OTTAWA, ON– It was a result that mirrored the Ottawa environment: wet, sloppy, breezy and a little unpredictable. The BC Lions stunningly dropped to 5-7, as they let a 14-point fourth-quarter lead slip on Friday night in the nation’s capital. Dustin Crum hit Eugene Lewis for a 10-yard touchdown strike with 17 seconds left to lift the Ottawa REDBLACKS to a 34-33 victory, pulling them to within two points of the Lions in the crossover playoff race.

For the visiting Lions, it will be a hard one to swallow after controlling the game for the better part of 60 minutes. Once again, untimely penalties and a few lapses in defensive execution contributed to their demise. Now for some game takes.

Wild Finish Goes The Home Team’s Way

The Lions led 30-16 in the final frame, but Crum and company refused to say die. They still had a pulse in the final minute when Sean Whyte’s 46-yard field goal attempt sailed wide. Had it been good, the visitors would have led by nine, making it all but curtains. The ensuing sequence will give them nightmares.

First, it was a late hit out of bounds by Carl Meyer on the kickoff return that set up the REDBLACKS on their own 48. Next, Crum hit Kalil Pimpleton for a highlight-reel, 52-yard catch to set up the winning score. There’s no silver lining: this one stings. The good news? They get another crack at this same team one week from now.

“Man, it’s bad,” said an emotional Micah Awe. “It’s bad. I’m not gonna lie, this is probably one of the most emotional losses I’ve been in.”

“It’s not even how it slipped away at the end, it’s how it’s been. We’ve been doing this. It’s been four games of this.

It’s not like it’s been the first time we’ve lost a game like this; it’s like the third or fourth time. That’s three or four wins in the CFL, which is very hard to come by; that you just can’t do. That’s the annoying part. We have to learn, I have to learn. I have to learn from my mistakes. I have to learn how to get better, I have to learn to maybe help the younger guys play smarter situational football. Everything I’m looking at is, how can I do my job better and help everyone get better around me.”

“It’s the CFL, we’ve been on the other side of this, this season,” added Nathan Rourke.

“A lot of things can happen. I felt like we were in control for most of the game and just like that, you let your guard down and you don’t end up with the outcome you want. Hats off to them for executing in moments that we didn’t.”

It came down to blown opportunities. The REDBLACKS didn’t have anything going offensively until a Rourke interception that slipped through the mitts of Keon Hatchert Sr. deep in Lions territory early in the second half. William Stanback rushed for a touchdown on the next play to put Ottawa within three points at 13-10.

Rourke delivered a counterpunch with a 57-yard touchdown bomb to Justin McInnis. At the same time, they also secured a 93-yard punt return touchdown from Seven McGee —the first for the Lions since Lucky Whitehead in November 2021 —that gave them their largest lead of the night at 27-10. Once that happened, you thought it was meant to be.

Rourke finished the game 22/32 for 284 yards, one touchdown and two interceptions. The last one was on the final play of the game with the offence trying to set up for a potential winning field goal.

As always, it comes down to those five or six plays. Teams worthy of being in playoff contention will, more often than not, come out on the right side of those.”

“I’m not worried about the playoffs. Let’s say tomorrow, we’re in the playoffs, on the west or the east side. If we didn’t learn from what we did today and in three other games, it doesn’t matter,” added Awe.

“In playoffs, good teams, which Ottawa is a good team, every team in the CFL is a good team, they’re going to win. Just don’t make the same mistakes next week and wherever the dice rolls, win or loss, I don’t care. Be better on my own and let’s see where the dice falls.”

Key Numbers

105– another astonishing total in penalties, as the Lions were flagged nine times for over 100 yards.

18- fourth quarter points for the victorious REDBLACKS.

148- a game-high in receiving yards for McInnis.

4/4– Ottawa was perfect in red zone opportunities. By comparison, the Lions capitalized on one of their two attempts.

4- sacks by a Lion defence that looked poised to erase all doubts from the previous outing. Before the blown lead, it was the interior doing a solid job. The sacks were made by Jonah Tavai, Tomasi Laulile, Marcis Moore and Kemoko Turay.

 

Next Up

The teams meet in a rematch next Friday, September 12. Kickoff at Save-On-Foods Field at BC Place is 7:00 pm PT. Tickets for our Campus Clash game, presented by Triple O’s Burgers, start at $19. Join us for a frat party-style Backyard Tailgate, featuring a Pamela Anderson look-alike contest! Inside, fans will have the chance to win $10,000 to help fuel their student life.

Matt Baker: mbaker@bclions.com