Blue Bombers 29, Renegades 1 If Darnell Kennedy looked a little rusty last night, it's with good reason.

The two quarters he played as Kerry Joseph's replacement against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Frank Clair Stadium was the most action he's seen since 2001.

Compared to Steve McNair while starring for Alabama State in the Southwestern Athletic Conference, Kennedy's only regular season playing time since then was on a couple of drives as a member of the Calgary Stampeders -- July 18 and Sept. 6, 2002.

"It's kind of hard to be on the bench your whole career and finally get a chance like that, on the spur of the moment," he said after completing 5-of-16 passes for 62 yards in the Renegades' 29-1 loss to the Bombers. "I just went out and did my best.

''I felt more comfortable as the game went on. You can only get better with experience."

On two other occasions this season, the Renegades were involved in lopsided games during which they could have given Kennedy some snaps. But both times, coach Joe Paopao said Joseph -- who injured his left ankle last night -- was only a second-year starter in the CFL and needed all the experience he could get, too.

Last night, Paopao was asked by a reporter if he thought Kennedy would have performed better with the benefit of some previous time under the lights.

"Those are after-the-fact things," replied Paopao. "And since you're good at that and I'm not, my answer is no."

His answer to the same question might be yes today, given some time to get over the frustration of watching his team put up just a single point on the board.

FIRST AND 10: For the second straight game, Pat Woodcock coughed up the ball on the Renegades' opening drive. Again, he wasn't hit particularly hard when he fumbled, and this time his grip loosened inside the opponent's 10-yard line ... On the other hand, Woodcock was hit very hard by Bombers LB Terry Ray at the Ottawa 53 near the end of the first quarter. As he took his helmet off and writhed on the ground, the guessing was either a separated shoulder or broken collarbone. Paopao later said Woodcock suffered bruised ribs, and that he was worried his receiver also had a concussion when he threw up moments after the hit. "I think it was his oatmeal," Paopao said, referring to Woodcock's traditional pre-game meal. Woodcock never missed a snap, as he was back in the huddle the next time Ottawa had possession ... The Renegades started the night with great success along the ground. It started with a Josh Ranek run around the left end for 14 yards. A failed flea flicker from Ranek to Demetris Bendross later, Kerry Joseph took off up the middle for 25. Then Ranek went left for another 18. Then Woodcock put the ball on the ground ... Attendance was again disappointing, with just 21,411 (capacity, 27,695) on hand.

UP THE MIDDLE: Tough night for Bendross. The Renegades slot couldn't hold onto one end-zone pass that Bombers DB Ricky Bell tipped in the first quarter. He couldn't hold on to another Joseph pass on the goal line in the second quarter. And he let a Kennedy end-zone pass slip through his fingers in the third quarter. He and Kennedy finally did hook up in the end zone later, but the TD was called back by a Ranek holding penalty ... Rookie K Sandro Sciortino's string of perfection stopped at six when he missed his first field goal of the season, a 34-yarder that went wide left in the second quarter. Sciortino showed his foul mood immediately thereafter, getting into a shoving match with Bombers CB Eric Carter ... In the third quarter, Sciortino attempted his longest three-pointer as a pro. From 47 yards out, he hit a post ... The Ottawa defence blew a chance to pin the Bombers deep near the end of the first half, but got the job done with a similar situation midway through Quarter 3.

THINGS THAT MAKE YOU GO HMMMM: How bad was it for the local pro football team? The Ottawa Lynx outscored the Renegades last night ... The Bombers have a reputation of being physical, and last night the proof was painfully obvious. Along with Woodcock and Joseph, Renegades to take a knee in the first half included George Hudson, Sherrod Gideon and Mike Abou-Mechrek ... With all the talk about flashy return specialists like Keith Stokes, Bashir Levingston and Ezra Landry, rookie Renegade Jason Armstead continued to perform better or just as well as any of them ... No fewer than four Bombers gave Joseph a tap on the backside as he was helped off the field ... Last week, the Renegades went a full quarter without scoring for the first time all season. Last night, they trailed 8-0 at the half and didn't get on the board until Pat Fleming's 60-yard single 42:17 into the game ... The Pro-Line over-under for this one -- 61.5. You're not alone in thinking Ottawa was going to do something offensively.

EXTRA POINTS: Back from a one-game absence, Clinton Wayne recorded the Renegades lone sack of the night ... Finally, a decent half-time show. Children playing flag football were replaced by the Glengarry Highland marching band, and a gentleman whose talents include the Caber toss ... Thanks to the fan who caught my sunglasses when I accidentally knocked them out of the press box in the fourth quarter. He and the three little girls he was with returned them -- would a Southsider do the same? ... Readers of Le Droit will notice regular football writer Martin Comtois' mug missing from this morning's paper. For some reason, he decided not to work the night before his wedding to Tania St-Denis ... Also missing was the mustache longtime Citizen columnist Wayne Scanlan has worn for the past 25 years.

don.brennan@ott.sunpub.com