The Ottawa Redblacks suffered two losses on July 8 in Hamilton: a game against the Tiger-Cats that they probably should’ve won; and star quarterback Jeremiah Masoli, whose season debut lasted just 25 minutes before a torn achilles in the second quarter ended his season.
The Redblacks and Ti-Cats now have identical 1-3 records after Hamilton’s 21-13 win over Ottawa last Saturday. But Ottawa sits in the basement of the CFL’s East Division thanks to the head-to-head loss to Hamilton — and the team’s prospects are much bleaker after it was confirmed that Masoli would join No. 2 quarterback Tyrie Adams (torn ACL) on the sidelines for the rest of 2023.
The injury came exactly 365 days after Masoli took a low, late and illegal hit from Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive tackle Garrett Marino to knock him out of the 2022 season after just four games.
It was an unfortunate coincidence. In the 17 games Ottawa played without Masoli, the club posted a 5-12 record.
Redblacks’ head coach Bob Dyce expressed heartfelt sympathy for his fallen quarterback, calling Masoli a warrior.
“Obviously, I’m very disappointed for Jeremiah and for the team,” said Dyce. “Jeremiah’s such a soldier. For him to battle back, 365 days, and get injured in his first game back is disappointing. I feel really bad for him. I don’t know what else I can say.”
Masoli’s teammates echoed Dyce’s sentiments.
“I’m hurting for Masoli,” said Redblacks’ third string QB Dustin Crum, who performed ably in relief. “He worked so hard to get back out there and to have a heartbreaking injury like that … It sucks.”
Ottawa came within two yards and a two-point convert of tying the game on the final play to send it to overtime against the Ti-Cats, winless going into the game.
‘At the end of the day, I played losing football, I turned the ball over three times. That’s on me as a quarterback, the leader of the offence. I have to be better and put us in better situations to win the game.’
— Dustin Crum, quarterback, Ottawa Redblacks
But Crum — who completed 14 of 21 passes for 149 yards, while adding 91 yards on the ground and a rushing touchdown — was tackled two yards short of the goaline as the clock expired to solidify Ottawa’s fate on the wrong side of the score board.
Crum credited the Ti-Cats defence for reading his final run and closing in to prevent him from scoring what could have been — with a two-point convert — a game-tying touchdown.
“I thought I was going to score,” said Crum. “I wish I’d jumped a little sooner and maybe got over the top.”
Dyce said he admired Crum’s effort to lead the team as the backup QB and put his body on the line on several runs.
“I liked Dustin coming in and scoring a (rushing) touchdown (to give) us a spark,” said Dyce, adding that Crum’s leadership and poise gave the Redblacks the momentum to keep pushing for a win.
Crum did not take his opportunity to shine for granted. He played with heart and had a strong game overall considering he’s had extremely limited playing time so far this season, and has had little exposure to the team’s starters in practice.
With both Masoli and Adams out for the season, Ottawa’s QB depth chart is extremely thin.
Behind Crum, they have veteran Nick Arbuckle, who is not fully healthy after suffering a minor injury earlier in the season. Then there’s wide receiver Nate Behar, who serves as the team’s emergency QB.
The quarterback situation will be a huge obstacle moving forward if Ottawa wants to contend for a playoff spot.
The Redblacks may inquire into the availability of Grey Cup winner McLeod Bethel-Thompson, according to a report from TSN. He’s an older veteran, but can make plays with his arm and legs, is composed in the pocket and knows how to lead a CFL offence.
He’s currently playing for the New Orleans Breakers in the United States Football League.
However, issues that plagued the Redblacks in their first two losses this year, such as their inability to get into the end zone through the air, giving up interceptions, turning the ball over too much and committing major penalties plagued the team again against the Ti-Cats.
Masoli and Crum combined for three interceptions, which directly resulted in 10 points off turnovers for the Tabbies, including a 64-yard TD pass from Ti-Cats quarterback Matthew Shiltz to rookie receiver Tyreik McAllister.
Shiltz finished the game with a respectable statline of 233 pass yards, one TD and one interception.
While Crum did lose a fumble and threw two interceptions, one wasn’t really his fault as it bounced off the hands of his receiver before being caught by a Ti-Cats defender. He was also facing constant pressure from an elite Hamilton defensive line, something that is difficult to overcome for any young QB with limited experience.
Meanwhile, the Redblacks’ offensive line was losing battles in the trenches, allowing five sacks and exposing their quarterbacks too often to too much pressure.
Part of the reason for Crum’s struggles was Ottawa’s inability to replicate last week’s success against Edmonton in the running game. De’Montre Tuggle was limited to just 30 yards on 11 carries and Jackson Bennett couldn’t get anything going on the ground either, gaining only 15 yards.
This forced Ottawa into many second-and-long plays, giving Hamilton’s defensive line a perfect excuse to blitz and send loads of pressure at Crum and causing him to make mistakes or be forced to absorb a sack. When you factor in Ottawa’s numerous major penalties that also pushed the offence backward, it is hard to sustain drives.
Crum, when safely positioned in a clean pocket, did a great job of moving the sticks.
Once again, the Redblacks’ defence kept the team in the game, making up for the offence’s inability to move the ball downfield.
“I love the way these guys fight. Defensively, we did a good job, for the most part, other than one big explosive play. We have some work to do to move forward offensively.’
— Bob Dyce, head coach, Ottawa Redblacks
Except for the long touchdown pass, they kept Hamilton out of the end zone for the rest of the game. Hamilton’s only other points came from five field goals booted by kicker Marc Liegghio.
The Redblacks defence kept the team in the game in numerous instances. For example, Ty Cranston made a phenomenal catch for a crucial interception in the third quarter — though the turnover amounted to nothing offensively — and Shiltz was sacked twice to end Hamilton drives.
Dyce was impressed by his defence and the passion they showed to keep the game close.
“I love the way these guys fight. Defensively, we did a good job, for the most part, other than one big explosive play. We have some work to do to move forward offensively,” Dyce said.
Barring two Lewis Ward field goals and a 9-yard QB draw by Crum that resulted in the Redblacks’ lone touchdown late in the first half, which gave Ottawa a 10-9 lead,
Ottawa was unable to cash in on the superb effort by their defence.
Dyce emphasized the need to be more consistent on offence, to be more careful with the ball and to make the most of their offensive drives.
When asked about his game, Crum said there were brightspots, but there was also room for improvement.
“I have to play cleaner,” said Crum. “At the end of the day, I played losing football, I turned the ball over three times. That’s on me as a quarterback, the leader of the offence. I have to be better and put us in better situations to win the game.”
Hamilton ended a six-minute opening drive with a 13-yard field goal. In the second quarter, they extended the Tiger-Cats’ lead to 6-0 on another Liegghio kick.
Masoli’s first pass in a year was a 9-yard completion to wide receiver Siosi Mariner. A few plays later, another Masoli pass was tipped and picked off by Hamilton defensive back Chris Edwards. After a failed defensive pass interference challenge by Hamilton, Liegghio hit a third field goal as the Ti-Cats went up 9-0.
Ottawa got on the board with a 36-yard field goal from veteran kicker Lewis Ward to cut the lead to 9-3 before Crum ran untouched into the endzone from 15 yards out a few drives later to give Ottawa a 10-9 halftime lead. Ward hit another field goal in Ottawa’s opening drive of the second half, but it the last points they would score.
A few plays after Cranston’s interception, Crum’s pass intended for Jaelon Acklin was tipped and intercepted by Simoni Lawrence. Shortly after, Hamilton found the end zone on the 64-yard touchdown catch by McAllister to give Hamilton a 15-13 lead.
After both teams exchanged fumbles on consecutive drives and Liegghio extended Hamilton’s lead to 18-13, Crum threw a pass directly into the chest of Hamilton defender Richard Leonard. Hamilton added another field goal to extend their lead to eight points.[1]
It was enough for the win, despite Ottawa’s valiant effort on the Redblacks’ final possession.
