FINALLY, HOPE: The Ottawa Redblacks gain momentum, so what’s next?

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During his Zoom call to the media after the game Tuesday night, Paul LaPolice used the word “hope.”

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When asked about 23-year-old rookie quarterback Caleb Evans, who had just played very well in his first professional soccer start – a 34-24 win over the Edmonton Elks – the Ottawa Redblacks head coach said : “It gave us hope … the whole game. “

When loss after loss piled up after a 16-12 season-opener win over the Elks, there was a lot of disappointment, frustration and some anger. Sometimes the special teams weren’t good enough, the defense wasn’t good enough, and the offense was a full-time disaster. It took injuries for quarterbacks Dominique Davis and Matt Nichols for the Redblacks to turn to Evans, who started 39 games in four seasons with the Louisiana-Monroe Warhawks, throwing for 9,523 yards and 58 touchdowns. On Tuesday, Evans showed that he had some magic in his arms and legs. The statistics – he completed 15 of 22 passes (three of them for touchdowns) for 191 yards and rushed for another 59 yards – do not adequately explain what he managed to do. The key: no turnovers. And, again, he gave “hope” to his team.

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“During training camp, he showed precision on the ball,” LaPolice said. “He has the ability to use his legs and he certainly has a strong arm. I take my hat off to the child. This is not an easy situation: for a child to step in and play a professional soccer game without ever having played in a preseason game (professional soccer). Three touchdowns, zero interceptions, it was just an outstanding performance from him. We will work on the things you have to clean. But it put us in a position to win a soccer game. “

It wasn’t just Evans. He had a lot of help. LaPolice, also the team’s offensive coordinator, took his play to a higher level. There was cheating (a 37-yard pass from catcher Ryan Davis to Kenny Stafford after an Evans throw-in), cheating and some straight football. The offensive line, which has suffered injuries all season, performed well, allowing just one sack and allowing Ottawa’s running game to exceed 100 yards (109) for the first time this season. There was also help from receivers to block and catch passes.

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The defense? How about four quarterback sacks, two interceptions, and a fumble recovery?

“(Being up) 14-0 (early in the game) really helped us and one of those defensive points helped us get to that 14-0,” LaPolice said. “It gave us a cushion that we haven’t had in many games.”

Special teams? DeVonte Dedmon is proving he’s the best in the league by returning kicks and punts – he was dangerous throughout the game and scored a touchdown on a 73-yard punt return. Credit to its supporting cast, which created some daylight.

Now at 2-5, the Redblacks are technically still in last place in the CFL East (the Montreal Alouettes are at 2-4). But suddenly the 4-3 Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Toronto Argonauts don’t seem out of reach. A look west shows that the Calgary Stampeders and Elks have 2-5 records. So there is that word: “Hope.”

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“It was a great, great victory, it was a great, great atmosphere for our fans, thank you fans for coming out,” said Stafford, who caught two passes, one for a touchdown, in his second game with the Redblacks. . “Caleb played a great game with him as a rookie. All night he was playing unconscious. I was just letting it fly like I was in high school or college. It was beautiful to see him do that. It seemed like after that first series, everything was clicking for us. We do not look back.

Next up for the Redblacks is a trip to Toronto to play the Argos next Wednesday. Then it’s a trip to Montreal for a Thanksgiving game against the Als. The following Saturday, Montreal is in Ottawa. Then the Redblacks go to Hamilton. It’s a great four-game streak that could determine whether the Redblacks belong to the contenders or are out of contention for the playoffs. Beating Edmonton is good, but the Elks didn’t fight much Tuesday. There will be tougher days ahead and the Redblacks will need to take another leap forward.

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“It’s going to be a great stretch for us, we have to come through successfully,” said safety Antoine Pruneau, who played his 100th game in the CFL on Tuesday. “Obviously, this game will help us drive the next games. This is not an easy stage by any means, but it can be a stage that changes our entire season. “

THE REPORT CARD

Offense A: Statistics don’t tell the whole story. Rookie quarterback Caleb Evans completed 15 of 22 passes for 191 yards. But three of those completions went to touchdowns: Kenny Stafford, Ryan Davis and Timothy Flanders. On a trick play, Davis also connected with Stafford on a 37-yard pass. Evans rushed for 59 yards on seven carries and Flanders had 14 carries for 45 yards. A wide variety of plays kept the Elks’ defense off balance.

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Defense B: A few things to tidy up, but a really good effort. Elks quarterback Taylor Cornelius had 334 yards passing and James Wilder rushed for 89 yards, but the Redblacks made the big plays when they counted. Antoine Pruneau had an interception and a fumble recovered. Brandin Dandridge had a great interception. Don Unamba had nine tackles, a forced fumble and a sack. Praise Martin-Oguike, Avery Ellis and Davon Coleman had sacks. Avery Williams did Avery Williams stuff; he was all over the field and had five tackles.

Special teams A +: Kicker Lewis Ward scored two field goals and missed one. DeVonte Dedmon came up huge, again, with a 73-yard punt return. He also had a 46-yard kickoff return and was a threat to break one all night. Great support for special teams blockers and tacklers – a lot of effort.