Blue and Gold drop the ball

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This article was published 15/07/2023 (846 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA – There’s an argument to be made that the Winnipeg Blue Bombers have faced more adversity through six weeks of the 2023 CFL season than they have in the previous two years combined.

A 30-6 beatdown at the hands of the B.C. Lions in Week 3 was starting to feel like a minor speed bump in the road for the Blue and Gold, as convincing victories over the Montreal Alouettes and Calgary Stampeders soon followed.

But after a rollercoaster affair against the Ottawa Redblacks on Saturday – a game in which the Bombers completely controlled the first half, only for the wheels to fall off in the final two quarters – there’s now reason to be concerned that Winnipeg’s dominance in the CFL might be slowly starting to erode.

The Bombers held a 19-point lead in the fourth quarter, but the Redblacks, led by rookie quarterback Dustin Crum, put together the unlikeliest of comebacks that will have some calling the 24-year-old an emerging star. Crum rushed for two touchdowns, including a 12-yard scramble with no time remaining in the fourth quarter, followed by a 29-yard run to seal a 31-28 overtime victory in front of 18,144 at TD Place.

“They kicked our ass in the second half and we didn’t make any plays, didn’t play physical enough and they took it to us,” veteran offensive lineman Patrick Neufeld said in a quiet Bombers dressing room after the game. “We just had no answers. We couldn’t respond. We couldn’t stay on the field on offence and then just made mistakes to keep them in it and then they took advantage of it.”

With the Lions (4-1) on the bye week, the Bombers had the chance to take over sole possession of first place in the West with a victory. Instead, they dropped to 4-2 with the loss and could be tied for second with the Saskatchewan Roughriders before the end of the weekend. The win improved the Redblacks to 2-3.

While two losses might not seem like much, consider that it took the Bombers 14 games in 2022 to suffer the same number of defeats. And it was 13 games into the COVID-19 shortened 2021 campaign, with the second loss coming against an Alouettes club fighting for their playoff lives and Winnipeg having several starters sidelined after already clinching top spot in the West.

“It’s always about how you bounce back and respond,” said middle linebacker Adam Bighill, who had a team-high seven defensive tackles, including two sacks, but wasn’t able to get ahold of Crum on the game-tying touchdown. “We’ve talked about it a lot over the years, that it’s always great to learn when you win, but it’s even more important to learn when you lose. There’s learning lessons out there, no doubt about it.”

That the Bombers were outclassed by Crum makes it all the more perplexing. Crum began the season as the Redblacks’ fourth-stringer, attempting a grand total of just 21 passes before being named the starter this week following season-ending injuries to Jeremiah Masoli (Achilles) and Tyrie Adams (knee).

After Zach Collaros threw an interception that was returned 25 yards to the end zone by Brandin Dandridge, with a two-point convert cutting Winnipeg’s lead to 25-17, Crum orchestrated a seven-play, 94-yard touchdown drive that lasted just 48 seconds and ended with zeroes on the clock. Ottawa still needed a two-point convert to send the game to extra time, which they would achieve after Crum found a wide-open Nate Behar just inches over the goal line.

The Bombers started with the ball in OT, but after Collaros was sacked by Mike Wakefield for a loss of 11 yards, they settled for a Sergio Castillo 48-yard field goal. The Redblacks needed just two plays to find paydirt, as Crum found an opening up the middle and scampered nearly 30 yards, dodging Bombers safety Brandon Alexander on the way to victory.

“They ended up making more plays than us there, so hats off to Ottawa. Anytime a team plays better than you at home, they’re tough to beat,” Collaros, who completed 22 of his 32 passes for season-high 354 passing yards, two touchdowns and the pick-6. “(Crum) made a lot of plays there. I’m sure he’s excited. We all remember our first time starting and he did a good job.”

What’s even more astonishing is that Crum looked every bit like an inexperienced pivot through the first half, mustering just three first downs and 17 yards of net offence, along with 20 yards through the air and an interception to Demerio Houston. Ottawa had minus-five yards in the opening frame and zero first downs.

Crum finished with a much better stat line, going 26-for-42 passing for 261 yards, plus nine carries for another 103 rushing yards, including the pair of touchdowns. After losing 13 straight home games, the Redblacks have now won back-to-back games at TD Place.

In the locker room afterwards, there were several Bombers looking into the proverbial mirror, willing to shoulder a lion’s share of the blame.

Alexander felt the burn of missing Crum on the final play, and while he was seen limping following a play just minutes before, refused to use his health as an excuse. Then there was running back Brady Oliveira, who had just nine carries for 16 yards as the Bombers struggled to establish any semblance of a ground attack, lamenting a fumble that overshadowed a catch-and-run that went for 43 yards before Adam Auclair ripped it from his arms.

“If I hold onto the ball there, it’s a whole different game,” Oliveira said. “We lost that game because of me. It sucks because I play for my teammates, and I want to go out there and win football games. I’ve got to be better.”

The Bombers led 11-0 after the first quarter, owing to a 52-yarder from Castillo and a one-yard QB sneak touchdown by Dakota Prukop; they took an 18-3 edge into halftime when Collaros connected with Nic Demski for a 15-yard score; and it was 25-6 through three quarters after Drew Wolitarsky scored his fourth touchdown of the season on an eight-yard pass from Collaros.

The Bombers put up 357 yards of net offence, and were a perfect three-for-three in the red zone. But while they managed to score while in close, it was yet another clunky performance, with just seven points scored in the second half and none in the fourth quarter.

“They put it on us in the second half,” head coach Mike O’Shea said. “We’re still up 16 at the end and we just made some mistakes. We certainly didn’t play clean enough in any phase, and they were riding a bit of momentum, their quarterback was making some plays with his legs and moving the chains and keeping drives going. They were excited and we just couldn’t seem to get off at certain points.”

Winnipeg’s defence looked as though they might be enough to win the game, but Ottawa kept building momentum as the night wore on, waking up a crowd that had booed them into halftime. The Redblacks ended up with more offensive yards than the Bombers, with 368, and while Crum was sacked six times, that number could have been even higher had it not been for the young pivot’s ability to slip out of tackles.

What’s more, before scoring on back-to-back drives to seal the victory, the Redblacks’ had back-to-back series end with a turnover on downs following incomplete passes to the end zone on third down from the Bombers’ seven-yard line and 17-yard line. Ottawa was one-for-five in the red zone.

The Bombers won’t have much time to lick their wounds; they’re on a short week with the Edmonton Elks coming to town for Week 7 matchup at IG Field Thursday night. The Elks have yet to win a game this season, losing to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, 37-29, on Thursday to fall to 0-6.

“We’ll watch the tape, be critical, but we won’t have time to dwell on it,” said Neufeld. “We have to move onto Edmonton, who is a physical team and they’re going to come in really hungry for a win.”

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamiltion