Gittens Jr. was overturned after being called a catch on the field. Boris Bede’s 42-yard field goal tied the game 3-3 midway through the first quarter. 

The Redblacks would go two and out on their next drive after not recovering from a time-count violation penalty. Their defense held and after getting the ball back, Acklin made another great catch for 20 yards on a spectacular ball from Evans to set up his offense at the Argos’ 45. 

Two powerful, downhill runs from backup running back Jackson Bennett set up a 3rd and 1, which backup quarterback Tyrie Adams easily converted, earning five yards on a QB draw to set up the Redblacks inside Toronto’s 30. Bennett would continue carrying the ball, running for seven yards on the next two plays, which brought out Ward for a 31-yard field goal, which he drilled down the middle near the end of the first quarter to give the Redblacks a 6-3 lead.

At the end of the first quarter, the Redblacks had 69 passing yards. Acklin had 66 receiving yards. Andrew Harris was shut out by the Redblacks’ defense, only recording eight yards on four carries. 

The Redblacks started the next drive with a good read on a run play, forcing a tackle for a loss, but immediately surrendered a 16-yard reception to Gittens Jr. for a first down. On the next play, the Argos got a nine-yard reception from Andrew Harris to set up a 2nd and 1. The Argos tried to drive down the field quickly, but Lorenzo Mauldin had other ideas. He recorded his seventh sack of the season, tied with Saskatchewan Roughriders’ Pete Robertson for the most in the CFL to force a punt after a false start penalty by the Argos moved them back to a 2nd and 6. 

The Redblacks went 2 & out and were forced to punt after Evans nearly threw a pick-six after a miscommunication with Acklin on an option route.

However, their defense continued to play well and generate pressure against Bethel-Thompson, who was previously undefeated against the Redblacks entering tonight. Davon Coleman got his first sack of the ball game, thanks to great coverage in the secondary which took away all of Bethel-Thompson’s options. The next three plays were all big catches from Gittens Jr., two of which went for first downs. On 2nd and 3 inside the Redblacks’ 30, Bethel-Thompson fired a strike to Brandon Banks - who made a brilliant over-the-shoulder catch - for a 29-yard TD to give the Argos a 10-6 lead after the PAT midway through the second quarter.

The Redblacks couldn’t respond to the Argos’ TD drive and were forced to punt after Evans took a sack on a hard hit from former Denver Broncos linebacker Shane Ray.  After the sack, the Argonauts controlled the clock on a long, meticulous 15-play drive downfield that took just under 5 minutes which resulted in a field goal to extend their lead to seven points. 

The Redblacks responded well and moved the ball efficiently downfield in the two-minute drill, as they have done several times this season. Evans spread the ball out to multiple receivers including a 21-yard pass to Shaq Johnson, an eight-yard pass to Ryan Davis, and a seven-yard pass to Nate Behar before rolling right to evade pressure before making a perfect pass to find Acklin wide open in the endzone for a 30-yard touchdown to tie the game 13-13 at halftime. 

The Redblacks’ offense momentum continued to start the second half as they drove all the way down to the Argonauts’ 13-yard line thanks to several strong runs from William Powell in the run game to open up holes in the Argos’ defense for their receivers to get open in. Powell contributed 33 yards on the ground on that drive and made some key blocks to give Evans time to make passes to his receivers. Despite entering the red zone, they couldn’t find the endzone and had to settle for a 21-yard field goal from Lewis Ward to retake the lead 16-13.

The Argos were looking to retake the lead on their next drive, but the Redblacks’ defense had other ideas. Lorenzo Mauldin hit Andrew Harris really hard and forced a fumble - the only turnover in the game to that point - which teammate Patrick Levels recovered to give the Redblacks the ball back at midfield up by three points. 

The Redblacks couldn’t do anything with their turnover after Evans took a sack from Shawn Oakman and they punted it to the Argos, whose offense strung together a few first downs before their drive stalled at midfield before they punted it back to Ottawa. 

After a 13-yard catch from Johnson and a nine-yard catch from Bennett, Paul LaPolice made a risky decision to go for it on 3rd and 1 at his own 29-yard line, but it paid off after backup quarterback Tyrie Adams lunged forward for five yards and a first down before completing a 21-yard pass to Ryan Davis which set Ottawa up at their own 51-yard line to start the fourth quarter. 

Ottawa’s drive would stall at midfield and the Argos got the ball back at their own 23 with a chance to take the lead. 

After three quarters, the Redblacks were outrushing the Argos 71-31 and Harris was completely shut out by the Redblacks’ defense, with only 17 yards on nine carries. Both quarterbacks were playing well, with Bethel-Thompson slightly outgaining Evans 244-213 after three quarters. The Redblacks controlled the tempo in the third quarter after the Argos controlled the tempo in the second quarter. The team takes control in the fourth quarter will be bound to win the game.

The Argos are a good fourth-quarter team and have made multiple comebacks in the final quarter this season, including against Montreal and Saskatchewan, so the Redblacks’ defense would be put to the test. 

The Argos started the fourth quarter with a boom after a 33-yard gain from Ambles, who was left wide open, and that set the Argos up near midfield. The Redblacks struggled to cover him from the slot all game and he was able to use his burst off the line of scrimmage, his speed, and his agility to create separation for the catch. However, the Argos would punt the ball away after two consecutive incompletions on deep balls downfield.

Evans and Acklin connected again on the Redblacks’ next drive for 15 yards and another 20 yards two plays later. Evans was on fire, completing 16 of his last 17 passes dating back to the start of the third quarter and was 20/25 for 252 yards and one TD to that point. Acklin’s 20-yard catch was his seventh reception of the night, giving him 144 yards and one TD.

On the very next play, the Redblacks were driving with under 10 minutes to play, wide receiver Nate Behar made a catch before bouncing off a tackle and getting eight yards after contact for a huge first down and the Redblacks were doing a great job controlling the clock. An 11-yard run from Evans - after a six-yard run from Powell - gave the Redblacks a first down in the red zone with 7:30 left. 

After a run that was stuffed by the Argos’ defensive line and a five-yard gain on second down, Ward came onto the field preparing to give Ottawa a six-point lead with another field goal attempt. But a late objectionable conduct penalty against the Argos gave the Redblacks a first and goal at the seven-yard line. That penalty proved to be the turning point as Evans found Behar wide open in the endzone for a seven-yard TD pass to give the Redblacks a 23-13 lead.

The Redblacks’ defense would remain stout and force another two-and-out after defensive lineman Bryce Carter sacked Bethel-Thompson on 2nd and 3. The Redblacks got the ball back up 10 points with 5:14 to play, but only got one first down and only took two minutes off the clock before punting it back to the Argos after Ray recorded his second sack of the game.

Great punt coverage from the Redblacks forces Banks to run backwards and the Argos started their next drive at their own seven-yard line with 2:50 left to play. Two first-down completions to Harris - who was excellent in the receiving game today, but very underwhelming in the rushing game - gave the Argos the ball at their own 29-yard line. 

After two incompletions, the Argos’ faced a daunting 3rd and 10 inside their own 30-yard line. However, a breakdown in the Redblacks’ secondary allowed receiver Tommy Nield to make a 34-yard catch to give his team a first down inside the Redblacks’ 50. 

That was as far as the Argos’ could move the ball, however. Defensive lineman Kene Oneyka recorded the Redblacks’ fourth sack of the evening to force a 3rd and 10 after an incompletion on first down. On third down, Bethel-Thompson overthrew Banks and the Redblacks forced a turnover on downs. 

The Redblacks got the ball back up 23-13 with 1:35 left, they were so close to their first win that they could taste it. Caleb Evans would pick up a first down with his legs on an eight-yard run and three plays later would convert a 3rd and 1 with a QB sneak to seal the game after two strong runs from Jackson Bennett for nine yards.

It took eight weeks and a lot of frustratingly close losses, but the Redblacks are finally victorious. They improve to 1-6 with the win and despite being last in the East Division, they are still in the thick of the playoff race, being only one game behind the Montreal Alouettes and the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and two games behind the East-leading Argos with many games still to play against East Division rivals.

This is a big win for all the Redblacks’ players and coaches and if the Redblacks build on this game, where they handily defeated a talented Argos team, they can be dangerous going forward. After a performance like this, Evans should be the starter moving forward and LaPolice’s job is safe for now. 

The Reblacks have a short turn-around and host the Calgary Stampeders on August 5, looking for back-to-back wins. The Argos host the Tiger-Cats on August 6 in an important East Division game. The season is still young, anything can happen.