Redblacks lose game to Ticats, Pickett to injury

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Tiger-Cats 37, Redblacks 21

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The Ottawa Redblacks were struck by bad luck on the very first snap Saturday when they lost their defensive pulse, linebacker Adarius Pickett, to a leg injury.

Things didn’t get much better from there … until Jeremiah Masoli replaced Dru Brown at quarterback late in the third quarter.

Returning to his old stomping grounds, the former Hamilton Tiger-Cat star led Ottawa to its first two touchdowns of the day with his first two sets of downs in a month.

The comeback bid fell short, however, as the Tiger-Cats kept their slim Canadian Football League playoff hopes alive by squashing the Redblacks’ attempt to clinch a post-season spot in a 37-21 final at Tim Hortons Field.

The loss dropped Ottawa to 8-4-1, while Hamilton improved to 4-9.

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Ottawa turned the ball over a total of six times, with a Dom Rhymes fumble and Brown interception committed under the extended shadows of the Ticats’ uprights.

Brown also fumbled in the second half, while the Redblacks turned the ball over on downs on third-and-one near their 39-yard line, leading to a Hamilton field goal.

Masoli came on in the last minute of the third quarter with Ottawa trailing 29-6.

The Redblacks scored their first touchdown of the day on Masoli’s first series early in the fourth quarter with a third-down, 13-yard pass to Dre Miller.

With his next chance, Masoli he led the Redblacks on an eight-series, 84-yard drive that culminated with a 10-yard scoring toss to Rhymes.

The Redblacks made it a one-score game when Khalan Laborn scored on the two-point conversion.

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The Tiger-Cats immediately stole momentum back, though, with a seven-play, 64-yard drive that ended with Greg Bell’s 15-yard run into the end-zone.

That touchdown illustrated how much the Redblacks missed not only Pickett, but also starting middle linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox, both of whom were watching on crutches from the sidelines.

When Masoli returned for his third series, he underthrew a wide-open Justin Hardy, who would have had an easy touchdown. Instead the pass was picked off by Hamilton’s Destin Talbert to end any hope Ottawa had of a winning rally.

After Brown was 17-for-27 for 164 yards and a pick, Masoli, who was also intercepted by Jamal Peters, finished with 13 completions on 19 attempts for 183 yards.

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Head coach Bob Dyce told reporters after the game that he put Masoli in to give the team a spark and that Brown will start next Saturday’s home game against the Montreal Alouettes.

Redblacks managed only six first downs in the opening half and trailed 21-6 at the intermission.

At that point, Brown had completed 13 of 21 passes for 127 yards, while the Ticats’ Bo Levi Mitchell had connected on 14 of 20 for 210 yards, a touchdown and an interception.

While Lewis Ward kicked field goals of 24 and 30 yards, the Redblacks gave up an early 83-yard punt-return touchdown return by Lawrence Woods III, who came off the practice roster for his first game since June 30.

Hamilton scored its second touchdown in the last minute of the first half, with Mitchell throwing a quick, short pass to Steven Dunbar Jr., who burst up the gut to the end-zone for a 54-yard score.

The Redblacks did get into the end-zone once in the opening half when defensive back Damon Webb picked up a fumble and ran 98 yards untouched. However, the play was called back when it was ruled that Bell’s fumble had been caused by the ground.

It would have been the third TD in two games for Webb.

The Redblacks did have a fumble recovery by Davion Taylor and interception by Brandin Dandridge in the first half. It was the second pick of the season for Dandridge, who was playing just his fifth game.

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