Based on the regular season, home field could prove to be the difference when the Ottawa Redblacks visit the Toronto Argonauts Saturday afternoon in the East Division semifinal.
The teams split their two meetings this season with the home squad prevailing each time. Ottawa won 41-27 on Sept. 7 and Toronto won 38-31 on Oct. 19.
The Argonauts (10-8-0) were 7-2 at home this season and the Redblacks (9-8-1) were 2-7 on the road.
The winner will play the Montreal Alouettes (12-5-1) in the East final on Nov. 9.
“It’s actually always tough when you play a team so many times,” Argonauts coach Ryan Dinwiddie said. “The first game we didn’t play very well, the second game we played a good first half. So we haven’t put a full game in. … I know they are confident going in, and we can’t take them lightly.”
Ottawa outscored Toronto 25-0 in the final quarter despite losing the most recent game between the teams.
“They were both high-scoring games,” Ottawa coach Bob Dyce said. “This is a different beast, right? That’s a different time of year and a different focus. This is a totally new experience, and you can’t rely on previous games. We just have to focus, and make sure we’re ready to execute at all times.”
This is Ottawa’s first appearance in the playoffs since 2018. Toronto lost in the East final to Montreal last season after winning the 2022 Grey Cup.
Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown finished the season with two successive games of 400 or more yards passing.
He threw for 445 yards with three touchdowns and an interception in a 37-31 home victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Oct. 25.
The week before, he passed for 400 yards, four TDs and an interception at Toronto. In that game, Toronto quarterback Chad Kelly threw for 331 yards and three TDs, with Makai Polk making three catches for 104 yards and one score.
Polk had 61 catches for 1,024 yards and five TDs during the regular season.
Toronto was second overall on the ground in the regular season, averaging 121.3 yards per game. Ka’Deem Carey averaged 5.6 yards per carry to finish with 1,060 yards in 18 games.
Ottawa had the league’s fourth-best ground defense, allowing 96.2 yards per game. Toronto was first with 48 sacks and Ottawa was tied for second with the BC Lions at 39.
–Field Level Media
