The CFL just might have something it desperately needs — a promising young quarterback for a team that hasn't had any consistency at the position this decade.
In one of the most stunning performances in recent memory on a CFL field, Bryson Barnes made sure the Ottawa Redblacks wouldn't make dubious history, leading the team to an elusive win in his first professional start.
Barnes did it in dramatic fashion, too, engineering the final touchdown drive in the dying seconds to give the Redblacks (1-16) their first win of the season in their penultimate game — a 40-39 triumph over the visiting Toronto Argonauts in an absolute thriller on Friday.
The win, which prevented the Redblacks from having a shot to become the first CFL team in history to finish 0-18 next week in Hamilton, snapped a modern-day record 22-game losing streak dating back to last season.
The all-time, top-level Canadian football record of 25 losses in a row, set by an Ottawa team named the Senators and Rough Riders way back in the late 1920s and '30s, is safe.
Here are some takeaways from perhaps the game of the season in the CFL:
Barnes does it all
Many wondered why the Redblacks didn't turn to Barnes, 25, earlier in the season to at least get a look at the Utah and Utah State product.
Better late than never.
Barnes, a former teammate of Buffalo Bills star tight end Dalton Kincaid at Utah, completed 27 of 37 passes for 339 yards with two touchdowns and no interceptions. That yardage total was 13 yards more than his career high in five years of college, set last year at Utah State.
He's the first Ottawa quarterback this year to throw for more than 300 yards without an interception in a game
"I don't think it's fully settled in yet. I'm just grateful for the opportunity I was able to have to go out with the guys," Barnes told reporters afterward. "The season has not gone the way we obviously would have liked it to. I'm just happy for the guys, the hard work finally paid off for a win this week."
Barnes also used his legs to rush for 62 yards on seven carries and his voice to draw the Argos offside twice.
In short, this did not look like a first-time professional starter.
Redblacks head coach Ryan Dinwiddie was asked why Barnes didn't get a chance to start earlier this season, as Ottawa stuck with veterans Jake Maier and McLeod Bethel-Thompson, even after the team was eliminated from playoff contention.
"I would say if we put him in there earlier in the year, you might not see this performance where he's at right now," Dinwiddie said. "Young quarterbacks especially in this league, you've got to develop them. (It's) 12-man football, guys moving around, he's fresh out of college so we had to make sure we gave him the time to develop."
Indeed, it is rare for young quarterbacks to make an impact quickly in the CFL.
Many of the league's top quarterbacks are aging. Fans across the league should hope Barnes continues to progress.
The winning drive
The Redblacks were down six and had just 27 seconds left after returning the Argos' kickoff to their own 42-yard line.
A roughing the passer penalty on the first play put Ottawa in position to make a bid to win, and then Barnes took off for a 21-yard scramble.
On the next play, Barnes fired a strike to his favourite target, Ayden Eberhardt, who made a spectacular grab for a 24-yard TD to tie it with six seconds left. The ensuing extra point was the difference.
"Bryson played his ass off so that was really nice to see," Eberhardt said. "We run those kind of scenarios every single week ... I think that says a lot for (Dinwiddie) to have that belief in our offence and to go out and do it for him means a lot too."
Should Argos have ran down the clock?
Argos head coach Mike Miller's strategy on the drive before Ottawa's winning touchdown is open to debate.
With the Argos down two and the ball at the Ottawa four-yard line, Isaiah Smith ran it in for a TD with 30 seconds left.
Instead of doing that, the Argos could have let time tick down by kneeling the ball and attempting a potential game-winning field goal that would have been a chip shot.
Miller stood by his call afterward.
"We're playing hard, I liked where we were at. No, I don't regret that," he said. "It's unfortunate it didn't work out for us. I'll look at that again. I'm always trying to analyze and reanalyze game management."
Dinwiddie, in his first year in Ottawa after previously coaching Toronto, said afterward the coaching staff told the Redblacks to let the Argos score a touchdown on that play.
It all worked out for the home side.
"Strong-willed men," Dinwiddie said of his team after ending the skid. "It's not easy, right? We hear the outside noise."
Concern for Kelly
Argos star quarterback Chad Kelly exited in the first quarter after he suffered a lower-body injury when he was tackled by Luiji Vilain while trying to escape pressure.
Kelly was limping after the play, and was replaced by Nick Arbuckle, who was his usual solid self in relief.
Miller had no further update after the game.
Considering the game meant nothing in the standings for the Argos, it would have made no sense to put Kelly back in even if the injury wasn't serious. Kelly watched the second half on the sidelines with his teammates.
The Argos (9-8) finish the season next Friday against the Montreal Alouettes and then host the East semifinal on Oct. 31.
Toronto has to hope Kelly can get back to full health in two weeks.
Argos deep at receiver
Canadian receiver Kevin Mital had a big game for the Argos, hauling in six passes for 110 yards with two touchdowns.
The Laval product now has 981 yards on the season.
If he can add 19 receiving yards next week, the Argos will have four receivers with 1,000-plus yards. Damonte Coxie, David Ungerer III and Tyler Kahmann already are over 1,000.
Only four teams in CFL history have had four 1,000-yard receivers in a season.
Ex-Argos shine
Two players who used to wear double blue played key roles in the Ottawa victory.
Canadian running back Daniel Adeboboye scored two touchdowns for the Redblacks, while linebacker Aaron Casey had two sacks and a pass knockdown.
Vilain, who knocked out Kelly and also had a key pressure late, was an Argos draft pick before going to the NFL in 2022. The Ottawa native's CFL playing rights were dealt to his hometown team prior to this year.
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