A NEW BASS? Catcher Nate Behar finishes at QB as Redblacks offense is invisible in loss to Ticats

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When it rains, it pours for the Ottawa Redblacks. It really spills out.

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On a mostly rainy Wednesday night, the Redblacks stumbled powerfully … again, taking a 24-7 beating at the hands of the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and their third quarterback, David Watford. This comes on the heels of a 45-13 loss at BC and a 51-29 loss to Montreal at home.

Fact: It was the Redblacks’ 11th straight home loss, dating back to July 2019. Ottawa’s 14-game losing streak at home in 1987-88 is the longest in CFL history.

How bad was it? In the first half, the Redblacks only had two first downs. Two. They had 70 yards of offense, just 26 from that pass. They didn’t have an offensive play at the end of Hamilton. Not one. Oh, and they had three turnovers, two in losses. Oh, and there’s this: After both Dominique Davis and Matt Nichols were injured, wide receiver Nate Behar took over at quarterback with 54 seconds left.

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You can’t blame the defense … or special teams, well, even they made a big mistake late in the game. The defense held firm all night and DeVonte Dedmon brought the crowd back to life with 11:17 left, taking a punt and returning it 63 yards for a touchdown.

A 24-yard punt return from Dedmon was disallowed by a retention penalty, pushing Ottawa back to its three-yard line. The Ticats settled for just one point on a missed field goal (wide right) and it was 1-0 7:27 in the game.

The Redblacks bet on the third down near their own 45-yard line, needing just over a yard, but Dominique Davis was stopped and pushed back. It didn’t hurt them; the Ticats served two and a 52-yard field goal attempt by kicker Taylor Bertolet went wide.

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On Hamilton’s next possession, Bertolet threw a 40-yard field goal and went 4-0 to close out the first quarter, a 15-minute period in which the Redblacks didn’t get a first try. A 10-yard reception by Nate Behar in the second quarter was the first time Ottawa moved the sticks.

A pair of missed tackles gave Jaelon Acklin a 36-yard gain along the sideline and, on the next play, quarterback David Watford found Steven Dunbar Jr. for an 11-yard touchdown. The convert made it 11-0.

A spin back from Ryan Davis to Dedmon resulted in a good kickoff return at 52 from Ottawa. But two plays later, the Redblacks had to punt … again.

A failed transfer to Ryan Davis fell to the grass and was recovered by Hamilton’s Kameron Kelly at Ottawa 45. Bertolet’s 50-yard field goal attempt was good and was 14-0.

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A third-down bet by the Redblacks failed when Marco Dubois got ahead of the bettor. Richie Leone took the center, but was stopped three yards from the first down, giving Hamilton the ball at 34 Ottawa. Hamilton was returned on a third attempt and Ottawa recovered the ball on his own 12.

Another missed field goal by Bertolet gave Ottawa the ball in its 22nd with 43 seconds left in the first half. But their time is up.

With a no-yardage call to Hamilton at 2/12 minutes into the second half, Ottawa got the ball on his own 53. And, with a 15-yard pass to Dedmon, the Redblacks were over the Ticats 43. But, looking from RJ Harris, Davis was intercepted by Jumal Rolle, who rushed 87 yards for a touchdown. With the convert, it was 21-0.

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Nichols replaced Davis at QB with just over 10 minutes to go. Davis had completed 6 of 14 passes for 50 yards, with an interception, when he left. Nichols scrambled to the right and appeared to hurt his right wrist / hand when tackled.

Nichols found RJ Harris for a 26-yard gain to carry the ball to Hamilton 39 with eight minutes remaining. In front of the third and less than a yard, Nate Behar intervened at QB and took the center, but stopped short. A challenge from Ottawa questioning the location of the ball did not work.

Dedmon made a big mistake by missing a punt with two minutes to go; it was recovered by Jarek Richards and the Ticats took over the Ottawa eight. Bertolet kicked a 14-yard field goal to make it 24-7.

SECOND AND LONG: Before the game, there was a brief tribute to University of Ottawa Gee-Gees defensive lineman Francis Perron, who died suddenly after his team’s game in Toronto last Saturday … Olympic gold medalist Vanessa Gilles (women’s soccer ) was featured in the first quarter … All-star receiver Brad Sinopoli, who retired earlier in the season, was recognized and received a well-framed saw blade at halftime. The pre-recorded congratulations came from their Gee-Gees coaches Denis Piche and JP Asselin and former teammates Greg Ellingson and Henry Burris … I’m not sure how many were watching the game live, but there were a lot of empty seats … below first quarter points? … Some days it’s worth sitting on the covered north side … There were boos in a second and two with three minutes left in the first half as Davis stepped five yards back, also center, and passed Timothy Flanders, who was stopped by a two-yard loss.

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THE END AROUND: Hamilton didn’t get a first down in the third quarter … Heading into Wednesday’s game, the Redblacks were 1-5 after a bye the last two seasons … The Redblacks have never held an advantage during their last five games. His only advantage came in Week 1 at Edmonton over the final 9:57 in a 16-12 win. The last team to go more than four games without leading was Montreal in 2017 in six straight games. The Ticats lost the coin toss and chose tails. Hamilton chose to get the kickoff to open the game … DL Stefan Charles was the pregame scratch for the Redblacks … Former Carleton Raven Michael Domagala threw a 61-yard punt for the Ticats with just over nine minutes to go.