Missed opportunities lead to missed point for Stamps, REDBLACKS

OTTAWA — After a hard-fought 60 minutes and then some, all the REDBLACKS and Stampeders could do on Friday night was split the two points.

It was a disappointing end for both teams to a thrilling back-and-forth affair in the nation’s capital, as the REDBLACKS remain the CFL’s only undefeated team – just not quite in the way they might have imagined.

It was a similar feeling for both teams involved in the first CFL tie since 2009.

“I don’t think anybody is satisfied,” Stamps receiver Bakari Grant told Stampeders.com. “It was so anti-climatic. It’s disheartening – it takes the wind out of you a little bit.”

“It doesn’t feel good for either team,” added Calgary head coach Dave Dickenson.

The 26-26 draw put some of the league’s most impressive offensive stars on full display. Trevor Harris remains the league’s top-rated passer after throwing for 396 yards to go with three touchdowns (and one interception) on 39-of-50 passing.

Yet so far this season he’s been overshadowed by Chris Williams, who’s been simply impossible for teams to cover. Williams added three more touchdowns to his torrid start as part of a 10-catch, 130-yard effort, giving him a ridiculous 493 yards (164.3 yards per game) and six touchdowns through just three games.

While Nic Grigsby provided strong relief at running back for the REDBLACKS and the offence put up 500 yards of total offence, in the end it wasn’t enough to make it three straight wins to open the 2016 season.

“I think it was a case of missed opportunities,” REDBLACKS head coach Rick Campbell told OttawaREDBLACKS.com after the game. “They are a good football team, so I give them a lot of credit, but we definitely had a few instances there at the end where we could have closed it out. We didn’t do it.”

It was the type of back-and-forth turn of events meeting that left both teams feeling like they could have done better.

The Stampeders found themselves playing keep-up most of the game as Bo Levi Mitchell and co. managed to respond every time the REDBLACKS took the lead. With time running down in the fourth and the game tied and the REDBLACKS driving, however, the Stamps appeared headed for defeat if not for a fumble forced by rookie linebacker Alex Singleton in the shadow of his own goal post.

Safety Joshua Bell made the recovery for the Stamps who, inside the last minute, had an opportunity to get in field goal range and set up a victory following a pass interference penalty against the REDBLACKS. But Ottawa’s defence stood up to hold overtime, and from there all either team could muster was a pair of field goals en route to a tie.

“Our defence played amazing pretty much the whole night,” said Grant, who finished with 89 receiving yards in his Stampeders debut Friday night. “They’re a bend-but-don’t-break kind of defence and they always make plays when teams get in the green zone. So it wasn’t surprising, it was just something that happened. Then it was ‘let’s go, let’s get the ball downfield’.”

The REDBLACKS had the best chance to win the game after opening overtime with a Chris Milo field goal. Needing a touchdown to win or a field goal just to stay alive, Mitchell’s pass over the middle for Marquay McDaniel slipped right through the hands of Ottawa defensive back Jermaine Robinson, which would have ended the game immediately.

At the end of the day it was just one of many chances the REDBLACKS had to earn two points instead of one, but with a game in Toronto against the Argonauts on Wednesday night they’re in no place to dwell on missed opportunities.

“We don’t have a lot of time to dwell on this one,” said Head Coach Rick Campbell. “We are back at it on Wednesday, so we just keep moving forward.

“This tie might really help us out in the big picture down the road; it could end up being the difference in the standings.”

“I think it was a case of missed opportunities . . . we definitely had a few instances there at the end where we could have closed it out. We didn’t do it.”
Rick Campbell

With the tie, no one wins and no one loses and that was the sentiment after the game for almost everyone.

“We still came into a tough, tough building and played a great team and we had a lot of effort,” said Dickenson. “I’m not going to fault that – the guys gave me everything they (had), which wasn’t our best football game and I’m sure they’ll say the same. There were a lot of mistakes.”

While the REDBLACKS hit the road quickly for a key Week 4 East Division matchup with the 2-1 Argos, the Stampeders get an extra week to prepare before visiting the Blue Bombers on July 21.

– With files from Stampeders.com/OttawaREDBLACKS.com