Kicking comes in clutch as REDBLACKS defeat Edmonton Elks for 2nd straight week
OTTAWA – Lewis Ward‘s leg made the difference on Friday night as the Ottawa REDBLACKS once again got the best of the Edmonton Elks, this time taking the 20-14 victory in front of their home crowd at TD Place Stadium.
Dru Brown completed 22 of 33 pass attempts for 257 yards in the win, throwing two interceptions, while Justin Hardy led all receivers with 61 yards while Kalil Pimpleton added another 56. Ryquell Armstead added 53 yards and a touchdown on the ground.
McLeod Bethel-Thompson tallied 206 yards going 27-of-39, throwing an interception in the loss. Eugene Lewis led all Edmonton receivers with 74 yards on seven catches.
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Ottawa had the home crowd on their feet during the first drive of the game, as a big catch from Dominique Rhymes for 36 yards put the REDBLACKS on the Edmonton three-yard line, setting up Armstead to run in the touchdown.
After the two teams traded punts on the next two drives, the Elks took their turn putting points on the board as Boris Bede capped off a strong drive with a 34-yard kick.
Bede kicked another field goal to end the quarter, this time from 39 yards out, but Ward answered with one of his own to kick off the second quarter, adding three points to put the REDBLACKS back up by five points with a successful 48-yard attempt.
The REDBLACKS had one of their best drives of the half with just over three minutes to play in the first half, as Brown connected with Hardy for multiple throws over 16 yards, but after being stalled at the Edmonton four-yard line, Ward came in for the chip shot of 11 yards to extend Ottawa’s lead.
As he did to end the first quarter, the Elks relies on Bede’s leg to make a 42-yard kick to end the half, with Ottawa leading 14-9.
Both team’s defence came out strong to start the third quarter, with each team forcing a two-and-out defensively before a missed field goal from the Elks gave the REDBLACKS the ball back, though they would turn the ball over on downs and give it right back to Edmonton.
Jake Julien kicked a 59-yard punt for a single, but the REDBLACKS responded by eating up nearly five minutes of clock to set up Ward from 28-yards out to put their lead back up to six points heading into the final frame of action.
Each team’s defence stood tall into the fourth quarter as they continued to pressure the opposing quarterback, covering deep balls while stopping the run game, but Ward’s leg could not be stopped as he tallied the first points of the quarter with just over four minutes to play, successfully kicking a 45-yard attempt.
The nine-point gap was too much for the Elks to come back from, despite Bethel-Thompson showing off his arm once the Elks got the ball back as he connected with Lewis for 22 yards to get to the Ottawa 18-yard line, setting up Bede for a 19-yard field goal to end the drive.
The REDBLACKS remain at home in Week 8, hosting the Calgary Stampeders on July 26 at 7:30 p.m. EDT, while the Elks head home to Commonwealth Stadium to host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 7:00 p.m. EDT on July 28.
