Five storylines: B.C. vs. Winnipeg

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This article was published 13/09/2014 (4036 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Five storylines to ponder before tonight’s B.C. vs. Winnipeg showdown at BC Place:

1. HOW THE WEST IS WON… OR LOST

Credit the Bombers this week for staying on message… as dull as it is for those of us in the business of advancing and framing each game as a critical chapter in the book that is the 2014 CFL season.

All week the Bombers, repeating the message from head coach Mike O’Shea, have been saying this matchup with the Lions is the “biggest game because it’s the next game.”

Yeah, OK. Whatever.

But some math to ponder as the Bombers, 6-5 after dropping four of their last five, face the Lions, 6-4:

— Winnipeg is just 1-4 against its West Division foes, the lone victory a 23-6 spanking of the Lions in Vancouver back on July 25.

— Winnipeg lost the season series to the Saskatchewan Roughriders, dropping all three meetings this year.

— Winnipeg is down 0-1 this year to the Edmonton Eskimos, now 7-3, and have one more meeting in Alberta on Thanksgiving Monday.

— Winnipeg has yet to face the powerhouse Calgary Stampeders, but will go head-to-head with the CFL’s best squad in two of their last three games. Worth noting: The Bombers have lost 11 straight in Calgary, dating back to October of 2002.

Translation: it’s time to get busy against the West if the Bombers want to be playing meaningful games in November. A win today against the Leos would not only push the Bombers two points ahead of their rivals, but also means they have won the season series (with one game remaining on Oct. 25).

That makes this a huge tilt both in the blinders-on world of the Bombers, but also when the lens widens and they look at the big picture.

2. A DECIMATED D-LINE

The Bombers will line up against the Lions missing Jason Vega and Zach Anderson, both of whom dropped with knee injuries in the last week. Vega may be back in a couple of weeks, but Anderson is gonzo for the season. As well, Canadian Mike Cornell — who had taken some snaps in Gary Etcheverry’s defence — is out with a bum knee.

That leaves newcomers Willie Moseley, who was cut during training camp but returned last week, and Marty Booker, to step into the starting lineup while Ameet Pall, the former Stampeder first-rounder ex of the Alouettes, will be added for Cornell.

All of this means the Bombers, who have struggled to stop the run this season, will line up Bryant Turner Jr. and Jake Thomas at tackle, Booker and veteran Greg Peach at end with Canadians Louie Richardson and Pall available to rotate in to the front.

It also means the Lions will be salivating at the possibilities, even if their O-line is hardly the force the big men up front for the Riders is. Case in point, we give you Winnipeg’s Andrew Harris — the Lions tailback — on B.C.’s goal for the Bomber game: to rush for 250 yards.

“I know it sounds ridiculous but I really think we have the potential to do this,” Harris told Lowell Ullrich of The Province this week. “When you put it out there (in public) it means a little more and puts pressure on them. It’s going to put a little fire under their asses.

“We have to attack this game as if it was November,” he added. “This is the biggest game of the year.”

3. SPECIAL TEAMS

No one likely cursed the Bombers’ not-so special teams effort in the Banjo Bowl loss to the Riders more than the triumvirate in charge: Big boss man Wade Miller, GM Kyle Walters and O’Shea — all of whom cut their teeth on specials during their playing days.

The Bombers made three critical errors in last week’s 30-24 loss, all of them coming in a horrific second quarter in which they were outscored 26-1.

First, the field-goal unit got crossed up in their protection off the edge, freeing up Weldon Brown to block a Lirim Hajrullahu attempt that was scooped up and returned for a TD by Rod Williams.

That was followed by an errant long snap on a Hajrullahu punt attempt that led to him kicking the ball out of the end zone for a safety.

And then just before halftime, Weston Dressler got outside contain — aided by a missed hold on Michel-Pierre Pontbriand — and returned a punt 75 yards for another TD.

And in less than 15 minutes the special teams had spit up 16 points in a six-point loss.

4. A PIVOTAL CHANGE

The big football story on the west coast this week was the injury to Lions QB Travis Lulay in last Friday’s 7-5 victory over Ottawa.

The CFL’s Most Outstanding Player in 2011, Lulay was back in the B.C. huddle after a long road recovering back from a shoulder injury — the same shoulder he hurt again and which now has his immediate and long-term future in doubt.

B.C. now turns to veteran Kevin Glenn to help pull them back into the playoff picture in the West. And the difference between the two pivots’ styles couldn’t be more dramatic.

“Travis is a runner and defensive linemen really don’t like runners,” said Turner. “It slows us down, we have to make sure we give more emphasis in staying in our rush lanes and making sure he has nowhere to run. With Kevin, he’s a guy who likes to stay in the pocket and get rid of the ball quick. It’s basically about getting to Kevin in the right amount of time.

“He does have a quick release and we’ve got to get there in a hurry.”

5. LATE-GAME MAGIC

The Bombers’ 5-1 start featured dramatic come-from-behind wins over Ottawa, Montreal (twice) and Hamilton. But that fourth-quarter magic has vanished in the last five weeks. In the four losses since they burst from the starting block, Winnipeg has been outscored in the final 15 minutes 44-24.

And last week, despite limiting the Riders to just three second-half points, their rally fell short when Drew Willy was intercepted twice in the final three minutes. Of note: As cool as Willy has been with the game on the line, especially early this season, of his 11 interceptions, five have come in the fourth quarter.

ed.tait@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @WFPEdTait