Redblacks face Saskatchewan's defending Grey Cup champions Friday as team searches for first win
Ottawa hosts Saskatchewan at 7 p.m. Friday night in a matchup coach Ryan Dinwiddie calls a must-win turning point after the offence finally clicked Sunday.
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The Ottawa Redblacks face defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders on July 4 at 7 p.m. at TD Place in a game coach Ryan Dinwiddie called a turning point after the offence finally showed spark in Sunday's 37-35 loss in Montreal.
Through the first two-and-a-half games, the Redblacks had scored just 71 points while remaining winless. In the final 30 minutes against Montreal, slotback Justin Hardy pulled in seven catches for 119 yards and a touchdown as Ottawa put 31 points on the board, though the comeback bid fell short.
Hardy, a 34-year-old former Atlanta Falcon entering 2026 on a run of three consecutive 1,000-yard seasons, had been underutilized in the new offence. "There's only one ball," Hardy said after practice. "As long as I'm doing what I'm supposed to be doing, the ball will find me."
Dinwiddie explained the adjustment: after Montreal's defence rolled coverage to Hardy in the first half, Ottawa moved the ball around the field and found success with wider throws. "We don't necessarily game plan for one guy; we put them in situations to get the football," he said.
Quarterback Jake Maier will have another target Friday: wide receiver Eugene Lewis, who missed the Montreal game with a shoulder injury, will return to his spot opposite Kalil Pimpleton. Wide receiver Keelan White, who caught two touchdowns against Montreal, is listed as a game-time decision with an ankle injury. If White cannot play, Ethan Jones, the 2025 Hec Crighton winner Ottawa selected in the sixth round of the 2025 CFL draft, will likely make his debut at slotback.
On defence, Ottawa will welcome back safety Alonzo Addae, linebacker Lucas Cormier, and defensive back Adrian Frye from injury. But the team has allowed an average of more than 36 points per game and nine "big plays"—more than every team except Montreal. Cornerback C.J. Reavis acknowledged the unit is still building cohesiveness. "As DBs, our job is to not give up big explosives," he said. "It's small things, it's little things, but little things can get you beat."
