Redblacks pummeled 45-15 by Argonauts, got dominated from start to finish

Adamo Marinelli

Sept. 25, 2022

The Ottawa Redblacks were dominated on all three sides of the ball at home against the Toronto Argonauts in an embarrassing 45-15 loss, their 21st loss in 22 home games.

In a season of horrendous losses, this was arguably the worst of the bunch with the Redblacks looking flat and uninspired all game long. 

With the win, the Argonauts clinch a playoff spot, meanwhile, the Redblacks are that much closer to securing the first overall pick in the 2023 CFL draft.

Both Redblacks’ QBs struggled to find their rhythm and were under constant duress by the Argos’ defensive line which recorded three sacks, 10 QB hits, and were in the QB’s face all day. The Redblacks’ QB duo struggled all game long, completing 33/54 of their passes, 368 yards, no TDs, and five INTs – a good chunk of those yards came in garbage time.

Nick Arbuckle played the first half and was very underwhelming, missing passes and struggling to move the ball. It’s hard to complete passes when you are constantly under duress and you have no time to scan the field and make your read, but that’s what you’re paid to do as a QB. In the second half, Caleb Evans was also constantly running for his life. He didn’t have a lot of time to look downfield to make his reads and find the open receiver.

The Redblacks were dominated in the trenches, their offensive line was one-upped by the Argos’ defensive line all night long. Their defensive line shed blocks quickly and prevented gaps from opening up in addition to always sending pressure at the Redblacks’ QB.

As a result, the Redblacks struggled to get their run game going because there was always an Argonaut in the Redblacks’ backfield before the running back could see a lane through the line. 

Devonte Williams had 47 of the team’s 74 rush yards, and A.J. Ouellette and Chad Kelly combined for 107 of the team’s 116 rush yards and a rush TD.

Conversely, the Argos’ offensive line opened up holes for their runningbacks and gave MacLeod Bethel-Thompson a ton of time to throw go through his progressions before throwing the ball to an open receiver. Bethel Thompson was smart with the football and efficient all night long, completing 21/29 passes for 245 yards, three TDs, and one INT. 

Couple that with several holes and missed coverages in the Redblacks’ secondary all night long; many of those missed assignments leading to big offensive plays downfield for the Argos and what happens is Bethel Thompson completes many deep passes downfield to the open receiver he had time to find. 

The Redblacks’ defensive line recorded two sacks, and five QB hits, and did not generate as much pressure on Bethel-Thompson as the Argos’ defense put on Arbuckle and Evans.

The loss wasn’t entirely Arbuckle’s or Evans’ fault. Receivers dropped passes, the run game wasn’t as effective as they wanted it to be, the secondary made a lot of mistakes, the team was disciplined and took a lot of penalties, and neither QB had a lot of time in the pocket before facing pressure.

In addition, coaching was a huge problem tonight, just as it has been all season. Paul LaPolice was very conservative with his playcalling all game long, especially on the last play before halftime on their own 49-yard line, where Arbuckle took a knee instead of trying a hail mary or anything to get momentum back. They were only down 12 points at that point, the game was not yet out of reach. Giving up mid-game - which is essentially what that play call told Redblacks’ fans LaPolice was doing - is not going to win you any football games.

Also, on two occasions in third and manageable situations inside the Argos’ 30, LaPolice elected to go for field goals instead of touchdowns when the game is still in reach and when he has been preaching all year to end drives with seven points, not three. 

However, despite all this, Arbuckle and Evans combined for a whopping five interceptions. Two of Evans’ three interceptions were returned for pick-sixes in the fourth quarter to seal the game for the Argos. 

Both of Arbuckle’s interceptions were horrible throws right into the defender’s hands. His first interception was immediately after Abdul Kanneh’s picked off Bethel-Thompson in the endzone. Instead of driving downfield to score points, the Redblacks gave the ball back to the Argos inside their 30 and the Argos punched it in with A.J. Ouellette for an 8-3 lead after the successful two-point convert. His second interception was after the Argos made it 11-6 with a field goal, the Redblacks had a chance to take the lead but turned it over near midfield. 

Interceptions are bad, but when they lead to points for the other team or points off the board for your team, they’re even worse. 

Another bad mistake was when Devonte Dedmon fumbled the ball while trying to return Boris Bede’s missed 50-yard field goal and the Argos took over inside the Redblacks’ five-yard line. This resulted in a TD to give the Argos a 25-9 lead. Evans’ first interception led to a 25-yard TD pass from Bethel-Thompson to Markeith Ambles to make it 31-9 for the Argos.

After that, Evans threw a 35-yard pick-six to Maurice Carnell to make it 38-9 and an 88-yard pick-six on their very next drive to make the score 45-9. Offensive “genius” Paul LaPolice could only manage one touchdown today, in garbage time too, which is embarrassing and needs to be fixed before this offseason and the start of next year. 

On top of that, the Redblacks had seven turnovers and only turned forced two turnovers against the Argos. When you have a turnover differential of minus five, chances are you’re not winning the game. That was the case with the Redblacks tonight.

“We were coming off a bye week, it’s my fault. I have to make sure we’re ready to play,” LaPolice said. “Every time we started to do something, there would be a critical error. We didn’t perform close to our standards, and I’m disappointed.”

With the Redblacks, whenever they fix an issue that plagued them in a previous week, a new issue arises the next week and costs them. This season, playoffs are looking extremely unlikely, so the best course of action is to move on from LaPolice, hire a new coach, and address some biggest needs (CB, OLB, S, OL, WR) in the draft and compete next year when Jeremiah Masoli is healthy

The Argos game was another extremely frustrating game in a year filled with nothing but frustration, disappointment, and hardships for the Redblacks and their fans. Hopefully, the Redblacks (3-10) can forget about it before they play the BC Lions next week on the road, and the Argos (8-5) will play the Stampeders.

Despite slow start, Carleton Ravens dominate Nipissing Lakers in strong offensive showing

Adamo Marinelli

Sept. 18

The Carleton Ravens remained undefeated after a dominant 4-1 win against a talented Nipissing Lakers squad thanks to excellent defending, fantastic passing and playmaking, and clinical finishing in the second half.

The Lakers' game planned well for the Ravens and set up a mid-low defensive block, making it hard for the Ravens to generate quality scoring chances in the attacking third. 

“Nipissing did a great job defensively which caused us a lot of problems offensively. It took us a little longer to break them down,” head coach Kwesi Loney said. 

However, the Ravens’ excellent ball movement, great passing, lethal transition attack, speed, and ability to get players into open spaces led to scoring chances which started breaking down the Lakers’ defense.

In the 16th minute, off the counterattack, the Ravens took a 1-0 lead after Danny Asaf dribbled past two defenders before tucking it home for his third goal of the season. 

Loney said that as soon as his team scores their first goal, their game plan is not to sit back defensively but instead to keep attacking to immediately get another goal.

“At 1-0, we took our foot off the gas offensively until late in the first half and allowed them to play in our end a bit more. Our defense held up, but we have to change our mentality to align with our game plan.”

Even after conceding, the Lakers continued pressing on defense and weren’t afraid to move the ball upfield to generate chances.

Late in the first half, the Ravens retook control of the midfield and their physical defense continued to play well. They created a handful of turnovers which led to transition opportunities. The Ravens’ defense didn’t give their opponents a lot of time or space to pass or advance the ball downfield with their sound on-ball press.

The Ravens did a good job limiting the number of quality chances generated by the Lakers. The Ravens forced their opponents to the outside and limited their presence in front of the net. Also, goalkeeper Tyler David made numerous clutch saves.

Loney said there was a lot to be proud of, but also things to continue improving.

“Our possession was really good today. We controlled the tempo of the game. We moved the ball well too,” Loney said. “I didn't think it was as purposeful as it could have been though, particularly in the final third where we need to be more decisive and finish all our chances, which we didn’t do in the first half.”

Midfielder Quinn Honeyman-Wootton agreed, adding being clinical in front of the goal is crucial.

“I think we’re doing really well getting on the ball, keeping the ball, and controlling possession, but we still have another gear we need to hit,” Honeyman-Wootton said. “We had so many chances that we didn’t capitalize on last week vs UofT and this week too, so improving our finishing is key.” 

Despite being down 1-0, the Lakers were dangerous. Lakers’ forward Ayden Harris gave the Ravens’ defense something to think about with his off-ball aggressiveness that led to turnovers and scoring chances.

Harris forced Ravens’ defender Mandela Singh Sharpe to cough up the ball but Harris couldn’t capitalize on his takeaway; his shot from inside the six-yard box was saved. A few minutes later, Harris received a nice pass from a teammate and found himself on a breakaway, but David came up with another huge save to keep the game 1-0.

“David is my man of the match today. We had a lot of the possession against UofT and today but in both games, he’s made some huge saves to keep us in it,” Honeyman-Wootton said.

The Ravens knew how dangerous the Lakers were offensively and needed to keep pressing early in the second half for another goal. Scott Mazzotta had a chance to make it 2-0 but fanned on his shot. He would get another chance a few minutes later but was robbed by a beautiful diving save from Lakers’ goalkeeper Ryan Miners.

The consistent attack from Ravens continued throughout the second half and it led to more goals. They created turnovers in the midfield and used stellar passing to set up offensively. They spent a lot of the second half in the Lakers’ half.

After a few nervy moments for the Ravens on defense that saw the Lakers get a few shots on goal - including a free kick from just outside the box - that required David to make several great saves to ensure his team kept their advantage, midfielder Quinn Honeyman-Wootton beautifully struck the ball from just outside the box and into the top corner of the net to give the Ravens a 2-0 lead in the 64th minute. 

“I've always played the role of a number six - someone who does the simple things and doesn’t necessarily get all the glory, but still tries to play smart rather than be flashy or chase stats,” Honeyman-Wootton said. “I think it’s definitely important to be a leader on the field because I’m in the middle of the park.

“Quinn is the glue that holds the team together. He is sound defensively, his ball movement is excellent and he is a senior guy that brings a lot of leadership and confidence to the squad,” Loney said. “Not everything he does shows up on the stat sheet, but it speaks volumes in terms of all the work he does for the team on and off the pitch.”

Three minutes later, striker Bouzidi Mohamed gave the Ravens a 3-0 lead with a nice strike after stellar passing from his teammates set up the chance. 

Mohamed scored his second goal off of a corner kick perfectly delivered by Mazzotta in stoppage time to give the Ravens a 4-1 lead after Lakers’ forward Jack Collins scored on the counterattack to cut the Ravens’ lead to 3-1 in the 81st minute. 

The Ravens have won three of their first four matches this season and look dangerous in all phases of the game.

Carleton Ravens top Nipissing Lakers 1-0 in defensive masterclass

Adamo Marinelli

Sept. 18

The Carleton Ravens kept their undefeated season alive with a 1-0 win over the Nipissing Lakers, who have three of the OUA’s top scorers, in a tight defensive game. 

The Lakers started the game strong and full of confidence. They controlled the possession battle, moved the ball effectively, and generated plenty of chances. They timed passes to perfection, playing their teammates onside as they split through Carleton’s backline. 

The Lakers got a few quality chances early on, but Lachance-Soula stood tall and confidently made the necessary saves to keep the game scoreless.  

“I think our team played really well today. We knew this was a tough opponent, especially offensively and we came prepared. We played our game and everyone did their job,” Lachance-Soula said.

The Lakers spent much of the early parts of the game in the Ravens’ end, dominating possession time early and generating plenty of scoring chances. Defensively, they played with a tight press starting past midfield and didn’t give the Ravens a ton of time to move the ball. 

Head coach Dom Oliveri knew the Lakers’ high defensive press was coming and was ready for it.

“We watched them play a bunch last week and we worked on how to break that down in training. We discussed certain gaps we’d try to exploit and creative ways to beat the press. The players did a really good job,” Oliveri said.

In the 17th minute, that all changed on the counterattack when Salena Devellis placed a perfect pass through the Lakers’ back four which found the foot of Chloe Doiron, who after calmly controlling the ball, slotted it into the bottom-left corner of the net to give the Ravens a 1-0 lead.

After the goal, the Ravens took back some momentum from the Lakers and played with more confidence. They moved the ball precisely, created more quality scoring chances with their ball movement and counter-attack, and began to even out the possession battle. 

The Lakers remained in a high press defensively which led to chances in transition for the Ravens but also led to takeaways in the midfield and scoring chances of their own. Before halftime, they had two chances to equalize, one was called back for offside, and then a perfectly placed corner kick was headed inches over the net.

The Ravens’ defense played very well with the one-goal lead. They were physical, limited the amount of quality key scoring chances the Lakers generated down the middle, and forced most of their chances outside. When the Lakers crossed it in, Lachance-Soula made the save or a defenseman cleared it out of harm’s way.

Oliveri believes his team played a really good first half, especially on defense. 

“We had a really good tactical plan coming in and I think it worked really well, especially in the first half,” Oliveri said. 

He added that in the second half, their defense and midfield shifted back tactically, allowing a bit more pressure, but his team still handled the pressure well and did what they needed to win.

“They're one of the best teams in the nation right now, when you beat a team like that, it’s a good day,” Oliveri said.

The Ravens controlled possession in the midfield and created takeaways to turn defense into offense with their lethal transition attack.

Oliveri says having tactical flexibility and being able to shift easily from defense to offense whenever they need to is the program’s goal and what they’ve been trying to do for five years.

“It really speaks volumes about the great mix of players we have at Carleton… who can be productive offensively and can also lock it down defensively,” Oliveri said. “So we have a lot of players with unique skillsets for any given game situation based on what we need. We’re really excited about what that will look like moving forward.”  

Midway through the second half, Chloe Doiron nearly got her second goal of the night to double the Ravens’ lead with some fantastic dribbing to create a shot, but it was saved. 

The Lakers pushed their backline up beyond midfield and shifted to a high 4-4-2 formation in the second half in an attempt to generate chances in transition to equalize the game. 

In response, Oliveri made a tactical change and instructed his players to sit back a bit to be able to better absorb the pressure from the Lakers’ attacks. It worked, the Ravens didn’t concede.

The Lakers generated many quality scoring chances in the second half, especially in the last 15 minutes, but the Ravens’ defense locked them down and Lachance-Soula made many quality saves to sustain her team’s 1-0 lead.

In the 69th minute, Lachance-Soula made a huge save by deflecting a Lakers’ shot from inside the six-yard box into the crossbar, which was then cleared out. Arguably her best save of the match came in the 72nd minute after she dove across the net to stop a shot before getting up and clearing the ball off the line.

Lachance-Soula says she has been playing well but believes the whole team is the reason why they’ve only conceded once this season. 

“Having a solid back four and excellent midfielders is amazing and helps me immensely. They keep shots out of the box, they put their bodies in front of the ball, and get the ball out of danger,” Lachance-Soula said. “They know nothing can go through them, if it does I’m there.”

“She had a great game and she’s been doing that all year. She made a couple really big saves to sustain our 1-0 lead, but we see that every day in training from her,” Oliveri said.

The Ravens defended well for the rest of the game and Lachance-Soula made a few more quality saves to earn her second clean sheet of the year and seal the second victory in three games for the Ravens.

After a very up-and-down season, can the Blue Jays clinch a postseason berth?

Adamo Marinelli

                                                                                                                                    September 17, 2022

Streaky, but deadly when hot, is an accurate way to describe this talented Blue Jays team, with depth and youth exploding at every position. They are 83-63, with 16 games left, and remain in the first AL wild-card spot, 1.5 games ahead of the Seattle Mariners. Playoffs are looking like a strong possibility north of the border.

Despite having numerous stretches throughout the year where they lose five games in a row, and then rally to win six consecutive games, the Blue Jays have had a winning record in all but one month of this season. They went 14-8 in April, 14-12 in May, 15-13 in June, 14-12 in July, 13-14 in August, and are 12-4 midway through September, their best month by far this year.

The Blue Jays have fixed their bullpen issues from last season with guys like Jordan Romano, Yimi Garcia, Tim Mayza, Anthony Bass, Zach Pop, and Adam Cimber among others all closing out games more efficiently, recording more saves, and giving up fewer runs in later innings. 

Last season, the Blue Jays bullpen was nowhere near the top 10 in the MLB. It cost them numerous games and was the reason they fell just short of the postseason. A bullpen giving up an ERA of 4.08 and having only 60 holds, the fewest in the MLB will hurt any team. This season, the Blue Jays have consistently had a top-10 bullpen, giving up an ERA of 3.43 in general in the seventh to the ninth inning, an ERA of 3.69 in the seventh to the ninth inning when winning and an ERA of 3.00 in the seventh to the ninth inning when up by one run as of August 23, 2022. As of September 17, they have an ERA of 3.73, the 12th best in the league, still much better than last year. They also rank tied for seventh in the league in saves with 42, much better than last year and they still have 16 games remaining.

But midway through the year, they struggled to get consistency from some guys in their starting pitching rotation, especially Yusei Kikuchi, who could never seem to find his rhythm. While that issue was eventually fixed with Kikuchi’s move to the bullpen, Blue Jays fans were still a bit worried that starting pitching would end up costing them. Bullet dodged, at least for now.

The Blue Jays were projected to have the sixth-best starting rotation before the season, but they currently have the 10th best. Despite falling a tad short of the preseason expectations, they’ve gotten great production from their main trio of Alec Manoah, Kevin Gausman, and Jose Berrios, and have received reliable pitching from guys like Ross Stripling and Mitch White among others, which has helped them get more strikeouts, more late game leads and more wins. 

Their offense is also operating at a high level and has been getting consistent production from everyone, including the young stars. In 2021, the Blue Jays finished second in the league with a 0.266 batting average and hit a franchise record of 262 home runs, 43 of which came from Marcus Semien, which broke the record for most home runs by a second baseman in a single season.

This season, they remain second in the league in batting average registering a mark of 0.261, one one-hundredth of a point behind the league-leading 0.262 Chicago Whitesox. Their hit totals and runs batted in have stayed the same or slightly increased since last season. However, their home run total has fallen significantly from last season, but the Jays still find themselves ninth in the MLB with 175 home runs. 

Losing Marcus Semien and his 43 home runs hurt and Vladimir Guerrero Jr. who had 48 home runs in 2021 has only 28 this season, which explains the decline in home runs. Despite the Blue Jays scoring fewer home runs, they have given up fewer home runs and runs this season. They gave up 209 home runs in 2021 and only 169 thus far in 2022. In particular, they have given up fewer runs late in games, which cost them several games last season; this can be attributed to their bullpen success. The Blue Jays have 41 saves in 2022 with 17 games left and had only 34 in the entire 2021 season.

Also, Guerrero Jr., George Springer, and Matt Chapman have all experienced long home run 

droughts at some point this season, but during that time, their teammates stepped up and provided a big boost to their offense.

This is particularly true with Bo Bichette, who is having the best month of his career in September. He is hitting an astounding .484 this month and leads the league in home runs (7), RBI (22), and runs scored (16) since September 1. 

Springer, Chapman, and Guerrero Jr. have since all ended their long home run droughts. Guerrero did so in style with his 100th career home run in Wednesday’s huge win against the Tampa Bay Rays; it was his first home run in 63 at-bats since August 30th. Chapman hit two home runs in a 6-3 win against the Baltimore Orioles to end his 25-game drought. This is crucial because the Blue Jays will need to have everyone performing at their best every night on offense if they want to make and go far in the playoffs.

The Blue Jays are also 37-20 since firing Charlie Montoyo. Despite his streakiness, his poor 2-10 record in July, and arbitrary decisions to keep pitchers in the game when struggling and pull them when not necessary, he had a winning record with the team over four seasons and he led the Blue Jays to a winning record (46-42) in 2022 and had the Blue in a playoff spot at the time of his dismissal. So, a strange decision, but one that worked out for the best given his questionable managerial and personnel decisions at times.

Regardless, the Blue Jays are 83-63 and have the first AL wild-card spot, 1.5 games ahead of the Mariners. They have 16 games left and 14 of those are against AL East rivals, which means every game is important heading into the final stretch of the season. Barring a monumental collapse, the playoffs are a strong possibility; but if they win 11-12 or more of their remaining 16 games, they could even pass the 87-58 New York Yankees who currently have a 4.5-game lead in the AL East race. How the season ends, only time will tell, but this is a talented group that is streaky, but dangerous when hot.

Go Blue Jays!

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.