Bombers ride Reid past Leos

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This article was published 22/08/2009 (6133 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

 VANCOUVER — For Mike Kelly it was the one sliver of hope in his football team’s statistical complexion and he wasn’t letting anyone with a pair of tweezers near it.

The run game had been a positive for Kelly’s Blue Bombers through their first seven games and the fact they led the CFL in rushing was something the first-year head coach was glad to tell anyone that would listen.

The Bombers traded on that ground attack success Friday night as they stomped up and down the turf at B.C. Place to take a 37-10 win over the Lions before 27,913 disgruntled customers.

Winnipeg running back Fred Reid was the busiest man on the field and he wore the work very well, charging for 260 yards on 26 carries to break Blaise Bryant’s single-game club record of 249. The Bombers also set a team record with a total of 388 total rushing yards in a game, beating the old mark of 364.

The victory gives the Bombers a 3-5 record as they head into their bye week and takes them out of a swoon that threatened to end their playoff hopes early.

While we’re nowhere near ready to call the Blue Bombers a contender, heck, the win does give them a reprieve and an opportunity to take a breath before a critical home-and-home series kicks off with the Roughriders on Labour Day in Saskatchewan.

Reid’s backfield mate Yvenson Bernard was also effective, carrying the ball 11 times for 112 yards.

Winnipeg’s defence got back to business as they took the big play away from the Lions and put up a few of their own with three turnovers and an interception returned for a touchdown.

After the Bombers took a quick two-and-out offensive series to open, the Lions stepped on to the field in high gear. Quarterback Jarious Jackson, making his first start of the season in place of the concussed Buck Pierce, sliced through the Bombers defence before hitting Emmanuel Arceneaux with a 38-yard strike for a 7-0 lead before the game was five minutes old.

At this point it appeared like it was same-old, same-old for the Bombers. But a funny thing happened. Instead of the clowns posing as players that have been executing the Winnipeg offence, a real live professional football outfit stepped on the field.

Winnipeg immediately showed offensive life on the ensuing series as quarterback Michael Bishop drove them down the field with a nice mix of pass and run before Reid plunged over from the one to even the score at 7-7.

The Bombers touchdown was their first since they scored in the third quarter against Calgary way back on Aug. 8. So, yes, they were due.

The teams then exchanged field goals before the gallant Terrence Edwards, who was unable to practise all week due to a painful turf toe, caught a Bishop pass in the end zone to give the Bombers a 17-10 lead late in the second quarter. Alexis Serna added his second field goal of the game and the Bombers led 20-10 at the half. Twenty points at halftime? Huh? That total is more than the Bombers had scored in five of their previous games.

Serna hit his third of the night to put the Bombers up 23-10 to start the fourth and then linebacker Barrin Simpson stole a pass to give Winnipeg a chance to ice the game.

Reid did just that as he went 52 yards to the end zone for a touchdown to put his club ahead 30-10 with more than 10 minutes left in the quarter.

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