Stampeders, Redblacks ride momentum of narrow wins into McMahon Stadium clash

Ottawa Redblacks wide receiver Justin Hardy (2) is tackled by Calgary Stampeders linebacker Micah Awe (57) and defensive back Titus Wall (32) during first half CFL football action in Ottawa on Thursday, June 15, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Adrian Wyld

Calgary Stampeders middle linebacker Micah Awe took football trash talk to outer space ahead of the Ottawa Redblacks in town Sunday.

Redblacks quarterback and aeronautical engineer Dustin Crum was the talk of the CFL this week after his two rushing touchdowns spurred Ottawa to an overtime upset of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

So Awe, who owns a Texas Tech petroleum engineering degree, will be chasing down a rocket scientist Sunday at McMahon Stadium.

"I saw some things about him," Awe said Saturday. "He's an aeronautical engineer. He's a smart guy, so quarterback's probably not too hard for him.

"It's going to be offence versus defence, air versus ground, but I'll say this about aeronautical versus petroleum: You can't fly the plane without the oil. He can build the best rocket he ever wants to build, but guess who's needed?"

Responded Crum, graciously: "Hats off to him. Chemistry was always the one class I struggled with and he obviously did a lot of that. A real smart guy and I look forward to competing with him."

Back to football, Calgary and Ottawa (both 2-3) are coming off nail-biting victories.

The 24-year-old Crum out of Kent State rallied the Redblacks from a 19-point, fourth-quarter deficit against Winnipeg.

His 12-yard carry for a touchdown with nine seconds remaining and subsequent two-point convert throw forced overtime, when Crum scampered 29 yards to score in a 31-28 OT win.

Crum has rushed for 194 yards and three touchdowns in his last two games. He threw for 261 yards against the Bombers.

"Dustin, he's got a great skill set," Redblacks coach Bob Dyce said. "He's a very good drop-back passer, but when things do break down around him, he has a great opportunity to run.

"It also helps our run game because the edge players have to play him honestly. And knowing that if he gets on the perimeter, he can do some damage. It adds another dimension to our offence, which we're really happy about."

Rene Paredes kicked a 50-yard field goal on the final play of the game in Calgary's 33-31 win over host Saskatchewan.

Ottawa and Calgary will both chase their first back-to-back wins of the season Sunday.

"This is a huge momentum week for us to try to stack wins, get to .500 and try to continue to grow from that," Crum said. "This game, even though there's a lot of season left, I think it has a lot of implications."

Stampeder injuries continue to reshuffle Calgary's receiving corps. Luther Hakunavanhu's ankle will keep him out Sunday after 94 receiving yards and a touchdown in Regina last week.

"He was close. I just made the decision to give him an extra week," Stampeder head coach Dave Dickenson said. "He's disappointed, but that's another man's opportunity."

Malik Henry remains out with a ruptured Achilles tendon.

So quarterback Jake Maier's wideouts will include Tommylee Lewis, who caught a touchdown pass in his CFL debut last week, and Marken Michel, who joined the club earlier this month, as well as Canadian university products Clark Barnes and Tyson Middlemost.

Redblacks defensive end Lorenzo Mauldin, who was the CFL's defensive player of the year last season, is a game-time decision Sunday with a foot malady.

"My expectation is that he's going to play and he's going to play like a player that's won defensive player of the year," Maier said. "We have to find a way to neutralize him.

"Especially at the pass-rushing position, that's a position in football that can make or break a game for an offence."

Ottawa has yet to win on the road this season, while the Stampeders are 0-2 at home after going 5-4 at McMahon in 2022.

"It's not really talked about a whole bunch, because you don't want to give it too much energy or too much thought, but, yeah, man, I want to win at home," Maier said.

"It's a sore spot with me at the moment. I really liked the step we took last week. There's no reason not to do that at home, get our first home win."

Calgary downed Ottawa 26-15 in Week 2 when quarterback Nick Arbuckle started and Tyrie Adams finished for the Redblacks.

Ottawa scored its lone touchdown on a punt return. Awe was a big contributor in Ottawa with a sack, five tackles, an interception and a forced fumble.

"They're going to scheme up things. It's like playing chess with real people," said the CFL leader in tackles with 46. "If you keep tackling them and make them earn it, it gets tougher. They get frustrated, they get a little bit impatient. We just need to run to the ball."

Notes: Stampeders safety Brandon Dozier is a game-time decision. He scored a fumble recovery touchdown in Ottawa in Week 2 . . . Paredes is nine points shy of a career 2,000, which would make him the 10th player in CFL history to reach that mark.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 22, 2023.