OTTAWA — A few key plays made the difference in a tightly contested game between the Hamilton Tiger-Cats and Ottawa REDBLACKS on Friday night. The two teams traded punches throughout the game and especially in the fourth quarter, but it was Ottawa who pulled through to win 37-31.
With the East Division seeds already locked in entering Week 21, the game at TD Place Stadium didn’t alter the standings, but it did give the hosts a boost of momentum as they ended their losing skid right before the playoffs.
Here are CFL.ca’s three key stats from the REDBLACKS win over the Tiger-Cats in Week 21.
RELATED
» REDBLACKS end losing run with victory against Tiger-Cats
» Depth Chart: HAM | OTT
» Images: Hamilton at Ottawa
» Tiger-Cats, REDBLACKS by the numbers
» Sign up and watch CFL games on CFL+ in the U.S. and Internationally
445 – DRU BROWN PASSING YARDS
On a night in which Bo Levi Mitchell set Hamilton’s franchise record for passing yards in a season, Ottawa’s Dru Brown threw for even more yards than the veteran quarterback, leading his team to victory through the air and supplying his receivers with several big plays.
Brown threw for 445 yards on 38 attempts as Ottawa prioritized the passing game early. With the versatile Bralon Addision making his debut as his team’s starting running back, his pass-catching ability gave the REDBLACKS a new dimension to work with, leading to six catches out of the backfield, including a touchdown score.
With Justin Hardy ruled out for the game, Brown peppered the likes of Kalil Pimpleton and Dominique Rhymes and he wasn’t afraid to throw the deep ball to his receivers. Rhymes finished the contest with 115 yards on six catches while the rookie Pimpleton had a monster 167 on the same amount of receptions.
7 – LEAD CHANGES
Both offences were lively as the game came to a close meaning that any stop on defence would mean a lot for the final result. Not many stops came though as the Ticats and REDBLACKS traded score after score in the second half, resulting in the game finishing with seven lead changes.
Marc Liegghio might’ve thought he had the winning field goal when he made his 46-yard field goal after the three-minute warning, but Pimpleton’s 65-yard house call would end up as the winning score in a nail-biting affair at TD Place Stadium.
3 – GOALLINE STOPS
With the game on the line, Ottawa’s defence stepped up big time after Pimpleton’s late touchdown to seal the result at home and finish the regular season campaign with a much-needed win.
After Brendan O’Leary-Orange was brought down at the one-yard line, Ottawa stopped Hamilton’s Ante Milanovic-Litre three straight times on the doorstep as the clock hit zero, holding on for the 37-31 victory in remarkable fashion.