A bolt from the Blue

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This article was published 23/10/2011 (5155 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a season in which it now seems the only thing you can safely expect from the Winnipeg Blue Bombers is the unexpected, the Bombers saved perhaps their biggest surprise of all for their biggest game of the season so far.

Trailing the Montreal Alouettes 25-10 after the third quarter at a blustery Canad Inns Stadium Saturday, Winnipeg looked to be dead and buried on an afternoon when neither team played particularly well, but the Bombers were decidedly worse — unable to muster almost any credible offence for the first three quarters and bumbling away what few opportunities they did have.

And then, with loud boos raining down on the home team from sold-out grandstands that were equal parts chilled by the conditions and frustrated by their football team, it was time once again — as this unlikeliest of 2011 Bombers teams has done so often this season — to cue the dramatics.

With a fierce wind that was a dominating factor all game long at their backs for the fourth quarter, the ingredients for this Bombers comeback came in the form of a 15-yard Justin Palardy field goal, a 51-yard Jovon Johnson punt return, a Jonathan Hefney interception and then back-to-back short touchdown runs by Chris Garrett to close the book on a 26-25 comeback victory.

And with that, the Bombers improved to 10-6 — the same record as the Alouettes — and have now won the season-series against Montreal, giving Winnipeg control of first place in the East and their own destiny heading into the final two games of the regular season, next Friday at home against Toronto and then Nov. 5 in Calgary.

“We’ve played our best all season long when our backs are to the wall,” said defensive end Kenny Mainor. “When all the odds are against us and everyone’s turning their backs on us and jumping off the Swaggerville bandwagon and everything, then it’s just us — just as it’s been all season. And then we come out and fight.”

Saturday’s win clinched the Bombers second place and a home playoff date and denied Montreal the chance to clinch their fourth straight East Division title.

And it also surely gives Winnipeg a psychological edge in any future playoff meeting against Montreal. Winnipeg has now beaten the two-time defending Grey Cup champions two out of three times this season — and Winnipeg would have won the third meeting at home on Sept. 30 too, but failed in two attempts from the Montreal one-yard line to score the game-winning touchdown in the dying seconds.

There was no such failure this time and Bombers offensive lineman Glenn January called Garrett’s late one-yard run for the game-winning TD “redemption” for his unit.

It was also sent a message around the league, said Bombers defensive tackle Doug Brown, about the hazards of playing at a Canad Inns Stadium that has now been the site of six straight sellouts and where the Bombers are 5-3 this season.

“We have to have the conviction around here that we don’t hand out pennants, we don’t give out merit badges and we certainly don’t let other teams come in here and win East Division titles,” said Brown. “We put that on pause for Montreal today.”

Perhaps no one was more relieved by the final result on this day than Bombers quarterback Buck Pierce, who badly misplayed the final play of the first half, allowing the clock to run out before Palardy got a chance to kick a short field goal that would have put Winnipeg up 13-9 heading into the locker-room.

Instead, Winnipeg was clinging to a 10-9 lead — with seven of those points set up by one of two Bombers interceptions of Als QB Anthony Calvillo in the first quarter.

“We showed what we’ve showed all year in adverse situations — we showed our character and our poise and our belief in our guys,” said Pierce, who finished the day 21-of-33 for 236 yards, one TD and one interception.

Pierce’s counterpart took the loss especially hard.

“The turnovers. That’s what so crucial and disappointing at the same time,” said Calvillo, who only had five interceptions this season heading into the game.

“That’s why I’m so sick, because all these guys fought so hard, so dang hard, and then to come up knowing that you’re a big part of the loss, that’s what stings me.

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“But that’s part of being the quarterback. You’ve got to deal with it and move on.”

The Bombers defence held Montreal to 323 net yards, just one TD and six field goals by Sean Whyte, who was perfect on the day.

Palardy finished the day just 1-for-3, missing chip shots from 32 and 26 yards. Bombers punter Jamie Boreham, kicking in place of Mike Renaud, earned plaudits from head coach Paul LaPolice, finishing the day with a 42.7 yard average on nine punts.

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

— With files from The Canadian Press