Bombers end Labour Day Classic curse with 28-25 win over Roughriders

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This article was published 04/09/2016 (3322 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA – The Winnipeg Blue Bombers needed every last second to break the curse of Labour Day.

With the scoreboard showing double-zeros, Justin Medlock hit a game-winning 43-yard field goal to cap off what was a you-had-to-see-it-to-believe-it kind of ending to the fourth and final quarter, ultimately giving the Bombers a 28-25 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders Sunday afternoon.

The kick ended a streak of 11 straight losses for Winnipeg in the annual Labour Day Classic game in the Queen City, a history that dates all the way back to 2004 to when the Bombers last won the September Long showdown.

And though all week players and coaches tried to downplay the importance – or lack thereof – of their futility against the Riders, it became clear after the game that it was equally tough to hide just how much this one meant.

“We tried not to make too much of this game compared to any other game but once the crowd gets into it and you see it all unfold you cant help but understand the magnitude of this game,” said Bombers coach Mike O’Shea after the game. “Any way we can get it we’re going to take this win.”

The victory extends the Bombers winning streak to five games and improves their overall mark to 6-4 on the season. With the loss, the Riders fall deeper into the basement of the CFL standings, where they now sit at 1-9.

Did you see that finish?

Justin Medlock nails the 43-yard field goal as @Wpg_BlueBombers win a thriller over the @sskroughriders ! #LDWeekend pic.twitter.com/FeObcjlgMp

— TSN (@TSN_Sports) September 4, 2016

As the ball sailed through the uprights in the dying moments, thousands wearing green stood in silence. The only noise heard after the kick was that from the visitors, their cheers faded by the collective shock of the home crowd.

The Bombers players rushed Medlock, pulling him up into the air while thousands headed for the exits, passing the hundreds of fans wearing blue and gold still in their seats, many of whom likely needed another moment to let the feeling of victory finally sink in.

“I haven’t been part of this team for too long, but 12 years,” started quarterback Matt Nichols, who completed 27 of his 39 passes for 341 yards and a touchdown and is now 5-0 as a starter, “and not winning here on Labour Day with how big of a rivalry it is, how much people make it a tradition…it’s important to them and to be able to give our fans a win is huge.”

The win, though surely sweet for the players and its fans, was far from pretty. The Bombers squandered a 19-3 lead, with the Riders striking for two touchdowns – and two successful two-point converts – to tie the game. Then, with the Bombers up 25-19, Kendial Lawrence returned a punt back 85 yards for a touchdown for Saskatchewan, only to have the single-point convert missed missed by Riders kicker Tyler Crapigna – who missed two field goals before that – to keep it a tied game at 25-25.

“Those are types of plays that can cost us in critical moments and it almost did,” said linebacker Tony Burnett, a staple on the Bombers special teams. “We have to be better than that, especially in such a critical moment. Luckily for us we have a great offence and great kicker and we were able to pull it off.”

After Quincy McDuffie, who scored the Bombers lone touchdown with an 82-yard catch and run in the first quarter, returned a punt to Winnipeg’s 42-yard-line, it was up to Nichols to push the ball up field.

At second-and-six near midfield, Nichols shot a dart to Weston Dressler but the ball was intercepted by the Riders Justin Cox. The play would be negated by a pentalty flag for defensive pass interference, keeping the Bombers drive alive with a 19-yard gain. From there, running back Andrew Harris, who was quiet in this one but still finished the game with 15 carries for 80 yards and three catches for another 17, carried the ball twice before Medlock hit the final kick.

“The last couple of weeks we’ve had the opportunity to put a team away earlier and you let them hang around and there’s going to be finishes like that,” said Nichols. “We’re going to correct a few things and make sure we can finish off some drives a little bit better.”

Medlock money…again

In last week’s win over the Montreal Alouettes, Medlock hit six field goals, accounting for 20 of the Bombers 32 points in the win.

Against the Riders, Medlock was responsible for 22 points of the team’s 28. Already holding the franchise record for most consecutive field goals made with 20 heading into the game, Medlock had another career day, finishing seven-for-eight and tying a club record for most field goals in a single match.

His lone blemish came on his third attempt – the ball hitting the upright, just inches from gliding through – to snap the streak at 22.

“He’s as automatic as it gets,” said Nichols. “If he doesn’t make all those kicks we don’t win the game. He’s a huge weapon for us.”

All year Medlock has been asking to have the game on his foot. With the Bombers up 19-11 late, the he said he had a feeling it was going to come down to him. Once it did, Medlock knew exactly what he needed to do.

“I’ve kind of learned how to react in those situations, to hit some big kicks and channel my energy the right way,” he said. “I just want to put some points on the board and come through for the team.”

“They got me into a good position. I just got to do my job – that’s the biggest thing. Do your job and that’s what I just wanted to do, to come through for them and it happened.”

Defence does it again

With 12 interceptions in the last three games, many were wondering when the Bombers defence would eventually take over.

It wouldn’t happen for some time, but it came at a critical point in the game. With Darian Durant, the Riders’ starting quarterback, finding his groove – he finished 36-for-47 for 399 yards and one touchdown –  late in the game, it would be his two interceptions that spoiled his perfect 6-0 record as a starter on Labour Day.

With the Bombers up by only a field goal, 22-19, it was corner Johnny Adams who began the pick-off party, reeling in a Durant pass that eventually led to Medlock’s sixth field goal.

“I’m just trying to do anything to help my team win,” said Adams.

C.J. Roberts would also come up big on the very next drive. The score 25-19 and with Durant in striking distance, Roberts red the pass perfectly, intercepting Durant’s pass on the one-yard line.

“And we dropped one early,” said O’Shea, referring to a potential interception by defensive lineman Justin Cole in the first quarter. “Winning the turnover battle like that is key.”

Up next

The Bombers won’t have long to celebrate this one as they return home for a rematch against the Riders in Saturday’s Banjo Bowl.

Winnipeg won last year’s showdown at Investors Group Field to even the series at 6-6 dating back to the original game in 2004. If Sunday was any indication, it’s sure setting up to be another spirited affair.

“That’s what you expect from a rivalry game,” said Adams. “And that’s what we expect that we’re going to throw blows and they’re going to throw blows. We seem them next week so hopefully you see the same intensity.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton

Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer

Jeff Hamilton is a sports and investigative reporter. Jeff joined the Free Press newsroom in April 2015, and has been covering the local sports scene since graduating from Carleton University’s journalism program in 2012. Read more about Jeff.

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