Stubblefield set for Ticat debut as depleted Ottawa rolls into town

First a little nomenclature.

Reggie Stubblefield is often called Stubb’s—after the famous Bar-B-Q Sauce which was invented by his grandfather—but that’s not his nickname of choice.

He prefers to be called “Uno” as in Numero Uno, not only because he wears No. 1 on his uniform but because he has nine sisters and was the only boy in the family.

So now you know that.

More important to know, at the moment, is that on Saturday night, the 26-year-old Ticat defensive back will play a football game for the first time in exactly 400 days. He will start at SAM linebacker: the wide linebacker on the wide side of the field who is, for all intents and purposes, part of the secondary.

And, rest assured, Stubblefield has been thinking about his Ticat debut for so long that he was acutely aware of precisely how many days it had been since he tore his ACL in the Montreal Alouettes’ first game of the 2024 season.

“Without a doubt,” he acknowledged Friday.

While receiver Kenny Lawler was the Ticats’ marquee off-season signing, formally inking his pact on the first day of February’s free agency, Stubblefield was a major ‘get’ on the defence, signing the very next day despite still recovering from his knee injury and being unavailable to play until at least early July.

I think the biggest thing about being a professional is that even if you’re the guy with all the lights on you or if you’re the guy doing the dirty work, we’re all in this together.

General Manager Ted Goveia was trying to build a sustainable roster, and signed Stubblefield to a three-year deal, at the end of which he’ll still be only 29.

Stubblefield was brought in to fortify the wide side of the field along with fellow free agent Dashaun Amos from the Argos at halfback and holdover Cat Jonathan Moxey at cornerback.

The wide side is where the CFL’s  RPO-heavy (pass-run-option) offences tend to go most often, because there’s more room to operate.

CFL veteran Branden Dozier did a commendable job at SAM, especially the last couple of games, but he gives way to Stubblefield when the 1-4 Ottawa Redblacks and quarterback Dru Brown come into town for the first leg of a back-to-back home-and-home series which continues next weekend beside the Rideau Canal.

Stubblefield was outwardly subdued after Friday’s walk-through practice as he discussed his impending return to action, because he’s said the long injury recovery has taught him the importance of developing patience. But he is a naturally exuberant athlete, as many elite defensive backs are.

The Ticats considered starting him last week in Toronto, but decided to give him another week of practice and Stubblefield says that was the right decision.

Although he knew he wouldn’t be playing until summer, Stubblefield has done whatever he can to be a teammate on a team for which he has not yet played a down. He offered advice, patrolled the sidelines during games and practices, even held one of the downs markers when the No. 1 defensive and offensive units went head-to-head. 

“How can I add something from somebody that is injured?” Stubblefield asked rhetorically. “I need to do what I can do to keep my teammates as confident, as happy, as proud as I can. And just to see them understand that with what I’m going through (being injured), I’m not making it all about myself. Because it’s about the team.

“You’ve got to understand your role, right? I think the biggest thing about being a professional is that even if you’re the guy with all the lights on you or if you’re the guy doing the dirty work, we’re all in this together.

“I remember the beginning of training camp and coach O (Orlondo Steinauer) saying there’s so many moving parts that make this organization and this league.  And that’s why I’m so thankful for it. I mean, I tell people all the time with how thankful I am for the CFL and just so many different people who make this league great.”

Stubblefield, who played college at small Prairie View A&M and then upper-level Kansas State, has worn a game uniform for only 17 previous CFL games, all starts, and all with the Als. He became a starter in the final 13 games of the 2023 regular campaign and in all three of Montreal’s post-season games, including their first Grey Cup championship in 13 years.

It was Stubblefield who sacked Zach Collaros in the fourth quarter of the 2023 Grey Cup game at Hamilton Stadium, which quickly led to the Als’ first lead of the game in which they went on to win their first Grey Cup in 13 years. In the rematch to open the following season, he already had five tackles when he tore his ACL.

On the website of Pro Football Focus (PFF), which analyzes in deep detail every CFL play, writer Bryson Vesnaver chose Stubblefield as a likely 2025 all-star in his pre-season predictions. Here’s what he wrote: “This selection involves some projection, as Stubblefield missed nearly all of last season… Still, his 2023 campaign was too dominant to overlook. That year, he was targeted 52 times and allowed just 23 catches for 213 yards, no touchdowns and only nine first downs. He recorded three interceptions and 14 pass breakups. Quarterbacks posted a passer rating of just 32.0 when targeting him, lower than if they had thrown the ball away on every play (39.6). If he can return to even 80% of that form, Stubblefield should again be one of the CFL’s elite defenders.”

Head coach Scott Milanovich said he’s not sure what to anticipate from Stubblefield’s first game because of the long layoff, “but I expect him to play really hard. I expect him to bring some juice. I’m sure he’ll make some mistakes, but he’s been doing it a long time.

“He’s extremely verbal. He’s got a huge amount of energy. One of those kind of personalities I think that teams can kind of feed off. There’s just something about him: he wants to be great. There’s an inner drive there that you can’t ignore.

“I remember back in training camp watching him running 40s (yard dashes) down the sideline when he wasn’t even practicing. He just cares about football. He loves it. I think he loves the locker room. I think his energy is going to be a good thing for us as well.”

Stubblefield will be facing a quarterback who can roll out to buy time and a plethora of receiving threats even though former Ticat Bralon Addison has joined the Redblacks long, long injury list. They’ve still got Geno Lewis, one of the best jump-ball and possession receivers in the league, nose-for-the-end zone Justin Hardy, and fleet Kalil Pimpleton, who is also one of the best returners in the league.

As usual, Hamilton’s key is to limit the first-down yardage and control the run, which Ottawa tends to split between emerging Daniel Adeboboye and veteran William Stanback, plus Brown himself.

“They’re going to try and confuse us with different looks, different kind of plays,” says rookie linebacker Devin Veresuk, who makes his third consecutive start in the middle of the Ticats defence.

“There’s going to be a couple probably trick plays here and there.”

All week the Ticats have been saying that the Redblacks’ 1-4 record is not a reflection of their talent and that they aren’t taking Ottawa lightly, despite having won the last six straight against them at Hamilton Stadium.

“They have a very good front,” centre Coulter Woodmansey said Friday. “They have a very good defence, are very veteran. They’ve had a lot of the same guys for a lot of years. And that’s because they’re good football players who do good things. I’m very excited to get the opportunity to play them.”

The Ottawa front seven is led by two of the CFL’s most elite players: defensive end Lorenzo Mauldin, a former Ticat, and SAM linebacker Adarius Pickett, and there’s also the likes of middle linebacker Javon Santos-Knox, and defensive linemen Cleyon Laing and Mike Wakefield, as the Redblacks will dress eight defensive linemen, one more than the Ticats will.

It’ll be incumbent on the Ticats to establish the threat of a running game, even though Greg Bell will miss the game because of injury. Johnny Augustine has carried the ball 22 times in the past two games and he’ll be backed up by Treshaun Ward who played two weeks ago against Montréal and caught three passes but didn’t run the ball.

If they can run, and the line—which will have big Jordan Murray at left tackle for the first time this season, replacing Brendan Bordner—can provide Bo Levi Mitchell time, Mitchell should be able to probe the Ottawa secondary, which has been susceptible to the deep ball.

Mitchell is coming off the fourth “perfect” (PFF grading of 158.3) game of his career in Toronto, and the Ticats are an enviable eight for nine in scoring touchdowns when they reach the red zone.

The big issue for the Redblacks is the number of injuries in their Canadian contingent. It’s almost an epidemic and Canadians are difficult to replace on any roster.

Only a few days before training camp began former Ticat safety Tunde Adeleke decided to end his eight-year CFL career and offensive lineman Dontae Bull, Ottawa’s No. 1 overall draft choice just two years ago, voluntarily retired because of an off-season injury.

And last week, the Redblacks had 12 Canadians on the injured list. That’s down to 11 this week but so many of them are all in one area; the offensive line. With three potential Canadian centres out injured, veteran Jake Ruby, usually a guard or tackle, is now hiking for the first time in his career. Five Canadian Redblack offensive linemen are injured, including long snapper Peter Adjey.

It would not be a shock to see the Ticats try to exploit the Ottawa offensive line with an aggressive rush.

After Saturday’s game, the Ticats and Redblacks go right back at it the following Saturday in Ottawa. That, says Milanovich, offers its own challenges as Hamilton (2-2) tries to extend its 2-0 run against divisional opponents.

“It’s good in terms of your players already have familiarity with the other team,” Milanovich says. “It’s not as mentally taxing for them in terms of what they’re expecting to see.

“I think from a coaching standpoint, the second week is harder because they’ve just seen some of your best stuff and you have to find other stuff or kind of tweak the things that you already ran to hide them a little bit.  I’m not the biggest fan of it, but there’s definitely good and bad.”

CATS CLAUSES:

Ticats K Marc Liegghio is 9-for-9 in field goals this year and has hit 24 in a row dating back to last season, the CFL’s longest active success streak … the tailwind the Ticats gained from their 51-38 win over Montréal last Friday landed them a majority of the CFL’s Honour Roll of the Week selections. The Cats swept the top 3 weekly awards with Kenny Lawler’s first three-touchdown game receiving top PFF (Pro Football Focus) data-breakdown marks on offence, Julian Howsare’s sack, pass knockdown and defensive TD grading out as the CFL’s leader on defence, and the offensive line receiving highest marks led by top-3 performers Coulter Woodmansey, Liam Dobson and Quinton Barrow. QB Bo Levi Mitchell, who went over 40,000 career passing yards made the CFL Honour Roll, top-ranked for his position for the week as did RB Ante Litre, Lawler, Woodmansey, Howsare and returner Isaiah Wooden … LB Devin Veresuk has 16 defensive tackles and an interception in the last two games, both wins … Lawler’s 207 receiving yards last week in Toronto marked the third time he’s gone over 200, most among active players. He also became the first Cat since Speedy Banks in 2019 to catch three TD passes in a single game … the CFL is undergoing a serious return-for-touchdown revival. There have been 18 TD returns this year, seven by interceptions, four on kickoffs, four off recovered fumbles, two on punts and one on a missed field goal. Last year there were only 11 kick returns for touchdowns over the entire season; after just five weeks this year there have already been seven kick return TDs and last weekend each of the four games had at least one kick return touchdown for the first time in 30 years, two of them coming in the Ticats-Argos game, one by Toronto’s Janarion Grant and one by Hamilton’s Isaiah Wooden, who has half of the CFL’s four kickoff return TDs. That was the CFL’s first double kickoff TD-return game since 2019 … Wooden ranks second in CFL combined yards with an average of 172.8 yards per game, marginally behind leader Mario Alford of Saskatchewan who averages 183.5. Those two are about 50 yards per game ahead of the rest of the league …Ottawa’s Kalil Pimpleton had 188 combined yards in a loss to Edmonton last week, including a 97-yard punt return … QB Dru Brown has passed for 300-plus yards eight times as a Redblack, half of those going over 400 yards … Ottawa RB William Stanback needs 132 rushing yards to move into the CFL’s all-time top 40… the Redblacks have hurt themselves with penalties; they lead the league in offensive, defensive and overall penalties and are second in special teams penalties.