Nichols out to prove win over Eskimos wasn’t a fluke

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This article was published 02/08/2016 (3358 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Matt Nichols accomplished exactly what the Winnipeg Blue Bombers needed him to last week.

He moved the football downfield, out of their own half and into enemy territory. From there, he marched the offence into the red zone and then, in something rarely seen this season, made sure that ball found the end zone.

In fact, Nichols’ first four drives resulted in scores and a 17-0 lead, some 37 plays and 279 yards of offence when the game was still in the second quarter. No fourth-quarter garbage time stats with the game well out of hand. Nichols dictated the pace early and didn’t let off the throttle.

It’s been written in these pages before: Nichols inspired an underachieving team to its second win of the season and, arguably, the first they earned without having six balls handed to them via turnovers.

The logical next question is can he do it again?

“We’re out to prove that to everyone,” Nichols said after the Bombers’ pre-game walk-through Tuesday. “We feel that we have a good team in that locker room and a team that can go out and play with the best in the league.”

The quick turnaround of a Wednesday game along with just two days of on-field practice this week has meant Nichols has had to refocus quickly.

“For me, it’s doing what I’ve always done — get in here early, stay late, watch the film and try and get a good feel of what they’re going to do to us,” he said.

Calling it Nichols’ team after one week might be a little premature, but that is his state of mind when he steps on the field.

“If you don’t have the confidence that you’re going to go in and the team is going to believe in you, then I think that you’re in trouble from the start. My mentality hasn’t changed.”

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The Bombers continue to pace the league in sacks allowed with 19, never a good thing and even less so when John Chick comes to town.

The veteran quarterback destroyer is tied for second in the league with four sacks on the season, and with a young interior on the Blue Bombers offensive line, will likely be licking his chops Wednesday night.

Until then, he’ll play coy on the matter.

“They got some big guys and when they’re gelling together, they’re solid,” Chick said. “It’s professional football, there’s a lot of great guys out there and this team, although their record doesn’t show it, is much better than their record says.”

● ● ●

Hamilton quarterback Jeremiah Masoli said he isn’t bothered by the fact fans are wanting to see Zach Collaros back under centre sooner than later.

Collaros, who is still recovering from a knee injury he sustained last season, was originally expected to make his return against the Bombers, but the team announced last week he wouldn’t be ready.

“It really isn’t (bothering me) that much,” said Masoli Tuesday at Investors Group Field. “I’m still at practice taking first-team reps and I’m just focused on execution.”

Speaking of execution, in his last start, Masoli set a CFL record for consecutive completions in a game with 23; a streak that started in the second half, sparking a come-from-behind 37-31 win over Edmonton.

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“Guys were just making plays,” he said.

Masoli said he had no idea he had made CFL history until he was told about it after the game.

“I was getting interviewed after the game and a reporter had told me,” he said. “I was shocked. It didn’t seem like it.”

— Scott Billeck

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Scott Billeck
Reporter

Scott Billeck is a general assignment reporter for the Free Press. A Creative Communications graduate from Red River College, Scott has more than a decade’s worth of experience covering hockey, football and global pandemics. He joined the Free Press in 2024.  Read more about Scott.

Every piece of reporting Scott produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print — part of the Free Press‘s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press’s history and mandate, and learn how our newsroom operates.