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<\/p>\nOTTAWA, ON\u2013 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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
Wild Finish Goes The Home Team\u2019s Way<\/p>\n
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\u2019s 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.<\/p>\n
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\u2019s no silver lining: this one stings. The good news? They get another crack at this same team one week from now.<\/p>\n
\u201cMan, it\u2019s bad,\u201d said an emotional Micah Awe. \u201cIt\u2019s bad. I\u2019m not gonna lie, this is probably one of the most emotional losses I\u2019ve been in.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s not even how it slipped away at the end, it\u2019s how it\u2019s been. We\u2019ve been doing this. It\u2019s been four games of this.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s not like it\u2019s been the first time we\u2019ve lost a game like this; it\u2019s like the third or fourth time. That\u2019s three or four wins in the CFL, which is very hard to come by; that you just can\u2019t do. That\u2019s 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\u2019m looking at is, how can I do my job better and help everyone get better around me.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s the CFL, we\u2019ve been on the other side of this, this season,\u201d added Nathan Rourke.<\/p>\n
\u201cA 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\u2019t end up with the outcome you want. Hats off to them for executing in moments that we didn\u2019t.\u201d<\/p>\n
It came down to blown opportunities. The REDBLACKS didn\u2019t 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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2014the first for the Lions since Lucky Whitehead in November 2021 \u2014that gave them their largest lead of the night at 27-10. Once that happened, you thought it was meant to be.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
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.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cI\u2019m not worried about the playoffs. Let\u2019s say tomorrow, we\u2019re in the playoffs, on the west or the east side. If we didn\u2019t learn from what we did today and in three other games, it doesn\u2019t matter,\u201d added Awe.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn playoffs, good teams, which Ottawa is a good team, every team in the CFL is a good team, they\u2019re going to win. Just don\u2019t make the same mistakes next week and wherever the dice rolls, win or loss, I don\u2019t care. Be better on my own and let\u2019s see where the dice falls.\u201d<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Key Numbers<\/p>\n
105\u2013 another astonishing total in penalties, as the Lions were flagged nine times for over 100 yards.<\/p>\n
18- fourth quarter points for the victorious REDBLACKS.<\/p>\n
148- a game-high in receiving yards for McInnis.<\/p>\n
4\/4\u2013 Ottawa was perfect in red zone opportunities. By comparison, the Lions capitalized on one of their two attempts.<\/p>\n
4-\u00a0sacks 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.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
\u00a0<\/p>\n
Next Up<\/p>\n
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\u2019s Burgers, start at $19.<\/a> 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.<\/p>\n