Eyeing a bounce-back effort, the Ottawa REDBLACKS are back in action after a 10-day reprieve, with their final game against an Eastern opponent until early September.
Tonight at TD Place, the REDBLACKS look to bounce the Hamilton Tiger-Cats to an 0-4 record, on an evening where Big Wreck will rock the stadium, and fireworks will follow the game. Toe hits leather at 7:00pm ET, with Ottawa hoping to move to 2-1 on the young season.
In a game that got away from them early in Week 3, Ottawa put up a fight in the second half, but ended up on the wrong end of a 47-21 defeat at the hands of the Alouettes in Montreal, last week. Quarterback Dru Brown threw for 21/35 and 292 yards, with a touchdown to Jaelon Acklin, while a tipped pass was also intercepted on the opening drive. The league’s leading receiver in yards per catch, Justin Hardy, continued his prolific start to the season, putting forth a 143-yard performance through the air.
Acklin was knocked out of the game late, but will return to the lineup tonight for the REDBLACKS. With defensive back Money Hunter heading to the six-game injured list after going down in Montreal, Sherrod Baltimore makes his 2024 debut, at field corner. Field halfback Tobias Harris is listed as a gametime decision, and safety Ty Cranston will miss tonight’s contest with an ankle injury.
SCOUTING THE OPPOSITION
Though the Ti-Cats find themselves sitting at 0-3, they’ve shown flashes, including a resurgent early-season performance by future Hall of Fame quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell. The veteran pivot has thrown for 975 yards and six touchdowns, completing 68.6 percent of his passes, but also has turned the ball over five times. Shemar Bridges leads the team with 270 receiving yards, as superstar Tim White has struggled out of the gate, but remains one of the league’s most dangerous threats through the air.
The Ti-Cats will, however, be missing a key weapon on offence, with standout running back James Butler missing tonight’s game due to injury.
Defensively, Hamilton has recorded seven sacks through the opening three games, and defensive lineman Brandon Barlow leads the way with three, tied for the CFL’s top spot.
Hamilton is looking for redemption, along with their first win of the season, after falling 36-20 to the Saskatchewan Roughriders on the road, last week.
IN THEIR OWN WORDS
Bob Dyce, Head Coach, on the team’s mindset heading into an important divisional matchup: “We’re 1-1 and we want to get to 2-1, and Hamilton is the team we’re playing this week. They’ve got a very experienced veteran quarterback, they’ve got great coaches over there, and they’ve got a good team…they’ve been in games. We’re not at a point where we’re thinking anything is ‘trap game’ or anything like that. We’re focused on getting to 2-1. It’s an Eastern game and we need to beat Eastern teams. That’s our focus.”
Dru Brown, quarterback, on turning the page on last week’s loss: “I’ve been around long enough to know how long the season is, and that it’s important for us to stay together. A lot of times, teams experience at least one game like that. Even the good ones. So we obviously looked at it and improved and then we flushed it because it doesn’t matter anymore. Moving forward, we’ve got full confidence in one another to do what we need to do.”
Bralon Addison, receiver, on facing his former team in the Ti-Cats: “I played for them in the past, but it’s my second year here and I’m focused on helping the Ottawa REDBLACKS win the Grey Cup. On the other hand, I still know guys in their locker room, so obviously it’s going to be a little more high intensity, and some laughs after. I’m looking forward to the challenge.”
BROADCAST INFORMATION
7:00 PM ET | TV (ENG): TSN / TSN3 / RDS (French) / CBSSN / CFL+ | Radio: EN: TSN 1200, SiriusXM (ch. 167) | FR: 104,7 FM Outaouais
