Redblacks 20, Stampeders 12 Read MoreStout defence, four field goals and a single touchdown drive made the difference.
Stout defence, four field goals and a single touchdown drive made the difference.
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Redblacks 20, Stampeders 12
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The Ottawa Redblacks did what they had to for their first win of the Canadian Football League season Saturday.
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On a windy, rainy and cold afternoon at McMahon Stadium, the Redblacks used a strong running game, a stout defence and the kicking boot of Lewis Ward to hand the Calgary Stampeders their first loss of the season.
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In the 20-12 victory that improved the Redblacks record to 1-2 and moved them from last in the East Division into second place, Dustin Crum surely improved his standing from third-string quarterback to the primary backup behind the injured Dru Brown by not turning the ball over and picking up the W.
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Crum, who completed just nine of 22 passes because the conditions gave normally sure-handed receivers slippery fingers, ran 11 times for 64 yards.
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And, while William Stanback had his best game as a Redblack with nine carries for 82 yards, stealing the spotlight was his platoon partner in the backfield.
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Canadian running back Daniel Adeboboye scored the game’s only touchdown with 5:02 left, when he pulled in a nine-yard pass from Crum.
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Right before that, Adeboboye made the biggest offensive play of the day when he took a handoff and burst up the middle for a 52-yard gain.
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Adeboboye finished the game with 10 carries for 96 yards.
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The Redblacks’ defence was credited with five turnovers, including a late fourth-quarter interception by safety Charlie Ringland, and stopped the Vernon Adams Jr.-directed Calgary offence for the third time on a third-down play to seal the outcome.
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Ward was 4-for-5 on field goal attempts with scoring boots of 34, 22, 26 and 33 yards before a late 48-yard attempt hit the left upright and stayed out.
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The Redblacks also cleaned up a trouble spot by taking just four penalties for 26 yards.
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They held a 6-2 first-half lead that could have been mistaken for the score of a Senators-Flames National Hockey League game.
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On Ottawa’s first possession, Crum ran three times for 30 yards during a 10-play, 52-yard drive that ended with a Ward field goal from the 34.
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When Calgary’s Rene Paredes was wide with a 43-yard field-goal attempt later in the first quarter, Devonte Dedmon returned the ball to Ottawa’s 12-yard line, but the Redblacks’ Robert Priester was called for an illegal block, and the ball was brought back to the one.
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Two plays later, Crum was sacked in the end zone by Jaylon Hutchings.
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It was the third time in two games that a Priester penalty preceded points by the opposition. In last week’s loss to Montreal, he was flagged for horse-collar tackles before an Alouettes touchdown and a field goal.