Castillo’s foot proves golden in Bombers victory over Lions

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This article was published 11/10/2015 (3882 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

VANCOUVER — What a difference a week — and a critical roster change — made for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicking game.

Sergio Castillo’s game-winning 41-yard field goal as time ran out here at BC Place Saturday night capped a remarkable Bombers debut that saw Castillo go 5-for-5 on field goals and 2-for-2 on converts in his first game in Blue and Gold since replacing Lirim Hajrullahu as Winnipeg’s field goal kicker.

Castillo was as decisive in Winnipeg’s 29-26 win over the B.C. Lions as Hajrullahu was in the Bombers 24-23 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos a week earlier in a game that saw Hajrullahu go just 1-for-5 on field goals and also miss a convert.

“I’m out of words right now,” Castillo grinned after the game, “and grateful for the opportunity.”

So what were you thinking just prior to that final kick? “Let’s do it,” replied Castillo. “The offence and defence got me the chance and that’s what a kicker dreams for — a chance to help his team out.”

Castillo actually had to make the game-winning kick twice as his own head coach called timeout a split second before the ball was snapped the first time. Castillo made that kick but then had to do it all over again after the timeout.

So why did Mike O’Shea choose to “ice” his own kicker? “I didn’t think the play was going to get off,” O’Shea explained. “It would have been a 10-yard (delay of game) penalty and would’ve made it a long one.”

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After racking up 303 yards of net offence — and 23 points — on the Bombers in the first half, the Lions were held to just 58 yards net offence and three points (a safety and a single) in the second half.

“The defence came through in the second half — they were huge,” said O’Shea. “They refused to give an inch. I asked the defence to shut them out in the second half — and those three points are really on me. The safety and the single is a coaching decision — it’s not on the defence…

“The second half was unbelievable. They did a great job.”

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The Bombers win over the Lions came after a week in which O’Shea went out of his way to tell reporters and his team that he believed the game was a “must win” for his club, even though Winnipeg would have remained mathematically alive regardless of what happened on Saturday.

O’Shea explained Saturday night that a careful calculation went into his decision to play that “must-win” card last week and not earlier in the season. “You can’t keep running at that level — the threat of being done that many weeks in a row.

“I believe if I started two weeks too early, it’s too much. They’ve got to be told the truth.”

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Bombers QB Matt Nichols didn’t have one of his better starts in Blue and Gold on Saturday night, but he put together a couple of critical late drives that led to a game-tying 16-yard TD pass to Clarence Denmark and the game-winning field goal by Castillo.

Nichols finished the night 19-34 for 179 yards and he went out of his way after the game to credit the Bombers defence and special teams for making those late drives possible. “It was just a complete team win,” said Nichols.

“Guys just kind of willed this one to victory…It was tough. We were having trouble on first down and we were kind of living in second and long. (The B.C. defence) were dropping guys beyond the sticks and then rallying up to the short stuff and just not giving you any big plays.

“But we stayed patient and made sure we didn’t turn the ball over.”

The Bombers actually did turn the ball over once — backup QB Brian Brohm failed to pick up a yard on a 3rd and 1 play in the fourth quarter.

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Bombers linebacker Ian Wild made his biggest play in Blue and Gold since returning to the Bombers from the NFL last month.

With the Bombers trailing 23-9 early in the third quarter, Wild scooped up a blocked punt by teammate Teague Sherman and scampered 20 yards into the Lions endzone to give the Bombers life when they needed it most.

“We practiced it all week, we visualized it and before the game we talked about it that we were going to get a block today,” Wild said. “It happened just like we pictured it.”

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Bombers slotback Rory Kohlert and centre Dominic Picard were injured during the game and did not finish.

Both men were listed with upper body injuries — Kohlert took a head shot — and O’Shea said after the game that it was too early to say how long they would be out.

email: paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek