In the first half of the Ottawa Redblacks’ Week 14 matchup, defensive back Damon Webb scored touchdowns on two intercepted Toronto Argonauts passes to give his team the momentum to take the matchup 41-27 — their eighth win of the season.
The Redblacks bounced back from their 38-12 defeat to the BC Lions on Aug. 31 to dominate the Argos during a rainy Ottawa afternoon at TD Place on Sept. 7.
“There were no lulls,” Redblacks quarterback Dru Brown said. “It was just an eagerness to get back to work and correct the things we didn’t do properly in that game [against BC].”
The “Bank Street Bullies” remain undefeated at home and are still in second place in the the CFL’s East Division.
SpiderWebb
The Redblacks got off to a hot start as defensive back Damon Webb scored touchdowns off two interceptions, recording two pick-sixes in the first half. This was the first time since 1991 that an Ottawa football team saw two of those in a single game.
The first pick-six came during Toronto’s second drive of the game when Argos quarterback Chad Kelly threw a pass intended for receiver David Ungerer III that Webb read perfectly to intercept.
“I already knew they were running a screen,” Webb said.
The second pick-six came in the next quarter when Webb juggled the intercepted ball for a moment before sprinting an incredible 96 yards to record the first double pick-six in Redblacks history.
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“I already knew I was this type of player, I just needed a full season to show it,” Webb said.
Webb recorded half of the team’s four interceptions in the game.
“We started a little bit slow over the past few weeks defensively,” Ottawa head coach Bob Dyce said. “They took it upon themselves to get this game going.”
Take one for the team
Dyce said he was happy to see Brown escape the game without being sacked. Along with the offensive line, new starting running back Khalan Laborn played a big role in protecting him.
“I love protecting more than running the ball,” the Marshall University product said. “[Brown not getting sacked is] way bigger than my touchdown. It’s not about me, it’s a team sport.”
This was Laborn’s first professional game and Dyce entrusted him to replace Ryquell Armstead, who was cut from the team earlier this week. Laborn more than filled Armstead’s shoes, as he recorded 10 carries for 47 yards on top of his first touchdown in his CFL debut.
“All I could think about [during my touchdown] was what it took to get here,” Laborn said. “It was like a flash, a vision, all happening within that 10 seconds.”
“He hasn’t been here that long but he soaked up a lot of information,” Brown said. “He runs hard and takes pride in what he does and he’s extremely competitive … It’s awesome to see a guy that no one knew get to reap the rewards of the preparation he’s put in.”
Up next
The Redblacks are now preparing to take on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in next Saturday at Tim Hortons Field and the league-leading Montreal Alouettes at TD Place the week after, but the team has its sights set even further, according to Webb.
“[Being in a playoff spot] feels good, but our eyes are on the Grey Cup,” Webb said. “We’re getting better every week.”
Featured photo by Freestyle Ottawa, courtesy of Ottawa Redblacks
