Dustin Crum threw for 301 yards and a touchdown, rallying the Ottawa Redblacks to a stunning 34-33 comeback win over the visiting B.C. Lions during CFL action Friday at TD Place Stadium.
Crum also ran for two touchdowns for Ottawa (4-8), with William Stanback rushing for a TD and Eugene Lewis adding a late receiving major. Lewis Ward booted two field goals and two converts.
Nathan Rourke tossed for 284 yards and a touchdown for B.C., with the Lions seeing their record slip to 5-7. James Butler had 77 rushing yards and a TD for B.C., with Justin McInnis and Seven McGee (on a long punt return) also adding majors. Kicker Sean Whyte had four field goals and three converts for B.C., but missed a long field goal late that could have put the game out of reach.
Both teams had trouble getting their offence going in the first quarter under blustery conditions. Whyte's 18-yard field goal with 2:15 left accounted for all the scoring. Ottawa has managed just one point in the first quarter of its last five games.
The first touchdown of the game came late in the second quarter, when Butler barrelled up the middle from five yards out for his ninth major of the season. Whyte's convert made it 10-0 B.C.
Ottawa responded with a solid drive of its own, but they stalled deep in B.C. territory after a key dropped ball on second down. Ward kicked a 32-yard field goal with 2:13 to play in the quarter to pull the Redblacks within 10-3.
B.C. drove back down, with a key third-down conversion just inside Ottawa territory paving the way for Whyte's 24-yard field goal with three seconds left, and B.C. led 13-3 at the break.
The Lions defence held Crum to just 56 yards passing in the first half.
Early the third quarter, Ottawa turned a B.C. turnover into six points. A short Rourke pass to Keon Hatcher was bobbled by the B.C. wideout and then intercepted by Ottawa's Lucas Cormier at the B.C. five-yard line. On the next play, Stanback carried it in for a touchdown, with Ward's conversion bringing Ottawa within 20-10.
B.C. answered right back less than two minutes later, with Rourke finding a wide-open McInnis for a 32-yard touchdown strike. Whyte added the convert to put B.C. up 20-10.
McGee turned on the jets just under three minutes later, bringing a Richie Leone punt back 93 yards for a special teams TD. Whyte's conversion upped B.C.'s lead to 27-10.
Ottawa again battled back, with a long drive culminating in Crum's nine-yard scramble up the middle for a touchdown, cutting B.C.'s lead to 27-16 with 1:38 left in the quarter. Ward missed the ensuing extra point.
In the fourth quarter, with the wind having died down, Whyte connected from 47 yards out to give B.C. a 30-16 lead at the 1:56 mark.
Four minutes in, Ward was good on a 39-yard field goal to bring Ottawa within 30-19.
With 7:27 to play, Crum careened off several defenders during a 13-yard scramble into the end zone for his second rushing touchdown and Stanback scored on a two-point conversion to bring the Redblacks within three at 30-27.
Whyte's fourth field goal, from 37 yards out, with 4:01 remaining gave B.C. a 33-27 lead.
Ottawa was driving with the potential to take the lead, but a key second-down sack from B.C.'s Jonah Tavai forced a Redblacks punt.
An unnecessary roughness penalty to Andrew Peirson on the ensuing B.C. drive pushed the Lions back and they were forced to punt, setting up the Redblacks near midfield with another chance to pull ahead with two minutes left.
A crucial blindside block penalty on Ottawa's Kalil Pimpleton stalled the Redblacks, who then turned the ball over on downs with 1:31 to play.
After a pair of short Butler runs, Whyte had a chance to put B.C. up by two scores, but missed a 46-yard field goal. Pimpleton returned the miss and was hit late out of bounds by B.C.'s Carl Meyer, giving Ottawa the ball at their own 48 with 33 seconds to play.
Crum then hit Pimpleton with a 52-yard bomb down to the B.C. 10 with 25 seconds left, then connected with Lewis for a 10-yard touchdown with 17 seconds left to tie it at 33-33. Ward's convert provided the winning margin at 34-33. It was the first lead for the Redblacks in their last three games.
A long Rourke pass as time expired was picked off by Ottawa's Mark Milton.
B.C. and Ottawa will meet again Sept. 12 (7 p.m.) at BC Place in Vancouver.
NOTES: Coming into the game, B.C. had a league-worst -11 turnover ratio and nine lost fumbles... McInnis finished with seven catches for 148 yards... Pimpleton had seven catches for 95 yards... The Lions took 10 penalties, compared to six for the Redblacks... Linebacker Josh Woods led B.C. with eight tackles.
