5 storylines to watch as tuned-up Bombers face Riders in Banjo Bowl

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This article was published 09/09/2017 (3252 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

When the Winnipeg Blue Bombers left the field at Mosaic Stadium following a 38-24 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the Labour Day Classic in Regina Sunday, the feeling in the locker room wasn’t anger, but disbelief.

It had been 44 days since the Bombers last tasted defeat — a five-game winning streak ending with a disappointing effort against a prairie rival. While packing up for what would be a long ride back home, many lamented what could have been, but revelled at the opportunity for the following week’s rematch and chance for redemption.

“Sometimes it’s not the worst thing to have something like this happen in the middle of the season, so guys get that chip back on their shoulder,” quarterback Matt Nichols said after the game. “We’re going to continue to protect our home and I look forward to playing in front of 30,000-plus fans instead of theirs.”

The Bombers will play in front of a sold-out crowd at Investors Group Field for Saturday’s Banjo Bowl. If the Bombers are able to protect their house, it will also mean keeping their spot in a very competitive West Division.

At 7-3, Winnipeg is tied for second place with the Edmonton Eskimos. Not far behind are the Roughriders, who at 5-4 would narrow the gap with a win.

With that, here are five storylines to keep in mind for today’s game…

NO BAD BLOOD FOR BLUE

The buildup to today’s game began almost immediately following last week’s tilt. The Bombers accused the Roughriders of faking injuries to prevent them from using their hurry-up offence, while Saskatchewan receiver Duron Carter accused a Bombers fan of spitting on him. Carter claimed Bombers fans are the worst in the CFL.

A rumour then started that police were opening an investigation into an assault on Gainer the Gopher after pictures surfaced showing Winnipeg fans attempting to pull off the Saskatchewan team mascot’s furry head (no official complaint was filed).

None of that bad blood, however, has lingered in the home team’s locker room this week. The Bombers say they’ve flushed last week’s result and feel better prepared this time around for whatever might be thrown at them.

“Are we disappointed with what happened? Do we want to play better? Absolutely,” said defensive end Jamaal Westerman. “We expect to play better and we should play better. But you can’t do that when you have too much emotion.”

The Bombers should get a jolt from the home crowd. Winnipeg also appears to have shed the curse of home-field advantage, winning three of four games at IGF this year, and have yet to lose in back-to-back games in 2017.

BOUNCE-BACK GAME FOR QB

Nichols has been the Bombers’ most valuable player since taking over six games into the 2016 season. This year, he’s entered the conversation about being among the league’s top pivots, leading all his peers in QUAR rating — the CFL’s new barometer for quarterback success — through 11 weeks.

If the Bombers are going to beat the Roughriders, they’ll need a much better performance than they got from their QB a week ago. Nichols threw for 364 yards and two touchdowns against Saskatchewan, but a pair of interceptions provided a better summation of his day’s work.

Nichols has three interceptions in his last two games after throwing just four in his first eight. The picks were two of four turnovers for the Bombers, who recorded just one takeaway on the Roughriders. The Bombers are 1-3 when they lose the turnover battle and 6-0 when they win the battle.

Better decision-making has been a main focus this week for Nichols, who vowed to return to his normal self.

“This is the time of the season where teams need to pick up a step from here on out and then another step when you go into the playoffs,” Nichols said. “You can tell every rep means a little bit more, every point means a little bit more.”

Nichols said the offence struggled mostly against the Roughriders on first downs. Far too often Winnipeg was faced with long yardage on second down — 16 times they needed at least eight yards to move the sticks.

“It’s not rocket science, we need to do better on first down,” said Nichols. “We know we’re a better team than what we showed last week, so we can’t wait to get back out there.”

THE AGELESS WONDER

A lot can happen in the span of one year. Just ask Roughriders quarterback Kevin Glenn.

After starting last season with the Montreal Alouettes, Glenn lost his starting job midway through the year before a trade with the Bombers landed him in Winnipeg.

The Bombers released Glenn when the season was over, to give him an opportunity to pursue another starting gig. It wouldn’t take long to find one, with the veteran replacing Darian Durant (now with Montreal) as Saskatchewan’s new No. 1.

Glenn has found new life in green. He has helped turn the Roughriders’ season around with three convincing wins in as many weeks — a stretch that hasn’t seen Saskatchewan trail once — and is playing some of the best football in his 17 years in the CFL.

In nine games, Glenn has thrown for 2,730 yards and his 19 touchdowns is already the most he’s recorded in a single season since 2012.

“He’s like another coach on the field,” Roughriders head coach Chris Jones said Friday. “He’s exceeded expectations in work habits and the way he works with the young ones.”

Glenn has brought stability to the offence with his mentorship, including guiding a group of young receivers considered among the best in the league. Carter, Naaman Roosevelt, Caleb Holley and Bakari Grant have combined for 18 of Saskatchewan’s CFL-leading 22 passing TDs.

HALL PASS DENIED

Richie Hall didn’t mince words earlier this week when assessing the play of his defence. The Bombers defensive co-ordinator said his defence stunk against Saskatchewan — an accurate assessment for a group that surrendered 467 yards.

A struggling defence has been a common theme this year for the Bombers, whose average of 398 yards of net offence allowed per game is better only than the 1-8 Hamilton Tiger-Cats. What’s been most troubling, though, is the number of missed tackles, as well as allowing too many big plays.

The Bombers were torched by Saskatchewan for four plays of more than 40 yards. It’s a troubling number for a team with arguably the best boundary-side defensive backs in the game in T.J. Heath and Chris Randle.

The defence should get a boost from the return of Brian Walker, who re-enters the lineup after missing the last two games. Walker is a physical presence and for just 22 years old has picked up the CFL game quick. He’ll play the field-side halfback spot, working alongside Brandon Alexander at corner.

The Bombers will get to finally see what they have in Jovan Santos-Knox, who is expected to make his first start at weak-side linebacker. Santos-Knox, 23, replaces Kyle Knox. Knox is the fourth Bombers linebacker to miss time this season with injuries.

MADE IN MANITOBA

Former University of Manitoba Bison Nic Demski made the Bombers pay last week when he returned a punt 63 yards to set up the Riders’ third touchdown Demski won’t be able to do the same damage this week, however, as he has been ruled out with a lower-body injury he suffered late in last week’s game.

There is another former Bison for fans to look out for.

Kienan LaFrance is set to make his first official start of the 2017 season, replacing an injured Cameron Marshall at running back. LaFrance took over for Marshall in the second half of last week’s game, picking up 23 yards on eight rushes and one pass for another 15 in relief duty.

LaFrance, though growing up a Bombers fan, would like nothing more than to stick it to his hometown club. It’s the first time he’ll be in Winnipeg as a Roughrider — he spent the last two years with the Ottawa Redblacks before signing with Regina in the off-season — and he believes his first official start couldn’t have come at a better time.

“Getting the chance to start this week is special to me and I just want to go out there, work hard and show them why they brought me here,” said LaFrance. “Being able to do it in front of family and friends in Winnipeg is nice.”

LaFrance said he hopes to get a heavy workload today, but he may have his hands full with the Bombers’ defensive line. Marshall is a strong runner but he is equally good at blocking. LaFrance is a physical player but is smaller than Marshall and that could spell trouble when it comes to giving Glenn the time he needs to throw.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton