Patrick Doyle/CFL.ca
OTTAWA — It wasn’t the prettiest of victories for the REDBLACKS on Saturday night, but it put another digit in the victory column all the same.
“It’s a big win,” said Head Coach Rick Campbell, “It was good that we were able to step up even though it was one of those games that was going back and forth.”
The back and forth he’s referring to could describe not only the REDBLACKS battle with the the Alouettes, but the battle within the REDBLACKS offence itself. Saturday’s game saw QB Trevor Harris set new career highs in passing yards (487) and completions (44), but also saw the REDBLACKS offence turn the ball over five times, and despite the massive yardage advantage, need a last second touchdown from William Powell to seal the victory.
“The thing that was frustrating in the first half particularly was we were moving the ball well enough, we were able to do a lot of stuff, but we turned the ball over I think four times in the first half,” said Campbell. “Obviously taking care of the football is key and we’re going to work on it.”
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Campbell also reflected on his decision to go for the touchdown at the end of the second half rather than kicking a field goal.
“I told my team before the game we want to play to win,” he said. “It was either kick a field goal or we had that play… it was a short yardage play we’d liked for a couple weeks. It was just a calculated risk that didn’t work out.”
Despite the hiccups, Campbell seemed pleased with his team’s ability to pull out the tough victory, but still stressed his constant desire to improve.
“I never take winning for granted,” he said. “This is a 5-3 team with some work to do.”
