Redblacks, Crum rally to stun Blue Bombers 31-28 in overtime
Fourth-string quarterbacks aren't supposed to be the hero, but that's exactly what Dustin Crum was Saturday afternoon as he was instrumental in the Ottawa Redblacks' 31-28 overtime victory over the heavily favoured Winnipeg Blue Bombers at TD Place.
The 24-year-old was making his first start for the Redblacks (2-3) as they go through a rash of injuries, but it's not likely to be his last.
Trailing 25-17 late in the fourth quarter, Crum managed to drive the Redblacks down field and scored a touchdown off a 12-yard run. He then connected on a two-point conversion to tie the game 25-25 in the dying seconds.
After the Bombers kicked a field goal in overtime, Crum ran in a 29-yard touchdown to complete the CFL comeback. The Redblacks had erased a 16-point deficit in the final three minutes.
Crum finished the game passing 26-for-42 for 261 yards. He was sacked six times, and could have lost confidence, but as the game went on he played to his strengths and rushed for 103 yards.
It's what ultimately made the difference.
"I got an open field and I had Brandon Alexander in front of me for them and that's kind of always been my thing as a quarterback is if you have an open field there's no reason to slide there," said Crum. "If you have a two-way go make it hard on him and I was able to make him miss a little bit and get to the end zone."
The moment was made all the more special as Crum's father and maternal grandfather, visiting from Ohio, were on hand to see his performance.
Crum was mobbed by teammates and said it's a moment he won't soon forget.
"It was excitement, not only for me in that moment, but for the fans, for the community, for my teammates and getting to be a part of that and getting to see all the work these guys put in," said Crum.
"These guys work their butts off and for us to be able to kind of get a little bit of reward and feel that success is what it's all about."
The Bombers (4-2) were somewhat in shock over the turn of events.
Winnipeg's Zach Collaros finished the game passing 22-for-32 for 354 yards with two touchdowns had few words to describe the collapse.
"They ended up making more plays than us there, so hats off to Ottawa," said Collaros. "We didn't make enough plays and they were able to gain some momentum there and win the game."
Collaros felt the Redblacks had a better second half and gave credit to Ottawa's defence, who made it difficult for the Bombers to establish its run game. Winnipeg was held to a season-low 26 yards.
"We just couldn't get it going," said Winnipeg head coach Mike O'Shea. "We didn't move them off the ball like we should be able to do or have been able to do in the past. We just didn't get the movement that we needed."
A Lewis Ward 42-yard field goal early in the third quarter made it 18-6, but the Bombers responded with Collaros connecting with Wolitarsky for an eight-yard touchdown to go up 25-6.
Crum then had two solid drives, but settled for a 22-yard field goal to make it 25-9 and then came up empty when they gambled on third and seven.
The difference may have been a Brandin Danbridge interception that he ran back for 25 yards, and Ottawa getting the two-point convert to make it 25-17 with just over two minutes remaining.
And then Crum took over and made all the difference.
"That boy has so much confidence in himself that it's impossible not to be confident in him," said Ottawa receiver Nate Behar, who had 10 catches in the win. "It's beautiful to be a part of the way he stepped up. He made great decisions all day."
Behar, who's been a Redblack since 2019, said it was one of the best games he's competed in.
The opening half was not pretty for the Redblacks, who trailed 18-3 heading into the intermission.
Ottawa didn't register a first down until late in the second quarter and were in negative yardage at the half when Winnipeg held a 201 to -17 advantage in net offence.
"I have full unadulterated confidence in these guys," said Ottawa head coach Bob Dyce. "I didn't get down or anything like that. I don't have time to get down. We're looking for solutions and that's what we did."
The lone offensive highlight for the Redblacks was a 47-yard field goal.
The Bombers opened the scoring as Ottawa conceded a single on Jamieson Sheahan's 73-yard punt and on their second drive Sergio Castillo had a 52-yard field goal to take a 4-0 lead.
After a solid drive by Collaros to get into the red zone, Ottawa managed to hold off Winnipeg forcing them to settle for a field goal, but an unnecessary roughness penalty by Douglas Coleman put the Bombers on the one-yard line and they capitalized. Dakota Prukop punched his way through giving Winnipeg an early 11-0 lead in the first quarter.
The Bombers added a second TD five minutes into the second quarter when Collaros connected with Nic Demski on a 15-yard pass.
UP NEXT
The Blue Bombers host the winless Edmonton Elks on Thursday, while the Redblacks visit the Stampeders in Calgary on July 23.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 15, 2023.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.