Ottawa Redblacks weather conditions, down Calgary Stampeders for first win of CFL season

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7 days ago

Redblacks 20, Stampeders 12
The Ottawa Redblacks did what they had to for their first win of the Canadian Football League season Saturday.
On a windy, rainy and cold afternoon at McMahon Stadium, the Redblacks used a strong running game, a stout defence and the kicking boot of Lewis Ward to hand the Calgary Stampeders their first loss of the season.
In the 20-12 victory that improved the Redblacks record to 1-2 and moved them from last in the East Division into second place, Dustin Crum surely improved his standing from third-string quarterback to the primary backup behind the injured Dru Brown by not turning the ball over and picking up the W.
Crum, who completed just nine of 22 passes because the conditions gave normally sure-handed receivers slippery fingers, ran 11 times for 64 yards.
And, while William Stanback had his best game as a Redblack with nine carries for 82 yards, stealing the spotlight was his platoon partner in the backfield.
Canadian running back Daniel Adeboboye scored the game's only touchdown with 5:02 left, when he pulled in a nine-yard pass from Crum.
Right before that, Adeboboye made the biggest offensive play of the day when he took a handoff and burst up the middle for a 52-yard gain.
Adeboboye finished the game with 10 carries for 96 yards.
The Redblacks' defence was credited with five turnovers, including a late fourth-quarter interception by safety Charlie Ringland, and stopped the Vernon Adams Jr.-directed Calgary offence for the third time on a third-down play to seal the outcome.
Ward was 4-for-5 on field goal attempts with scoring boots of 34, 22, 26 and 33 yards before a late 48-yard attempt hit the left upright and stayed out.
The Redblacks also cleaned up a trouble spot by taking just four penalties for 26 yards.
They held a 6-2 first-half lead that could have been mistaken for the score of a Senators-Flames National Hockey League game.
On Ottawa's first possession, Crum ran three times for 30 yards during a 10-play, 52-yard drive that ended with a Ward field goal from the 34.
When Calgary's Rene Paredes was wide with a 43-yard field-goal attempt later in the first quarter, Devonte Dedmon returned the ball to Ottawa's 12-yard line, but the Redblacks' Robert Priester was called for an illegal block, and the ball was brought back to the one.
Two plays later, Crum was sacked in the end zone by Jaylon Hutchings.
It was the third time in two games that a Priester penalty preceded points by the opposition. In last week's loss to Montreal, he was flagged for horse-collar tackles before an Alouettes touchdown and a field goal.
Ottawa took a 3-2 lead over Calgary late into the first half because of three turnovers forced by the defence.
Along with a fumble recovery by defensive back Amari Henderson, the Redblacks 'stopped' Calgary when Clark Barnes dropped an Adams end-zone pass and again when defensive back Adrian Frye snuffed out an attempt by short-yardage QB P.J. Walker.
It was another big play in a road game for Frye, who had two forced fumbles and a fumble recovery against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the season opener.
From that goal-line stand, the Redblacks ran a 12-play drive powered by Stanback to set up Ward's 22-yard field goal.
Stanback, who entered the game with 16 carries for 55 yards on the season, ran the ball seven times for 76 yards on that series alone.
Ward's second field goal was made possible because Eugene Lewis, who last week had his consecutive games with a touchdown catch streak ended one short of the CFL record, dropped a Crum end-zone pass that hit him in the numbers.