Brett Holmes/CFL.ca
CALGARY – It’s a thrill of its own to have a walk-off two-point conversion winner in an overtime game.
For the Ottawa REDBLACKS, who have not only seen overtime but won in it during their last two games, preparing for these situations is just part of the routine.
As Dustin Crum found Nate Behar in the end zone for a successful two-point conversion to win in Calgary after the Stampeders forced overtime, both players were unfazed as they had known exactly how the drive would play out.
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“We’ve been here before, do your job, nothing else, and it plays out,” Behar told TSN’s Brit Dort after the REDBLACKS’ 43-41 win over the Stampeders.
In a game that had multiple lead changes, with each team leading by less than a touchdown at many points in the game, the REDBLACKS gained a lead back late in the fourth quarter thanks to Behar, who would play hero in overtime with another connection from Crum.
But the quarterback-receiver duo didn’t let the pressure get to them, just as they hadn’t the week before in a different high-pressure overtime situation, and when Calgary failed to convert on their overtime two-point attempt, the REDBLACKS knew the game was theirs to take.
“The beautiful part about clutch situations, time running down, is that you don’t have any time to think, it just keeps happening, play call comes in, play clock starts, you don’t have any time to psych yourself out,” said Behar.
“So you just hear it, run to your spot and go do it, luckily enough we put the reps in, Dustin made a beautiful throw and the rest is history.”
Behar was targeted 10 times by Crum in the game, grabbing eight receptions for 81 yards including the go-ahead touchdown with less than two minutes to play for a three-point lead, as well as the successful walk-off two-point conversion attempt.
In Behar’s eyes, his own successes are part of the larger picture that is led offensively by Crum, who’s path to success in the CFL has been unlike many others.
A quarterback who came into the REDBLACKS offence as their fourth different starter after injuries plagued the team, Ottawa now sits at .500 thanks to Crum’s heroics to stun the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in Week 6, and his brilliance as he tallied 257 yards and two touchdowns in the air as well as 63 yards on the ground for a win in Week 7.
“The boy’s got stones, he’s ready to compete at all times, theres a level of calm in that huddle that we have throughout the game that is just, it’s infectious,” said Behar.
“No one panics at any point, it’s just head down, catch your breath, keep going and that all starts with 18.”
