Yee-haw! Finally a home game

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This article was published 09/09/2016 (3312 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A full 38 days have passed since the Winnipeg Blue Bombers last ran through the tunnel at Investors Group Field to play a game.

Since that day, a 37-11 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, Winnipeg has reeled off victories on the road against the Toronto Argonauts, Montreal Alouettes and Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Labour Day Classic.

They’ll look to make it six consecutive wins in their return to a sold-out crowd at IGF in a rematch against the Riders (1-9) this afternoon in the 13th instalment of the annual Banjo Bowl game.

“It’s great to be back at home,” said Bombers defensive tackle Euclid Cummings. “I just can’t wait to see the electricity in this game.”

With that, here are five storylines heading into the game:

HOME SWEET HOME

Last Sunday’s game went down to the wire in Regina, with the Bombers (6-4)pulling off a 28-25 victory with a last-second field goal by Justin Medlock — his 13th successful boot in the last two games.

It was the Bombers’ fifth consecutive win and fifth victory away from IGF this year, meaning just one win has come in front of the home crowd in 2016. Road victories have been a common theme this season, with visiting teams owning a .611 winning percentage (27-18) — a pace that could set a league-best mark for away-team wins set in 1961 (.581).

It’s a pattern the Riders have vowed to keep going, eager to avenge last week’s loss.

“Last week they got away with a win and we feel like this week we’re ready to get back to it,” said Riders receiver Naaman Roosevelt, who noted getting the home crowd out of the game early would be key to their success. “For us, it’s to start early and start fast.”

A BAD TASTE

The victory over the Riders snapped a 12-year drought for the Bombers in Regina on Labour Day weekend. But as sweet as the win was, it still left a bitter taste in the mouths of a Bombers defence that has set a high bar for themselves.

“We feel like we didn’t play that good and we didn’t take the game as a positive in our meeting room,” said Cummings. “We’re definitely looking to get some revenge.”

Winnipeg’s defence was able to shut down the Riders’ run game, limiting Saskatchewan’s legs to just 38 yards on the ground. What they weren’t able to contain was the arm of quarterback Darian Durant, who completed more than 76 per cent of his passes for 399 yards.

“I expect them to play better, I expect them to pursue every football; get off blocks and tackle better and swarm,” said Bombers coach Mike O’Shea. “That’s what I expect. That’s what they expect.”

SPECIAL ATTENTION

Both clubs will be looking to improve their effort on special teams. For the Bombers, it will be a focus on punt coverage, a unit that almost cost the Blue and Gold last week when Saskatchewan running back Kendial Lawrence returned a punt 85 yards to the house in the final minute of the game.

“Pissed off,” said O’Shea when asked to describe the mood of the Bombers special-teams group this week. “They see simple solutions on film that they have been doing consistently since training camp so they’re not pleased. But they also recognize that these are corrections that they can make. They don’t feel outgunned at all.”

The Bombers may not have felt outgunned last week, but it was the Riders special teams that shot themselves in the foot. With Lawrence’s touchdown tying the game at 25-25, Saskatchewan had the chance to take the lead with under a minute left.

But as was the case all game, kicker Tyler Crapigna collapsed under pressure, shanking the ball wide left on the one-point convert. Crapigna also missed two field goals, going 1-for-3 on the day. He had gone 19-for-21 on field goals — 10-for-12 on converts — in his seven previous games this year.

“Tyler is a pro,” said Riders coach Chris Jones. “He’ll bounce back.”

RED-ZONE RELIABILITY

It’s the third straight week Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols has vowed to turn around the offence, particularly the ability to translate good field position into touchdowns.

Medlock has been lights out, the Bombers’ sure foot hitting 13 of his last 14 field goal attempts and accounting for 42 of the Bombers’ 60 points over the past two games.

But as good as he has been, those points from Medlock are a reminder just how many are being left off the board, particularly drives that have stalled deep into an opponent’s end.

The Bombers are among the worst teams in the CFL, converting just 13 of their 28 trips to the red zone (within the opponent’s 20-yard line) this year. Against the Riders, three times the Bombers were within the 25-yard line but had to settle for a field goal.

“It’s making sure that, for me, I don’t miss on some very good opportunities that we have,” said Nichols.

SMITH IN, DENMARK OUT

Last week it was Weston Dressler. This week, the Bombers receivers group will add yet another spark with Ryan Smith making his return to the lineup.

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Smith, 25, who had been out since the July 14 loss to the Edmonton Eskimos, was one of the Bombers’ leading receivers before suffering a lower-body injury, averaging 9.8 yards on 19 catches and one touchdown — a no-look catch against Hamilton in Week 3.

“You watch your teammates making plays and you wish you could be out there to celebrate — that’s the worst part,” said Smith, who will play his first game with Nichols at quarterback.

Clarence Denmark had been one of the hottest receivers for the Blue and Gold early on in his return. He racked up 14 catches for 264 yards and three touchdowns in his first two games back but has since cooled down, with nine grabs for 84 yards in his last two tilts.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton

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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.

Every piece of reporting Jeff 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.