A familiar losing taste

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This article was published 01/08/2010 (5541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

CALGARY — No truth to the rumour that video evidence of the last Winnipeg Blue Bombers victory in Calgary is so old it is grainy, black-and-white footage and features players in leather helmets.

In only feels that way.

The Bombers put up a valiant fight in front of 30,150 at McMahon Stadium Saturday night, but still fell 23-20 to the Stampeders. The loss was Winnipeg’s eighth straight defeat in Calgary dating back to Oct. 18, 2002.

To put that in perspective, Bombers receiver Terence Jeffers-Harris was just 14 the last time Winnipeg won in southern Alberta.

"We played exponentially better than we have in the past seven years out here or whatever it is since our last victory," said Doug Brown, the only player wearing Bombers colours who was around on that day eight years ago. "But there are no points for moral victories in the standings… they don’t give you a point for having a good effort.

"You would think at some point the law of averages would catch up. But they’ve been formidable at home against us and this is the closest we’ve been. That’s one thing to take salvation in: I can’t remember the last time we were in a position to win a game out here."

Indeed, the Bombers were trailing 23-18 with 43 seconds left when Steven Jyles’ pass attempt to Terrence Edwards sailed over his head in the end zone. The Stamps would concede a safety on the game’s final play to win 23-20 and pull into a first-place tie atop the West Division with the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 4-1.

Winnipeg falls to 2-3 and heads into a critical home-and-home series with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, who fell to the Roughriders in Regina Saturday and are 1-4.

Henry Burris keyed the Stamps’ victory, throwing for 340 yards and two TDs — to Deon Murphy and Ken-Yon Rambo — while rushing six times for 55 yards. The Stamps built a 17-8 lead by halftime but were effectively shut down by the Bombers in the second half.

Winnipeg’s TDs came on a 46-yard run by Fred Reid and a 61-yard Jyles-to-Edwards strike. Edwards finished with six catches for 162 yards. Calgary’s Nik Lewis pulled in a career-high 10 receptions for 160 yards for the Stamps.

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Jyles finished the night 17 of 30 for 227 yards with one TD against zero interceptions while rushing for 24 yards. But he was also lamenting the number of missed opportunities by the Bombers attack.

"Offensively, we left a lot of plays out there on the field," Jyles said. "Calgary’s a good defence, but we left a lot of plays out there and if we make those, we come out of here with a win.

"I know there’s work that has to be done. I was talking to the receivers just now. We’ve got to go out and work a little harder and get that chemistry a little better."

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca