OTTAWA — Opposing teams rarely agree on things, but the Saskatchewan Roughriders and Ottawa Redblacks agreed their matchup Thursday was the craziest game they’ve ever been a part of.
The game ended in a 22-22 tie, but it was the events that led to the tie that left players and coaches shaking their heads.
The Roughriders had taken a 22-19 lead in the second overtime on a 29-yard Brett Lauther field goal and had appeared to hold Ottawa off on its attempt to secure the win.
Fans had started to pile onto the field — and players from both teams had started making their way to the locker room — when it was suddenly announced that Saskatchewan had been called for roughing the passer and the game was back on.
The Redblacks took advantage and were able to tie the game on a 14-yard Lewis Ward field goal to extend its unbeaten streak to four games and improve to 5-2-1.
“I was in the locker room so I thought it was over,” said Ottawa quarterback Dustin Crum, who was called into action after Dru Brown was injured early in the second quarter. “They came running in and told me they called roughing the passer, and that we’re playing.
"So I said, 'Alright.'”
Crum finished the game 21-for-32 for 211 yards and one interception. He also ran the ball for 72 yards and one touchdown.
With the tie, Saskatchewan snapped a two-game losing streak to go to 5-3-1.
“Craziest ending I’ve ever been a part of,” said Saskatchewan quarterback Shea Patterson, who went 30-for-49 for 299 yards with two touchdowns and three interceptions. “I liked how we stayed together to the last minute and just fought together as a family throughout the entire game.”
Adding to the night's events was an exchange on the sidelines between Ottawa head coach Bob Dyce and what is believed to be a fan.
The fan was heard saying things to players that Dyce felt was inappropriate, and the coach addressed him.
“I’m not going to let anybody talk to our players like that, and then he’s talking to me and I’m certainly not going to let him talk to myself like that,” said Dyce. “And so, I asked who he was and he didn’t answer.”
The Redblacks will be looking into the incident.
The game itself did provide its own excitement. Crum ran in an 11-yard touchdown in the first overtime series for Ottawa, but the team failed to connect on its two-point convert to take a 19-13 lead.
Saskatchewan was then stopped on its attempt at the five-yard line leading to Ottawa celebrating, but it was short lived when Saskatchewan challenged for pass interference.
Patterson was then successful on a 10-yard touchdown pass to Samuel Emilus but also fell short on the extra two points, setting up the second overtime series.
“I was really proud of how hard the entire team played tonight,” said Roughriders head coach Corey Mace. “Special teams was unbelievable…Everyone played extremely hard for each other, so I just wanted them to lean on that. It wasn’t a win, which is always what we come out to do, but it wasn’t a loss. Just something to build off momentum-wise, I guess.”
The first 30 minutes of the game left much to be desired as the two teams exchanged field goals in the final minute of the second quarter.
Ward hit a 14-yard field goal after Ottawa failed to score twice from the six-yard line. Lauther then responded with a 47-yard field goal of his own.
The Redblacks kicker had a 22-yard field goal blocked in the third quarter, his second blocked kick of the night, but a Patterson interception by Alonzo Addae set up a 28-yard kick to give Ottawa a 6-3 lead. Richie Leone added a single with a late punt.
Ward came through again midway through the fourth quarter with a 34-yard field goal to put Ottawa up 10-3.
The Roughriders failed on a gamble in the fourth quarter on third-and-one at Ottawa's 16. However, late in the game, Patterson connected with Shawn Bane Jr. for the game-tying touchdown with 1:53 left on third and seven.
A Crum interception on Ottawa's next drive set up Saskatchewan at the Redblacks' 31, leading to a 37-yard field goal to give Saskatchewan its first lead.
But Ottawa refused to concede. Crum got the team downfield, a third-down 22-yard pass to Justin Hardy being instrumental to set up Ward for a game-tying 47-yard field goal.
“I was just trying to compete my butt off out there for Dru and the rest of the guys and get a win for us,” said Crum. “Came up a little short of that but like I said, I just have to grow from things and get better and if my number is called next week, I’ll be ready to go.”
Brown was 6-for-9 for 55 yards before leaving the game.
Dyce said he didn’t believe Brown's injury to be anything structural but that the Redblacks' starter would have to go through all the necessary processes to determine his status for next week and beyond.
UP NEXT
Roughriders: Host the Montreal Alouettes on Friday, Aug. 16.
Redblacks: Head to Calgary to take on the Stampeders Thursday, Aug. 15.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 8, 2024.
Lisa Wallace, The Canadian Press
