If anything positive came from the Ottawa Redblacks’ last game — a 30-20 loss at TD Place on Aug. 22 to the West Division’s last-place Edmonton Elks — it was the play of Dustin Crum. Read MoreAt 3-8, the Redblacks sit at the bottom of the CFL standings, but they still have a shot at making the playoffs in the East Division.
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At 3-8, the Redblacks sit at the bottom of the CFL standings, but they still have a shot at making the playoffs in the East Division.
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If anything positive came from the Ottawa Redblacks’ last game — a 30-20 loss at TD Place on Aug. 22 to the West Division’s last-place Edmonton Elks — it was the play of Dustin Crum.
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The 26-year-old backup quarterback demonstrated that he continued to make progress in his development, and, with starter Dru Brown set to miss another week because of a knee injury, Crum must take another step in that direction when Ottawa returns from its bye to host the B.C. Lions on Friday night.
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At 3-8, the hapless Redblacks sit at the bottom of the league standings, but, believe it or not, they still have a shot at making the playoffs in the Canadian Football League’s East Division.
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But, with seven games left, time is running out.
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Not only do the Redblacks have to leapfrog the Toronto Argos (4-8), but they also have to catch the 5-6 Lions, who will benefit from the crossover format if they finish with more points than the third-place team in the East.
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The Elks (4-7) also still have post-season hopes via the same crossover route.
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“Going back and watching the game (film) versus Edmonton, you look at what Dusty’s numbers were,” head coach Bob Dyce said Thursday. “He (completed) 23 of 29 passes, and that’s with two drops … He would have been 25 of 29. I felt he did a good enough job to allow us to win.
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“So we can’t sit here and worry about whether Dru is on the roster. This is the roster we have. And I’m excited to see Dusty continue his growth because Dusty has got better every single game.”
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Along with his 79.3 completion rate, Crum threw one touchdown pass and did not turn the ball over against the Elks.
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He was also the game’s top rusher with 10 carries for 59 yards and another TD.
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About to make his fourth start of the season and 18th in his four-year career with the Redblacks, Crum looks and sounds as if he’s comfortable with the moment and its heavy implications.
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“You want to do the best job you can for your teammates and your brothers, but you don’t try to carry any extra weight or pressure because, at the end of the day, you’re going to get yourself in more trouble if you do,” he said. “So I’m just going to do my job to the best of my ability, get the guy ball into my guys’ hands.
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“We got a lot of guys that can do a lot of special things and not try to force things to do too much, kind of let the game come to you and let it, let it kind of roll out how it may.”
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What’s the latest on Brown’s injury?
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The thought was that Brown would be able to return after the bye, but he has yet to be a full participant in practice since his knee was banged up Aug. 14 against the Blue Bombers in Winnipeg.
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Brown, who had injury issues in his first season as the Redblacks’ No. 1 QB last year, has gone the distance in just five of the team’s 11 games in 2025 while starting but being unable to finish two others.
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He is now listed as week-to-week.
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Dyce was asked if Brown suffered a setback while trying to return this week.
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“I don’t know if you can say a setback because I don’t think we ever said exactly when he would be ready,” Dyce said. “With Dru, who is our No. 1 guy, you want to make sure that he’s 100 per cent ready to go. He’s always going to be pushing to be out there because he wants to be out there with his teammates. But we bear responsibility as well not to rush him back because Dru’s going to be a guy who wants to come back, and it’s the job of the medical staff and coaches to make sure we’re making the right decision.”
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What’s the mood in the Redblacks locker room?
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Still upbeat, they insist.
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“Obviously, we’re not where we want to be record-wise; obviously we would want to be in much better position,” Crum said. “But, at the same time, we’re pretty fortunate after starting out the way we have that we’re still kind of in control of our own destiny in a lot of ways, whether it’s getting that three spot (in the East), and I think the two spot is still there (for the taking). So there’s really a lot still on the table. It’s not like guys are burying their heads or hanging their heads about the way things have gone so far. They know that we have to continue to get better, and that, if we finish the right way, things are still in our control.”
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Added linebacker Lucas Cormier: “Nobody wants to lose games, but the good thing is, with the CFL, everybody says that the season starts on Labour Day. I think we have a great opportunity to, you know, start stacking games and put ourselves in a great position. So we’re obviously grateful for that. The type of people that we have in this building and just in this industry, if you don’t believe and drive and are always looking to win and make a push for the playoffs, I think you’re probably in the wrong spot. So, yeah, I think everybody’s very much locked in on the season that we have in front of us and the opportunity we still have.”
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How many roster changes are the Redblacks making this week?
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With injuries or players coming back from injury, there are eight of them in total.
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Headlining the list is receiver Bralon Addison, whose return bumps Andre Miller, a touchdown scorer against Edmonton.
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Also back are Cormier, linebacker Davion Taylor, defensive back Robert Priester, safety Charlie Ringland, defensive lineman Muftah Ageli and rookie offensive lineman Sam Carson.
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Making his Redblacks debut will be American defensive back Mark Milton, who was acquired from the Argos last week for a seventh-round draft pick.
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Moving to the inactive list along with Miller are defensive linemen Daniel Okpoko and Cleyon Laing, offensive lineman Dariusz Bladek, defensive backs Gavin Heslop, Bentlee Sanders and Alijah McGhee and linebacker Zachary Philion.
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What impact can be expected from the return of Cormier?
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The 24-year-old former Mount Allison University star has played well both on defence and special teams in his five games this season.
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He is listed as the starter at weak-side linebacker on Friday and should give the team a lift with his abilities and energy.
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“Dating back to high school football and some coaches that I had through those years of really making a big deal and showing the importance of bringing energy and excitement, especially on defence,” he said. “When you make a big play and celebrate right in front of the offence, I think that it’s kind of a little bit of a dagger. Back when I played offence, when the other team is celebrating like that, it’s challenging to line up over the same guy and continue to go.
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“It tips the pendulum a little bit, where it brings our guys up. If I see (Adarius) Pickett make a big play, and he’s getting all excited and we’re getting excited together, I think it brings the whole team up, and at the same time, brings the other team down, which is what we’re trying to do, really.”
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What’s the key for the Redblacks on Friday?
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It sounds like a broken record, but a better start.
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Ottawa has scored just one point in its last five first quarters.
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“A good start is always important, and obviously a great finish as well,” Dyce said. “But, yeah, we want to hit the field running and make sure we’re executing through all four quarters.”
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What’s the key to stopping the Lions?
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Minimizing the damage done by QB Nathan Rourke.
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The 27-year-old Canadian is third in league passing yards with 3,012, with a 67.5 per cent completion rate, 18 TD throws and seven interceptions.
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When the Lions lost 52-34 in Toronto before last week’s bye, Rourke completed 20 of 31 for 326 yards, two scores and one interception.
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When he played at Kent State, Crum went head-to-head in a game with Rourke, who was the QB at Ohio.
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“We had a little bit of a shootout down at OU, and it was a fun game,” Crum said. “I want to say it was like 38-42 or somewhere around that. He’s a heck of a player, and he’s always fun to compete against.”
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Who was on the losing end of the college showdown?
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“I was the 38,” Crum admitted.
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