Redblacks' Dyce on loss to Lions: 'I'm not going to sit here and question our decisions'
Published
Ottawa Redblacks head coach Bob Dyce has no regrets on how he managed his team's lead in the late stages of Saturday's loss to the BC Lions.
The Redblacks had a 10-point lead with less than two minutes in the game when kicker Lewis Ward lined up for a 50-yard field goal to attempt to increase the lead.
Ward's attempt went wide right, and BC's Terry WIlliams returned the miss 120 yard to cut Ottawa's lead to three
Lions pivot Vernon Adams Jr. then went to work in the dying seconds, finding receiver Lucky Whitehead for a 16-yard touchdown pass to complete the 41-37 comeback win over the Redblacks.
"I'm not going to sit here and question our decisions. It's a decision I made at that point and that's the decision I went with," Dyce told TSN1200 on Monday about his decision to go for the field goal rather than punting. "We were thinking if we made the field goal, we're up 13 points, which would force them to make two touchdowns [in order to beat us]."
"Ward had hit a couple of 53-yarders [earlier in the game] and putting them down 13 points would have really drove the dagger in."
The decision to go for the field goal from 50 yards out was not the only questionable play in the late stages of the fourth quarter.
Ottawa still had a three-point lead after Williams' touchdown return and took control of the ball with 1:20 remaining in the quarter.
Rather than looking for a short pass or running play in order to keep the clock moving, quarterback Dustin Crum attempted a long incomplete pass to Justin Hardy on second down, which stopped the clock prior to the Lions taking possession of the ball in the late stages.
Adams Jr. had just enough time to march down the field and find Whitehead for the game-winning touchdown.
"Sometimes the defence is going to dictate where the ball goes," Dyce explained. "They know the situation too and if they've covered up the short options, you're open for the longer option. Crum is going to make his reads and that's the thrown we're going to make."
Despite the loss, Dyce saw some good signs from his team on both the offensive and defensive side of the ball.
Crum threw for 233 yards with three rushing touchdowns while Hardy had 114 receiving yards in the loss.
The defence also forced three turnovers including defensive back Douglas Coleman's interception that he returned 50-yards for a touchdown in the third quarter.
"I really believe that these guys played one of their best games, especially offensively and defensively," said Dyce. "I thought Crum did a really good job of distributing the ball and you look at the performance of Justin Hardy, who had a great game. Defensively, they did a really good job of stopping the run and for the most part they eliminated the explosive [plays] while making big plays."
"We struggled on special teams but like I said there were a lot of positive the build on."
The Redblacks (3-10) have now lost seven straight and sitting in last place in the East Division with their playoff hopes dwindling. The team faces a short turnaround as they get ready to host the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday night.
While the Redblacks are disappointed in the loss to the Lions, Dyce feels that they will be ready to fight when the Roughriders come to town.
"We talked a lot about putting all our cards [on the table] in that game [against the Lions] and I think they did that," said Dyce. "At the same time, they're a very resilient group and they come through to fight. So, they're disappointed in that loss, but now we're excited to have Saskatchewan on the short week to get back on the field."