Sloppy first half nowhere near enough to take down Bombers

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This article was published 25/08/2023 (767 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Few teams in the CFL could survive a mistake-riddled first half like the one the Winnipeg Blue Bombers put forth against the Montreal Alouettes Thursday night.

Then again, the Bombers aren’t like many teams in the CFL. They reminded us of that once more in front of a sold-out crowd (32,344) at IG Field, rebounding from three Zach Collaros interceptions in the first half — two of which were returned for touchdowns — to deliver a 47-17 beatdown of the Alouettes.

Dalton Schoen and Brady Oliveira each had a pair of touchdowns, while Dakota Prukop and Kenny Lawler also found the end zone. Sergio Castillo connected on a pair of field goals to round out the scoring for the home side.

The victory extended the Bombers’ win streak to five games and improved their overall record to 9-2, keeping them atop the West Division standings. The win was all the more impressive as it came against a surging Alouettes club (now 6-4 and second in the East) that had posted four consecutive victories.

Indeed, there was a mix of good and bad. In the end, it was another solid result for the Blue and Gold. So, let’s drill down in the latest edition of 5 Takeaways.

1) It was an uncharacteristic performance for the league’s reigning two-time most outstanding player. Collaros is known to make smart decisions with the ball, but he’s also revered by his teammates for his unwillingness to give up on many plays, leaving him susceptible to the kind of mistakes seen through the first two quarters.

Notice I didn’t call it a bad game for Collaros, which might seem odd given he threw three picks and gifted the Alouettes 14 points when two were returned to the house. That’s because despite the costly errors, Collaros was actually pretty darn good, throwing for 240 yards and four touchdowns, while leading the Bombers to two more TD drives and 441 yards of total offence.

Afterwards, Collaros naturally shouldered the blame for the giveaways and at the same time praised his teammates for having his back. What followed was an interesting comment by head coach Mike O’Shea, who noted that while there are quarterbacks who have the mental fortitude to simply move on from such disappointing plays, Collaros has the ability to remain positive and use his frustration as fuel to get better.

That was demonstrated by some of the throws we saw him make as the game wore on.

After the second pick-6 with fewer than three minutes remaining in the first half, Collaros responded with a four-play, 77-yard TD drive capped off by a 26-yard rushing score by Oliveira. That set the stage for a commanding second half, with the Bombers scoring on five of their seven offensive series, including three TDs and a pair of field goals, totalling 27 points.

2) In just his second year as a starter, Oliveira has evolved into the best running back in the CFL. There are certainly arguments to be made for some other talented ball carriers but no one has been as consistent as the 26-year-old Winnipeg product or has the stats to back it up.

Oliveira leads the league in rushing yards (902) by a large margin, 341 yards ahead of Saskatchewan’s Jamal Morrow who holds down second spot. That might seem misleading, as Oliveira has played at least one more game than every other tailback. But what’s telling is he also leads the CFL in average yards per game (82), average yards per run (5.7), touchdowns (four) and 100-yard games (five).

Oliveira finished with a game-high 119 rushing yards on 18 carries and a TD, while adding another score through the air on his only catch of the night. He’s a physical runner who has steady hands and speed to burn and is as good a teammate and person as you’ll meet in the CFL.

I approached Oliveira after the game and asked, given his evolution over the last year and a half, if he was gunning for Andrew Harris’s league records. He just smiled and said he wants them all. While I might have been half joking, Oliveira, who views Harris, another local product, as an older brother and mentor, clearly wasn’t. And seeing how comfortable he’s become in his role, there’s really no reason to doubt him.

3) Given its dominant play throughout all four quarters, the Bombers’ defence probably deserved to be mentioned earlier in this column. That’s because even though the offence was able to shake off a few punches to the mouth, there’s no way the Bombers prevail without a stellar performance by the club’s defence.

It was easily the best we’ve seen from the defensive squad this season and, perhaps over the last few years, which is saying something considering the suffocating and stingy 2021 group. The Winnipeg defence allowed just three points against and none in the second half, holding the Alouettes to a dismal 173 yards of offence, making them the only team this year to register less than 200 yards in a game.

As good as they were in the first half – during a 30-minute stretch, the Alouettes punted on five of their six drives – they were even better in the final two quarters. It’s almost unbelievable to think Montreal recorded just 21 yards of offence in the second half, with 18 of that coming on the Alouettes final drive with the game already decided.

The game was still up for grabs by halftime, with the Bombers leading 20-17. Then the defence took over, forcing turnovers on three of Montreal’s first four drives, with the offence taking full advantage, turning that into 17 points. The defence always aims to be the difference every game and for another week they certainly were.

4) Sergio Castillo was probably due for an off night. Indeed, the Bombers’ usually spot-on kicker wasn’t his usual self, missing a 51-yard field goal attempt and then a one-point convert, both of which sailed wide left.

Somewhat surprisingly, it was Castillo’s fourth missed convert of the season. He was 23-for-24 on field goals heading into the night and was a perfect three-for-three from at least 50 yards, so he’s built up enough good will to get a free pass.

On a more positive note, the punt-return and punt-cover teams took a step in the right direction. Greg McCrae, who had been struggling since taking over the return duties from Janarion Grant, had a decent game, recording 99 yards on seven punt returns — an average of 14.1 yards, which was more than double his average heading into the game — and 64 yards on three kickoffs.

5) It would be a disservice not to mention the incredible atmosphere at IG Field. On a night when Mother Nature threatened to delay kickoff, fans showed up in droves.

It was the first sellout of the season, and you could tell. The crowd was deafening, to the point where it was extremely difficult to hear the press box announcer and impossible to listen to the game through my headphones; well, at least with my cheap ones.

There’s plenty of credit to go around, beginning with president and CEO Wade Miller, who has spent years coming up with ways to give fans the best CFL game-day experience. While winning certainly helps, it’s more than that, as the players have become so entrenched in the community, building ties with the public, making them easy to support.

It’s also important to note the fans’ commitment. While we watch markets across the league struggle at the gate, Winnipeg continues to set the standard, which will include another sold-out crowd for the annual Banjo Bowl in two weeks.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton