Johany Jutras
Capital Clinch: Ottawa earns playoff spot with win
Posted: October 16,2015 10:30PM
Updated: October 16,2015 10:40PM
CFL.ca Staff
OTTAWA – Henry Burris has led Ottawa to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history after he and the REDBLACKS took care of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27-24 Friday night.
Burris bookended Friday’s contest with touchdown drives as the REDBLACKS jumped out to an early lead and then put the brakes on a small surge by the Bombers in the second half. He finished with 370 yards and a touchdown on 34 of 43 passing.
Aiding Burris in the win was the play of both Chris Williams and Greg Ellingson who caught for 125 and 101 respectively.
With a playoff spot now locked up the REDBLACKS will turn their focus to jockeying with Hamilton and Toronto in the East.
The weather played a factor right off the bat in this one with a heavy rain fall taking over TD Place 30 minutes before the game began. The effects were apparent early as newcomer WR Reggie Dunn put the pigskin on the carpet on the opening kickoff with the Bombers recovering the fumble.
Winnipeg couldn’t take advantage of the field
position – scrimmaging from the Ottawa 27 yard line – getting stuffed on
a third-and-one gamble.
With a long field Henry Burris went to work on a 14-play, 92 yard touchdown drive where he picked apart the Blue Bombers secondary. Burris connected with all six of his receivers and went 8 of 9 on the drive before finding rookie RB William Powell on a fade route for a 5 yard touchdown.
Powell is the man in the backfield for the REDBLACKS going forward with an injury sidelining Jeremiah Johnson for the remainder of the year.
Burris put together another solid drive on his second possession but it stalled near midfield. Three plays later however, he would get another chance to put points on the board.
Another REDBLACKS forced fumble, this time by Brandyn Thompson, put the Ottawa offence at the Winnipeg 39 yard line. Burris completed passes to Ellingson (18), Williams (9) and Powell (7) but a pair of penalties pushed them out from inside the 10 and they settled for a 27-yard Chris Milo field goal to increase the lead to 10-0.
Both defences earned stops on three successive possessions each with Ottawa’s defence clearly making the evening uncomfortable for Bombers QB Matt Nichosl in the pocket.
As the three-minute warning loomed, the REDBLACKS offence started to roll once again on the strength of the play of Williams. The speedy slotback hauled in a 45-yard pass down the far sideline and then put a pair of 9-yard receptions on the board to set up a chip shot field goal for Milo.
Williams’ final catch of the drive put him up over the 1,000 yard mark for the year, the third in as many CFL seasons for the former Hamilton receiver.
Milo would add another field goal, from 37 yards out, with 26 seconds remaining in the second quarter to take his team to halftime with a 16-0 lead.
The REDBLACKS defence simply blanketed the Winnipeg receivers in the first half, forcing Nichols to throw the ball incomplete or out of play altogether. Nichols passed for just 34 yards on 5 of 13 in the first half.
Re-focused and armed with adjustments, Nichols came out slinging in the third quarter, eclipsing his first half production on one drive. Nichols completed passes to Clarence Denmark and Darvin Adams before handing off to Cameron Marshall for a 16 yard gain. The 9-play, 67-yard drive which took 4 minutes off the clock was capped off by a 6-yard touchdown pass to Adams to cut the REDBLACKS lead to 16-7.
The early major seemed to spark the other side
of the ball as the Winnipeg defence put a helmet on the ball and forced
Jackson to fumble inside opposition territory.
Nichols couldn’t capitalize however – as he looked into the flat for Denmark, Johnson jumped the route and interception the pass to hand possession back to Burris at the Winnipeg 46 yard line.
Powell then juked his way to a 20-yard gain on the ground but the REDBLACKS could only muster a 22-yard field goal from Milo to put the lead at 19-7.
The Bombers responded quickly with another solid drive by Nichols. Double-digit gains by Nick Moore and Marshall gave Winnipeg a chance to close the gap but Nichols was interception at the goal line as he looked for Adams.
He would get a reprieve as Burris bobbled the ensuing snap and was tackled in the endzone for a safety.
Johnson would return the favour forcing his third turnover of the gam second interception on the very next play as Nichols tried to connect with a receiver on a corner route. It would only amount to a punt.
As the Ottawa defence stood their ground and with 4:30 left, Burris took over to try and close out the game. A 25-yard reception by Price helped set up a 6-yard Powell scamper as the REDBLACKS salted away the win.
Nichols would connect with Moore in the endzone with 1:16 left and added a two-point convert to close the gap on the final score sheet. They would also add a touchdown off a Denmark reception with 9 seconds left.
These two teams will meet again in 8 days when they rematch at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg with more playoff spots up for grabs.
OTTAWA – Henry Burris has led Ottawa to the playoffs for the first time in franchise history after he and the REDBLACKS took care of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers 27-24 Friday night.
Burris bookended Friday’s contest with touchdown drives as the REDBLACKS jumped out to an early lead and then put the brakes on a small surge by the Bombers in the second half. He finished with 370 yards and a touchdown on 34 of 43 passing.
Aiding Burris in the win was the play of both Chris Williams and Greg Ellingson who caught for 125 and 101 respectively.
With a playoff spot now locked up the REDBLACKS will turn their focus to jockeying with Hamilton and Toronto in the East.
The weather played a factor right off the bat in this one with a heavy rain fall taking over TD Place 30 minutes before the game began. The effects were apparent early as newcomer WR Reggie Dunn put the pigskin on the carpet on the opening kickoff with the Bombers recovering the fumble.
| Related: Bombers at REDBLACKS |
|---|
 » View Game Stats » Images: WPG at OTT » REDBLACKS clinch first playoff spot » Standings/Crossover Standings » Shaw Road to the Grey Cup » Preview: REDBLACKS host Bombers |
With a long field Henry Burris went to work on a 14-play, 92 yard touchdown drive where he picked apart the Blue Bombers secondary. Burris connected with all six of his receivers and went 8 of 9 on the drive before finding rookie RB William Powell on a fade route for a 5 yard touchdown.
Powell is the man in the backfield for the REDBLACKS going forward with an injury sidelining Jeremiah Johnson for the remainder of the year.
Burris put together another solid drive on his second possession but it stalled near midfield. Three plays later however, he would get another chance to put points on the board.
Another REDBLACKS forced fumble, this time by Brandyn Thompson, put the Ottawa offence at the Winnipeg 39 yard line. Burris completed passes to Ellingson (18), Williams (9) and Powell (7) but a pair of penalties pushed them out from inside the 10 and they settled for a 27-yard Chris Milo field goal to increase the lead to 10-0.
Both defences earned stops on three successive possessions each with Ottawa’s defence clearly making the evening uncomfortable for Bombers QB Matt Nichosl in the pocket.
As the three-minute warning loomed, the REDBLACKS offence started to roll once again on the strength of the play of Williams. The speedy slotback hauled in a 45-yard pass down the far sideline and then put a pair of 9-yard receptions on the board to set up a chip shot field goal for Milo.
Williams’ final catch of the drive put him up over the 1,000 yard mark for the year, the third in as many CFL seasons for the former Hamilton receiver.
Milo would add another field goal, from 37 yards out, with 26 seconds remaining in the second quarter to take his team to halftime with a 16-0 lead.
The REDBLACKS defence simply blanketed the Winnipeg receivers in the first half, forcing Nichols to throw the ball incomplete or out of play altogether. Nichols passed for just 34 yards on 5 of 13 in the first half.
Re-focused and armed with adjustments, Nichols came out slinging in the third quarter, eclipsing his first half production on one drive. Nichols completed passes to Clarence Denmark and Darvin Adams before handing off to Cameron Marshall for a 16 yard gain. The 9-play, 67-yard drive which took 4 minutes off the clock was capped off by a 6-yard touchdown pass to Adams to cut the REDBLACKS lead to 16-7.
| Johnson pays back his old team |
|---|
 Former Winnipeg Blue Bombers defensive back Jovon Johnson was amped up to play his old club. The second-year REDBLACK helped force a turnover on downs with a big tackle on the first Winnipeg possession and then compiled a pair of interceptions in the Ottawa win. |
Nichols couldn’t capitalize however – as he looked into the flat for Denmark, Johnson jumped the route and interception the pass to hand possession back to Burris at the Winnipeg 46 yard line.
Powell then juked his way to a 20-yard gain on the ground but the REDBLACKS could only muster a 22-yard field goal from Milo to put the lead at 19-7.
The Bombers responded quickly with another solid drive by Nichols. Double-digit gains by Nick Moore and Marshall gave Winnipeg a chance to close the gap but Nichols was interception at the goal line as he looked for Adams.
He would get a reprieve as Burris bobbled the ensuing snap and was tackled in the endzone for a safety.
Johnson would return the favour forcing his third turnover of the gam second interception on the very next play as Nichols tried to connect with a receiver on a corner route. It would only amount to a punt.
As the Ottawa defence stood their ground and with 4:30 left, Burris took over to try and close out the game. A 25-yard reception by Price helped set up a 6-yard Powell scamper as the REDBLACKS salted away the win.
Nichols would connect with Moore in the endzone with 1:16 left and added a two-point convert to close the gap on the final score sheet. They would also add a touchdown off a Denmark reception with 9 seconds left.
These two teams will meet again in 8 days when they rematch at Investors Group Field in Winnipeg with more playoff spots up for grabs.
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