Banjo Bowl beatdown comes with asterisk Riders were decimated by flu bug By: Jeff Hamilton Posted: 4:53 PM CDT Sunday, Sep. 11, 2022 Last Modified: 5:22 PM CDT Sunday, Sep. 11, 2022 Updates

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This article was published 11/09/2022 (1157 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

It was a Banjo Bowl beatdown courtesy of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who hit their groove early en route to a 54-20 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the annual prairie rival clash at IG Field.

The Bombers took the lead on the opening drive and didn’t look back, while the defence cemented the win with a suffocating performance in the second half. Winnipeg improved to 12-1, maintaining its stranglehold on top spot in the West Division.

The Roughriders continued their descent, falling to 6-7, the first time they’ve dipped below .500 this season. Saskatchewan has lost two straight and four of its last six games, after a promising 4-1 start to the year.

Winnipeg heads to Hamilton on Saturday to take on the Tiger-Cats, in what’s also the annual Hall of Fame game in Steeltown. But before we look too far ahead, let’s take a peek back at the Bombers win over the Roughriders in the latest edition of 5 Takeaways.

DOWN WITH THE SICKNESS

I’d be remiss not to begin this column by first recognizing the Roughriders being dealt a horrible hand prior to kickoff, with a stomach virus ravaging their roster and leaving them desperate to field a full lineup.

As many as 15 players and eight coaches, including bench boss Craig Dickenson, were reported to be affected, with a few unable to dress. Roughriders quarterback Cody Fajardo likened the scene in the locker room to that of hospital’s triage centre.

Notable absences included receivers Kian Schaffer-Baker and Justin McInnis, as well as defensive back Jeremy Clark and No. 2 quarterback Mason Fine. Replacement players were flown in the day before the game, with a couple driving up the day of, arriving after the game had already started.

That explains the lopsided score, and though the Roughriders have struggled of late, they clearly have a lot more to give than what we saw on Saturday. It’s too late to snag the season-series, but Saskatchewan does have one more time this regular season, on Sept. 30 in Winnipeg, to prove they can play with the reigning Grey Cup champions.

OUTSTANDING OFFENCE

It was the best game we’ve seen from Zach Collaros and the Bombers offence this season.

They scored on their first eight drives and nine of 10. Seven drives ended in touchdowns, split between five players.

Collaros threw four touchdowns, two to Nic Demski, adding to his stellar season; Rasheed Bailey paced all receivers with 83 yards on five catches, along with a touchdown; receiver Brendan O’Leary-Orange scored his first CFL touchdown; rookie Dalton Schoen scored his 10th touchdown, giving him the most among receivers in the league; and Dakota Prukop rushed in a pair of QB sneaks.

The offence finished with 407 yards of net offence – 131 on the ground; 284 through air – marking the fourth time this season the Bombers have eclipsed the 400-yard mark. There was the loss of reliable receiver Drew Wolitarsky, who appeared to injure his foot on the Prukop’s first TD, and while there’s no official update to report, it certainly didn’t look good.

CLOSE FIRST-HALF

While the Bombers scored on the game’s opening series and led on the scoreboard the rest of the way, there were times where the game felt close. Particularly in the middle stages, with the Roughriders scoring a 53-yard field goal to close out the first half and a Mario Alford returning a kickoff 92 yards for a touchdown to open the second.

That is, until the Bombers defence did what they’ve done for much of the season, putting up a dominant second-half effort and ending any chance of a comeback. Winnipeg didn’t allow a single offensive point through the final two quarters, while saving its best for last, registering a fumble recovery, turnover on downs and an interception on three of the Roughriders’ final four drives.

The only time the defence looked vulnerable was early into the second quarter, when Saskatchewan put together a 16-play, 86-yard touchdown drive. But a lot of that damage was self-inflicted, with the Bombers taking three of their five penalties in the game on that series, including a costly pass inference call in the end zone.

Halfback Nick Taylor left the game early in the second, unable to put any weight on his right foot. Evan Holm played well in relief, but it’ll be a massive loss if Taylor is out long-term, especially with Demerio Houston, Brandon Alexander and Malcolm Thompson still on the shelf.

A FEW OBSERVATIONS…

● For a second straight week the Roughriders were haunted by a lack of discipline. In last week’s Labour Day classic against Winnipeg, Saskatchewan was flagged 12 times for 99 yards in a narrow 20-18 loss. On Saturday, it was even worse, with 14 penalties for 141 yards.

● What a run Demski is on right now. He’s already set a career high for touchdowns in a season, with six, and with 483 receiving yards in nine games, is on pace to set a new mark for yards as well. He’s also averaging eight yards per rushing attempt, with 11 carries for 88 yards.

● It was a breakout game for Bailey, whose touchdown will be watched on highlight reels for years to come. The Bombers receiver has been leaned on to do a lot of the dirty work this season, so it was great for him to finally get rewarded.

HOME CROWD ADVANTAGE

Finally, talk about a great environment at IG Field. There’s been a few games this season where the fans have played a major role, but Saturday’s sold-out crowd was in a class of its own.

It felt like a playoff atmosphere, with the fans creating havoc for the opposing offence from start to finish. I know it’s impossible to expect every game to have the buzz of a heated rivalry, but there’s no denying it makes for a great experience.

The day was made even more special as Sara Orlesky worked her final game on the sidelines, as she readies to move on to her new role with the Winnipeg Jets. Orlesky got her final tribute, this time coming from her hometown fans, and you could feel the mutual adoration between the Winnipeg faithful and the province’s most beloved broadcaster.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton