Big Blue bulldoze Als

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This article was published 24/08/2023 (774 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Safe to say it wasn’t what Zach Collaros envisioned when returning to the lineup. 

But despite an uncharacteristic effort by the CFL’s reigning two-time most outstanding player that included three interceptions, two of which were returned to the house — a first in his decade-long career — it still proved enough against the surging Montreal Alouettes.

Backed by a stellar effort from the defence, along with a Collaros-led attack that would find its footing as the game wore on, the Bombers bullied the Alouettes, 47-17, in front of a sell-out crowd of 32,344 at IG Field Thursday night.

“Our defence was unbelievable, they gave up three points,” Collaros said after the game. “As a quarterback, you can’t spot them seven and then spot them 14…I can’t hurt our team like that. The guys rallied around me.” 

Collaros, who returned from a one-game absence after suffering a neck injury in a Week 10 matchup against the Edmonton Elks, committed his three turnovers before the first half expired. While that might sink other teams in the CFL, Collaros managed to rebound in a big way, throwing for 240 yards and four touchdowns, as the Bombers put up 441 yards of offence.

Brady Oliveira, who finished with a game-high 119 yards on 18 carries, and Dakota Prukop added rushing touchdowns of 26 yards and one yard, respectively, while Sergio Castillo connected on a pair of field goals to round out the scoring.

“It’s more than just flushing it. He’s got the ability to actually take it in and use it,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said about Collaros. “Some quarterbacks are able to do that, move on and play the rest of the game. He can separate that, but also use a bit of fuel, and say, ‘Alright, it’s on.’ Because you see some of the throws he made throughout the game were fantastic.”

With the win, the Bombers improved to 9-2 to stay atop the West Division. The Alouettes, who had caught fire of late, winning their previous four games, dropped to 6-4 and remain second in the East. 

While 47 points is impressive, it was the Bombers defence that stole the show. Winnipeg’s D had three turnovers — an interception, fumble recovery and a turnover on downs — and forced eight punts, limiting the Alouettes offence to just three points and none in the second half. Montreal finished with just 173 offensive yards, with only 21 of them coming in the final two quarters. 

“It’s the preparation and the confidence we have in each other,” Bombers defensive end Willie Jefferson said. “Every time we go out there we’re ready to handle our business.” 

The game couldn’t have started much worse for the Blue and Gold. After retrieving the opening kickoff, the Bombers offence took the field at their own 39, and on the first play Collaros was intercepted by Montreal’s Tyrell Richards, who returned it 40 yards to the end zone to give the visitors an early 7-0 lead. 

It was Collaros’ second pick-six in as many plays, as the Bombers all-star QB threw another interception for a touchdown against the Elks two weeks ago. Of Collaros’ nine interceptions this season, four have been returned for TDs.

The Bombers had a chance to cut into the Alouettes lead but Castillo’s 51-yard field goal attempt sailed wide-left. Winnipeg would make it count on its third series, with Collaros orchestrating a five-play, 38-yard touchdown drive capped off with a four-yard pass to Dalton Schoen, evening the score at 7-7. 

Montreal took the lead on the ensuing series, with David Cote making it 10-7 with a 42-yard field goal. Credit to O’Shea for throwing a challenge flag on an Austin Mack reception, which was called a catch but was overturned after replay showed Mack’s foot touched out of bounds, forcing the field goal.

The Alouettes lead would be short-lived, as it took the Bombers 103 seconds to find paydirt and take a 14-10 edge. Collaros connected with Nic Demski on a 45-yard pass, then one play later found Schoen for his second score of the game, this one from 22 yards.

“Everybody’s human – we’re going to make mistakes,” Bombers receiver Kenny Lawler said. “It’s all about how we bounce back and how do we capitalize and that’s what we do here. We don’t point the finger. We don’t try to bring anybody down, if anything we’re bringing guys up. That’s what you saw today, we just overcome adversity, continue grinding and at the end of the day the results are going to happen for us.” 

That set the stage for The Marc-Antoine Dequoy Show. The Alouettes safety picked off Collaros on back-to-back drives and while the first one didn’t amount to much, the second ended with a dance to the end zone, with Dequoy returning the interception 57 yards for a second pick-six by Collaros and a 16-14 Alouettes lead. 

Just when it looked like Montreal had stolen momentum, the Bombers answered back even quicker than the last time, regaining the lead with a four-play, 77-yard TD drive. Collaros put Winnipeg in scoring range with a 40-yard pass to Lawler and then Brady Oliveira took over from there, rushing for 33 yards on the next two plays, including a 26-yard score to put the home side up 20-17 at the break. 

“We needed to make a play and I just focused on the small details of the play and really trusted my eyes to press that run and get those linebackers to get sucked into the middle there,” Oliveira said of the TD run. “Once I saw that I knew I had the edge and then when I got the edge I knew I was gone.” 

The Bombers, who had 261 offensive yards in the first half, could have had a larger lead if not for their sloppy play.

On the Collaros interception that wasn’t returned for a TD, the Bombers were on the Alouettes’ 34, well within Castillo’s range. Along with Castillo’s missed field goal, Winnipeg’s usually sure foot missed on a one-point convert. Brandon Alexander also had an interception in Montreal’s territory called back owing to a Ricky Walker penalty for roughing the passer.

There have been several games in recent years in which the defence has stepped up in a big way when the offence wasn’t rolling. After holding the Alouettes to just three points in the first half, Winnipeg’s defence opened the third quarter with a bang. 

The Bombers D forced a quick two-and-out to open the second half and then on the next Alouettes series Winston Rose stepped into a Cody Fajardo pass, returning the interception to Montreal’s 26. Five plays later, Dakota Prukop scored on a one-yard QB sneak, giving the Bombers some breathing room, up 27-17.

Winnipeg’s defence wouldn’t stop there, either, as defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat pounced on a loose ball following a snap that sailed through the hands of Fajardo, giving the Bombers offence the ball at the Alouettes’ 40. They would get as far the 20-yard line, settling for a 27-yard field goal by Castillo and a 30-17 lead.

If that wasn’t enough, the Bombers D forced a turnover on downs on Montreal’s next series, and Collaros replied with a 25-yard TD to Lawler. The rout was officially on, only for the Bombers to add another TD from Collaros to Oliveira on a six-yard pass, followed by a 28-yard field goal for good measure.

“We were never worried about Zach. The offence controlled the ball much better and didn’t make the same mistakes in the first half – they were just making plays,” Bombers linebacker Adam Bighill said. “It just seemed like everything they wanted they took in the second half and there wasn’t any major hiccups. They were operating on their schedule, whatever they wanted to do and the defence just continued to handle their business.”  

The Bombers will get a few days off before returning to practice next week to begin preparations for the annual Labour Day Classic against the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina. The Riders are coming off the bye week, with their most recent game a 34-29 win over the B.C. Lions.