Bombers eke out win over Boatmen

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This article was published 29/09/2023 (766 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

WINNIPEG — When Dakota Prukop punched in a late touchdown, piercing through a wall of defenders for the go-ahead score with just minutes remaining, you could feel a sense of cautious optimism sweep across the sold-out crowd at IG Field.

Up until that point, before the score, which capped off a defining 12-play, 79-yard drive, a comeback seemed unlikely. In fact, nothing seemed certain all game, not with the way the Winnipeg Blue Bombers were struggling against a watered-down Toronto Argonauts club that had rested several key players after clinching the East Division.

Not even a 41-yard field goal by Sergio Castillo that put the Bombers up by a touchdown with a little more than 90 seconds left in the game seemed enough to guarantee the win. But the Bombers defence, a group that had struggled for stretches against a rookie quarterback, stood tall when it mattered most, forcing another turnover on downs deep in Toronto territory that led to another field goal by Castillo — his sixth of the game — and secured a critical 31-21 victory.

The win improved the Bombers record to 11-4, keeping them atop the West Division. Winnipeg also improved to 7-0 in games following a bye week, dating back to 2021, and kept their streak of quarterback Zach Collaros not losing in back-to-back meaningful games since arriving in 2019 intact.

The loss dropped the Argonauts to a CFL-leading record of 12-2, the defeat snapping a six-game win streak. Not needing the victory for a position in the standings, Toronto opted to rest No. 1 QB Chad Kelly and also gave the night off to defensive lineman Shawn Oakman, linebacker Wynton McManis and cornerback Jamal Peters, all of whom were all-stars in 2022.

The Bombers finished with 443 yards of net offence, with Collaros completing 22 of his 33 passes for 258 yards, a touchdown and an interception. Brady Oliveira was once again a force, racking up 169 yards on 25 carries, for an average of nearly seven yards a run. Dalton Schoen paced all receivers with 101 yards on six catches.

Coming off the bye week, the Bombers offence looked rested and ready to go to start the game, opening with a nine-play, 69-yard touchdown drive capped off with a five-yard pass from Collaros to Oliveira. Oliveira reached paydirt with authority, stiff-arming a pair of Argonaut defenders en route to registering his 10th touchdown of the season and fourth through the air.

With such a hot start, surely the Bombers defence would be able to ride that momentum, especially against an Argonauts offence led by first-year QB Cameron Dukes. The way Dukes responded, though, you would have never known the 25-year-old was making his first career start, entering the game having thrown just 15 passes and completing eight.

Dukes dissected the Bombers on his first drive, connecting on his first pass to Dejon Brissett for 15 yards, before running back A.J. Ouellette dashed up the middle of the field for a 28-yard gain, shedding a Willie Jefferson tackle at the line of scrimmage to move Toronto inside Winnipeg’s 30-yard line. Ouellette would be back at it two plays later, this time taking a short pass up the middle for 28 yards to the end zone to tie the game at 7-7.

The Argonauts wouldn’t have to wait long to get the ball back, forcing a Bombers punt to end a five-play series. From there, Dukes went to work, putting together a second TD drive he would finish with a five-yard run. The scoring drive lasted just two plays and 38 seconds, the TD set up by a 46-yard catch by Damonte Coxie up the left sideline, resulting in a 14-7 lead for the visitors.

The Bombers offence regained their touch but not their finish leading into halftime. Winnipeg would chip away at the Argos lead with a pair of Castillo field goals — from 26 and 33 yards, respectively — making it a 14-13 edge for Toronto midway through the second quarter.

It looked like Winnipeg might even take the lead back before the break, marching all the way down to the Argonauts’ nine with a minute remaining. A fumble by Oliveira, recovered by Royce Metchie, turned the ball the other way, with Toronto marching down to Winnipeg’s 12 before running out of time and settling for a 19-yard field goal by Boris Bede and a 17-13 lead at halftime.

The third quarter resembled more of a chess match than a football game, with both clubs still feeling each other out after an unpredictable opening half. Neither club looked all that threatening, with the Argos adding just a single point off a rouge to take an 18-13 lead, with the Bombers answering back with a 49-yard field goal from Castillo to cut the Argonauts lead to 18-16 through 45 minutes.

After Bede’s 32-yard field goal gave the Argonauts a 21-16 lead, the early parts of the fourth quarter morphed into a game of giveaways.

The Bombers were the first culprits, as Collaros’ pass up the left sideline was intercepted by Qwan’Tez Stiggers, shifting momentum to the Argonauts who were now threatening at midfield. Winnipeg’s defence answered back in a big way, with Jefferson forcing a fumble by Toronto running back Deonta McMahon and Deatrick Nichols recovering the ball and moving it into Argonauts’ territory.

Little would come of it, though, with Winnipeg moving the ball just 12 yards, all on an Oliveira run, before settling for another long field goal. Castillo’s 48-yard boot made it a two-point game, 21-19, with less than 10 minutes remaining in the fourth quarter.

That set up a thrilling end to the game, the Bombers scoring another 12 unanswered points, beginning with Prukop’s QB sneak TD.

“The mood there is to stay focused,” Collaros said. “Anytime you’re at that point of the game, obviously the fans give you that adrenaline and that rush, but… you understand you need to finish the game and finish on the field and score touchdowns.”

The Bombers return to practice next week ahead of a critical game against the B.C. Lions at BC Place. The Lions are right behind the Bombers, at 10-4, with a game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders Friday night that hadn’t been resolved by press time. The season series between the Bombers and Lions is tied 1-1, with the winner able to put themselves in the driver’s seat to clinching the West and hosting the divisional final in October.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton