O-line loses battle of brawn

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 01/10/2011 (5176 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

There are precious few times when an offensive lineman can determine the outcome of a football game.

But in the most unlikely of games in what has been the most unlikely of CFL seasons, Winnipeg Blue Bombers guard Brendon LaBatte and the rest of the Bombers offensive line had just such an opportunity in the dying seconds against the Montreal Alouettes at Canad Inns Stadium Friday night.

With the Bombers trailing 32-26, eight seconds on the clock and the ball on the Montreal one-yard line, LaBatte and company had two opportunities to generate the push that would get Bombers QB Alex Brink into the end zone for a touchdown that would have completed a comeback from 29-6.

In a game that Brink was thrust into at the 11th hour, only when starting QB Buck Pierce couldn’t dress because of a rib injury, it was, ironically enough, precisely the play for which Brink was most prepared.

Brink has been money all season long as the designated short-yardage rusher for the Bombers, scoring three touchdowns himself in precisely the situation in which he found himself Friday night.

But not this time. Twice, LaBatte and the Bombers offensive line pushed forth and twice they were pushed back. In the mass of twisted humanity that resulted, on-field officials ruled Brink had failed to cross the plane of the goal line.

Both plays were reviewed, creating the surreal scene of both teams standing on the field with no time remaining on the clock, waiting to find out nothing less than whether Montreal had won the game or if Winnipeg had just tied it and had a chance to kick a convert for the win.

Final score — Montreal 32 Winnipeg 26.

A half hour later, LaBatte was still sitting almost fully dressed in front of his locker, head in hands. “We put ourselves in a position to win. And we had a lot to win — first place, the season series. There was a lot on the line,” reflected LaBatte.

“As an O-lineman, it’s just so rare to have an opportunity to control the outcome like that. And it’s just extremely disappointing to have your shot like that and miss it.”

And with it, what was once a 7-1 Winnipeg juggernaut has now lost four of their last five games, having spent September turning that shiny 7-1 record and what at one time looked to be a stranglehold on first place in the East Division into an 8-5 record and what now looks to be a tenuous share of first with Montreal.

And things will not get any easier from here. The Bombers take on the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton next weekend and then the Eskimos in Edmonton the week following.

And then, when they do return to Canad Inns Stadium on Oct. 22, they will have waiting for them the very same Montreal team.

There was merit, to be sure, in the comeback attempt.

Trailing 29-6 late in the third quarter, the Bombers got a 52-yard blocked punt return for a TD from Henoc Muamba, a 25-yard TD catch by Clarence Denmark and then a 32-yard TD run by tailback Chris Garrett with under three minutes remaining to set the stage for the late dramatics.

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“There’s no moral victory,” said Bombers DB Jonathan Hefney, “but they’ve got to play us again in two or three weeks. And when they come back here — it’s going to be more of the same. It will be a war.”

There was also merit in the performance of Brink, who fumbled and threw two interceptions in the first half but also showed poise in guiding the late comeback and finished with respectable numbers, 24-for-40 for 326 yards and the TD.

“When we broke training camp, that was the guy lined up as our third-string quarterback,” said head coach Paul LaPolice.

“I don’t know what his numbers were, but I’m sure he had a lot of yards tonight against one of the better teams in the CFL.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca