Big Blue bounce Stampeders Offence breaks out as Bombers win barnburner for second consecutive victory By: Jeff Hamilton Posted: 11:23 PM CDT Friday, Jul. 12, 2024 Last Modified: 11:54 PM CDT Friday, Jul. 12, 2024 Updates

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The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are officially on a roll.

While it wasn’t the most consistent of performances, with plenty of good and bad in all three phases, the Bombers did just enough to earn a 41-37 shootout victory in front of 29,467 fans on a sweltering Friday night at Princess Auto Stadium.

Winnipeg has now won back-to-back games after losing its first four, bringing its record to 2-4. The four-point victory also gives the Bombers the season-series, despite finishing 1-1, by points differential, as the Stampeders earned the first game by three points.

Calgary dropped to 2-3 with the loss.

“It’s good that we delivered a win,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said, calling the game a weird one, even for CFL standards. “In the end, I thought the guys, when it mattered most, they made some great plays at the end. It’s a good way to finish off an odd game. There’s going to be lots to look at and lots to fix.”

The Bombers welcomed back star quarterback Zach Collaros, who suffered a chest injury against the Stampeders back in Week 4 that forced him to miss last week’s victory over the Ottawa Redblacks. Collaros has had an uncharacteristically slow start to the season, looking nothing like the quarterback who has captured the league’s most outstanding player award two of the last three years.

Collaros returned to form against the Stampeders, finishing the night 27-for-36 passing for a season-high 344 yards, along with a pair of touchdowns and interceptions. Winnipeg finished with 444 yards of net offence, with Calgary registering 458.

“Always feels good to win at home. Obviously, we could have played better, myself, first and foremost,” Collaros said. “It felt good to sustain some drives there, finishing in the end zone three times.”

Collaros had a particularly strong connection with receiver Ontaria Wilson, who had a game-high 201 yards on 13 catches. Brady Oliveira had his second straight game with at least 100 rushing yards, ending with 15 carries for 109 yards, while Calgary’s Dedrick Mills countered with 131 yards on the same number of rushes.

The Bombers defence forced three turnovers, giving the unit eight takeaways in the last three games after getting just two through the first three matches of the season. Winnipeg also had the edge in sacks, two to one, which is pretty impressive when you consider the Stampeders came into the game having given up a league-low five sacks.

“It was fun. I feel like everyone was getting touches; the ball was getting moved around. We were running the ball dominantly at the end there and I just feel like that was a familiar feeling for a lot of us, in how we approach a game and tackle a game and attack a game,” Bombers receiver Drew Wolitarsky said. “It was a really good dogfight tonight. We all just kept cool, kept our heads, kept the faith and just delivered when we had to. That feels to me like what we’ve done in the past and it’s very good to feel that tonight.”

What started as a defensive battle through the first quarter, with the Stampeders taking a 7-6 lead with a touchdown on the game’s opening series, erupted into offensive showdown by halftime.

The two sides combined for 46 points and 474 offensive yards through 30 minutes, taking a 23-23 tie into the break.

The Bombers offence struggled to find the end zone early on, settling for a trio of field goals from Sergio Castillo. Castillo made good from 31, 57 and 28 yards, respectively, to cut the Stampeders lead to 10-9.

Trailing 13-9 with fewer than five minutes remaining before the break, Collaros found Wilson for a 30-yard touchdown. Wilson stretched out to make the catch in the left corner of the end zone, in what was Collaros’ first passing touchdown since Week 20 of last season.

The Bombers defence had kept Stampeders quarterback Jake Maier mostly in check after the early touchdown, which was aided by a 53-yard reception by Jalen Philpot before Tommy Stevens punched the ball in on a one-yard QB sneak.

The D really made their presence known, though, on Calgary’s ensuing drive following the Wilson score, when Bombers halfback Deatrick Nichols stepped in front of a Maier pass and returned it 55 yards to pay dirt. For Nichols, it was the first pick-6 in his 52 games in the CFL, the score giving the Bombers a 23-13 lead.

Nichols’ interception was the third takeaway of the game for the Bombers defence in the first half. Tyrell Ford recorded an interception in the first quarter, making up for his missed tackle on Philpot’s big play on the opening drive, while Nichols forced a fumble on Stampeders running back Mills that was recovered by rookie defensive end Lucky Ogbevoen.

“It’s about playing all three phases of the game together, helping each other out,” Nichols said. “I’m just glad we got the win. We’re trying to roll, and we needed that win. The pick-6 and all that stuff is great, but now it feels like I helped my team win, so that’s the most important win.”

Right when it looked like the Bombers had complete control of the game, the Stampeders clawed back, scoring 10 points in the final 1:21 of the second quarter.

Calgary needed just two plays to register its second touchdown, beginning with a 53-yard run by Mills that pushed the ball into Winnipeg’s territory. That’s when Maier connected with a diving Erik Brooks, who reeled the ball in before sliding across the goal line.

After forcing a quick two-and-out for the Bombers, Maier moved the ball to the Bombers’ 15-yard before calling out the kick team. Rene Paredes evened the game 23-23 with no time remaining in the second quarter, notching his fourth field goal of the half.

That offensive surge would be quieted to start the second half, with both defences regaining its form. But much like the first half, things just got more exciting as the game wore on.

Winnipeg started the third quarter with the ball, but Castillo’s 55-yard field goal attempt sailed wide right. Castillo entered the night perfect on field goals over his last four games, with the miss snapping his streak at 15 consecutive made kicks.

On the Bombers next series, Collaros moved the ball to Calgary’s 33 but would surrender his second interception of the game trying to find Nic Demski in the end zone. Collaros has six interceptions this season compared to two passing touchdowns.

Third time would prove the charm, with the Bombers orchestrating a four-play, 33-yard touchdown drive to take a 30-23 lead. The score was setup by a blocked punt by Bombers linebacker Tanner Cadwallader and capped with a one-yard QB sneak by Chris Streveler.

The Stampeders refused to go away quietly, rebounding on the very next drive to even the score 30-30. Stevens punched in his second rushing score of the game, wrapping up an impressive 10-play, 80-yard drive.

Calgary showed some real guts early in the series, gambling on a third-and-three from its own 37-yard line. Maier would find Philpot for a 13-yard gain, marking one of five completions in the series.

The Bombers answered back with another Castillo field goal, this one from 38 yards, to take a 33-30 edge. That would prove costly, however, as the Stampeders came right back with another touchdown to regain the lead, 37-33.

Maier connected with receiver Clarke Barnes for a 34-yard gain, then again to Reggie Begelton for 28 more. The next play, Maier threw a short pass to the left side of the end zone, where Marken Michel reeled in his third touchdown of the game.

Not to be outdone, the Bombers offence found an extra gear, orchestrating a nine-play, 103-yard touchdown drive before the three-minute warning. Collaros found Demski left all alone, where he scampered untouched to the end zone for his first score of the season.

“We love Zach. There’s just so much fight in him all the time,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said of Collaros. “You’ll never not believe in that guy. You might not realize it if you’re not in our room, but you’ll always put your faith in that guy.”

In what was a rare decision by the Bombers, O’Shea opted to go for the two-point convert. It proved a savvy move, with Demski once again the target, putting the Bombers up 41-37.

It would be a combined effort from the offence and defence from there, beginning with a big stop from the defence to force a punt with 1:17 remaining, including a critical QB sack by veteran tackle Jake Thomas. The offence sealed the game after taking possession, moving the chains twice before kneeling to victory.

The Bombers now get ready to hit the road for the next two games, beginning with the Saskatchewan Roughriders Friday night. The Riders are the last undefeated club remaining in the CFL, at 4-0.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton