Ward leads Redblacks to 19-13 pre-season win over Alouettes

OTTAWA — Lewis Ward helped the Ottawa Redblacks complete a perfect 2-0 pre-season Friday with four field goals in a 19-13 win over the Montreal Alouettes.

Ward also converted the only touchdown of the game to account for 13 Ottawa points, including a 17-yard field goal early in the fourth quarter.

Dru Brown started at quarterback for the Redblacks and completed 20 of 33 pass attempts for 247 yards with one interception.

Dustin Crum played the fourth quarter in relief of Brown and was three-for-four and 44 yards.

Former Redblack Caleb Evans started behind centre for the Alouettes, who finished the pre-season 1-1, and completed four of six passes for 32 yards. James Morgan took the majority of snaps and was a respectable 13-for-17 and 134 yards and one interception.

Morgan did have a one-yard run for a touchdown, and after the Jose Maltos extra point, the Alouettes trailed 19-13 with less than three minutes to play in the game.

The Redblacks have a bye in Week 1 and will host the Winnipeg Blue Bombers in their season opener June 13.

The Blue Bombers will host the Alouettes in Week 1.

The Alouettes started the third quarter with the ball trailing 6-3, and although their opening drive of the half was stalled, it did end with a 29-yard field goal from Maltos at 3:17 to tie the game.

On their next drive Morgan led the Alouettes deep into Ottawa territory, but that drive ended when Morgan threw a pass that ended up as a 101-yard pick-six by Tobias Harris. After the extra point by Ward, the Redblacks led 13-6 seven minutes into the third.

Ward increased the Ottawa lead to 16-6 with a 26-yard field goal with just 10 seconds remaining in the third quarter.

All the scoring in the first half came off the foot of kickers as the Redblacks took a 6-3 lead into the break.

Ward hit from 52-yards out just shy of five minutes into the game. He then doubled the lead with a 35-yard field goal at 7:42 of the first quarter.

The biggest play of the quarter was one that never technically happened as Devonte Dedmon returned a punt 107 yards for a touchdown, but a holding call against James Peter of the Redblacks nullified the score.

The only scoring of the second quarter was a 30-yard field goal off the foot of David Cote to pull the Alouettes to within three points at 6-3.

Ward had two chances to increase the Redblacks lead in the final minute of the half, but was wide right on a 33-yard attempt and then sent a 43-yard attempt right off the right upright on the final play of the second quarter.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published May 31, 2024.

Darren Desaulniers, The Canadian Press