Muddle at Mosaic ends in draw

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This article was published 11/06/2017 (3039 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA — The real point of Saturday’s pre-season opener for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers was for the coaching staff to get their first meaningful look at all that is new to this year’s team.

Though some of the 65 players that hit the turf at the brand new — and incredibly green — Mosaic Stadium suited up for the Blue and Gold in 2016, many — 30 to be exact, or roughly half — were playing in their first CFL game. For some, including this year’s crop of draftees, it was the first introduction to professional football.

To a much lesser extent, with no points in the standings at stake, whether the Bombers won or lost mattered little — as long as it came with signs of progress. But not to Bombers coach Mike O’Shea, who made it clear in the days leading up to kick-off the result was just as important as the effort it would take to get there.

“Winning matters, it really does,” O’Shea said. “It validates to the guys that the work is paying off. All the work they do in the offseason and in training camp is paying off and it’s going to put them in a good position to win games.”

It’s impossible to think, however, that even O’Shea could have drawn up the effort — or the result — on a night his team was incredibly unspectacular for the first two quarters, rebounded brilliantly for much of the final two, only to stumble late. By the time all was said and done, neither the Bombers, nor the Saskatchewan Roughriders would leave with the desired ending, with the game ending in a 25-25 tie.

All four quarterbacks — Matt Nichols, Dominique Davis, Dan LeFevour and Austin Apodaca — made the trip to Regina and all saw action. It was Davis and LeFevour, the duo currently fighting to win the No. 2 spot behind Nichols, providing the spark Saturday.

With the Bombers trailing 16-3 early in the third quarter, Davis was called in to lead the offence. On his second series under centre, he drove down the field, setting the Bombers up for 44-yard field goal attempt that was bobbled in the snap and then kicked wide by rookie kicker Felix Menard-Briere. The kick was returned into Bombers territory and five plays later the Riders booted their fourth of six field goals on the night to lead 19-3.

Davis, who was playing his first game since last year’s exhibition season, answered back on the next drive, this time ending with a 39-yard touchdown pass to T.J. Lowder that cut the Riders’ lead to 19-10. Davis finished the night five for eight for 90 yards and the lone score, before handing the game over to LeFevour with the Bombers down 22-10.

LeFevour, who has grown tired the past two weeks from answering questions about his status on the team’s depth chart, silenced anyone who may have doubted his ability to run the offence. In just over seven minutes of play, LeFevour connected for two touchdowns — first to Ryan Lankford from 18 yards, then to Justice Liggins for a 24-yard strike — with the second score giving the Bombers their first lead of the game, 23-22. A two-point convert caught by Larry Raper made it 25-22.

The comeback looked to be cemented when Bombers defensive back Chris Greenwood, with just 1:38 left on the clock, forced the ball from the hands of Saskatchewan running back Greg Morris. It was scooped up by George Stone and gave the Bombers the ball with little time left on the clock. But LeFevour, who finished the game seven for nine for 88 yards and the two TDs, was unable to mount another clutch drive and a punt gave the Riders possession for one final drive.

Saskatchewan, with third-string QB Marquise Williams now in the game, marched the ball down field from the Riders’ 16-yard line to the Bombers’ 30 — a drive aided by a pass interference call on Matt Smalley (In total, the Bombers took 12 penalties for 117 yard; none worse than an offside by L’Damian Washington that negated a punt return TD by Ryan Lankford).

From there, Quinn Van Gylswyk hit the final of six field goals to even the score at 25-25. With just three seconds left, the Bombers had one final return chance, but fell short.

The excitement of the final 30 minutes came after a disastrous start for the Bombers. Nichols, the undisputed starter once the season opens here on Canada Day in Week 2 (Winnipeg has a Week 1 bye), had a less than stellar debut.

Working with his full offensive line but absent his two best receivers in Darvin Adams and Weston Dressler, Nichols completed five of eight passes for just 32 yards and added eight more on the ground in just over a quarter of action. Apodaca, the team’s fourth-stringer out of New Mexico, wasn’t much better in relief, going two for six for 15 yards as the Bombers trailed 13-3 at halftime.

But as unspectacular as the offence was through the first 30 minutes — the defence wasn’t much better; the Riders recorded 13 first downs and 196 yards of net offence, including a seven-yard touchdown by receiver Duron Carter — what was most deplorable about a sloppy first half came during a sequence midway through the second quarter.

After Lankford gave the Riders the ball back following a bobbled punt return, the ensuing chaos triggered a seemingly never-ending delay that resulted in an ejection for Bombers DB Tahaan Goodman and both sides left scratching their heads. The confusion lasted a good 10 minutes, with both teams flooding the field with players before the mess was sorted out.

Without much of an explanation for the delay — and an apparent challenge by the Bombers for no-yards, which they lost — Saskatchewan took possession of the ball inside Winnipeg’s 10-yard line. The defence would stand tall and Riders kicker Tyler Crapigna hit his second field goal  from 15 yards out to give the home side a 13-0 lead.

Then again, it was a fitting sequence given much of what unfolded Saturday night bordered on the unexplainable. The Bombers will look to improve next week when they wrap up the pre-season with a game against the Edmonton Eskimos Thursday at Investors Group Field. Winning will really matter, as the Bombers are expected to showcase a number of starters in preparation for what they hope will be a successful season.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.catwitter: @jeffkhamilton