Bombers eke out win over Redblacks

They say the dreaded, two-goal lead is the most dangerous in hockey.

Over on the gridiron for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers, it appears 17-point advantages prove to be the most treacherous.

Last Saturday, they blew a three-score upper hand in Calgary against the Stampeders. On Thursday night against the visiting Ottawa Redblacks, the Bombers botched a commanding 27-10 lead in the fourth before squeezing out a 30-27 nailbiter.

“We don’t like that number anymore. Shout out to Strev (Chris Streveler), but I don’t know about 17 anymore,” said receiver Nic Demski postgame.

“Maybe that’s our unlucky number. But at the end of the day, we just gotta figure out how to win. We figured it out this week, but for our fans, and for our own sanity, we gotta fix it to make sure that we hold leads and win games in a more fashionable style to our liking.”

The sold-out crowd at Princess Auto Stadium fell silent after Redblacks returner Kalil Pimpleton returned
a missed 57-yard Sergio Castillo field goal try 117 yards to tie the game with 52 seconds left.

“There’s not one point in time on that sideline when they returned that touchdown where guys were distraught,” said running back Brady Oliveira. “We had total belief on that sideline, we understood that there’s still time and that we were gonna go out there, be productive and help this team pull out this game.”

It didn’t look like that would be the case as Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros tried to respond by launching a home run ball to Demski only for the Redblacks to intercept it. Fortunately for Bomberland, the defence — featuring two rookies in the secondary in corner Trey Vaval and safety Cam Allen due to Terrell Bonds and Jamal Parker being out with an injury — stood tall and forced a two-and-out.

With 18 seconds left at their own 43-yard line, Collaros rushed forward for 17 yards before then finding Demski for 11 yards to give Castillo a chance to boot a 47-yard walkoff for the win and the Bombers kicker did just that.

The thrilling result pushed the Blue and Gold to 5-4 at the midway point of the season. With the loss, Ottawa — who hasn’t won in Winnipeg since Aug. 17, 2018 — dropped to 3-7.

“So, the miss… I hit a good ball, I just didn’t aim correctly. Then on the next one, I’m like I’m gonna aim right-centre, and then I mis-hit it, and that thing started veering right,” said Castillo.

“It’s a good thing we were on the left hash because if we were on the right hash, I don’t think it goes in…. And you know, props to Ottawa for coming back. That’s resilience right there, but resilience on our team, too. To give me another shot after the miss, I’m thankful for them.”

Winnipeg had lost four of its previous five outings.

“Just relieved. Happy to win,” said Collaros.

“In the CFL, anything can happen. (Dustin) Crum did a good job stepping up for Dru (Brown). Offensively we’ve got to keep the foot on the pedal and score more points.”

The Bombers held Ottawa quarterback and old pal Brown, who limped off the field early in the third quarter, to 12-of-21 for 166 yards and an interception. His backup, Crum, went 11-for-17 for 125 yards and a touchdown down the stretch to make things interesting.

“I think we showed that next man up mentality. No matter what the situation is, whoever’s in there, they gotta do their job and they gotta do it at a high level,” said Allen.

“We got great leaders in (Evan Holm), Redha (Kramdi), and (Deatrick Nichols) and they got us on the right page out there.”

Collaros ended the night 24-for-34 for 298 yards, one touchdown, and two picks. Demski was his go-to target with six catches for 128 yards.

The Bombers started things off with a 15-yard facemask penalty on the opening play, but Collaros still managed to get points on drive No. 1 after hitting Demski over the middle on 2nd and 15 to eventually set up a 53-yard field goal by Castillo to take an early lead.

Brown, fully aware of Winnipeg’s inexperience on the back end, wasted no time getting after it as corner Dexter Lawson Jr. misplayed a throw to the sideline which allowed Justin Hardy to have a 40-yard catch and run. Three plays later, Brown fired a pass to Bralon Addision in the end zone and Allen, who was played his first career CFL game, bumped the receiver at the end of his route and was called for pass interference. It was the first of two PIs called on Allen on the night.

“The first one, I was definitely on his back a little bit. I like to be aggressive, and I told everyone I’m trying to get a takeaway for us,” said Allen.

“On the second one, I’m just trying to make a play on the ball. I got to watch the film, and coach will tell me what I got to do better, and we’ll go from there.”

Despite having three cracks from the one-yard line, the Redblacks failed to punch it in as Crum, the short-yardage QB, was stuffed on 3rd and 1 by linebacker Tony Jones — who had 13 total tackles — to keep the visitors off the scoreboard.

Backup Canadian defensive tackle Tanner Schmekel set up the game’s first touchdown as he burst through the middle to get a hand on an Ottawa punt to give the Bombers the ball near midfield. Two plays later, Collaros threw a jump ball to the back corner of the end zone and receiver Jerreth Sterns put linebacker Adarius Pickett on a poster to make it a 10-0 game at the conclusion of the first frame.

It was the first of two big plays by Schmekel — a third-year pro out of Regina. The 26-year-old also bull rushed through the middle at the end of the third to grab onto Crum’s leg before defensive end James Vaughters came and finished off the play with a sack.

The Blue and Gold would also find paydirt on their next touch minutes into Q2 as a 36-yard screen pass to Demski, followed by a 13-yard catch by Keric Wheatfall at the one, opened the door to backup pivot Streveler diving forward for a one-yard score to go up 17-0.

Leading 20-3 with less than a minute to go in the half, the Bombers had a chance to put the Redblacks in deep trouble as the home side had the ball inside Ottawa’s 40. Collaros, however, made his first crucial mistake by forcing a deep pass to a covered Wheatfall which led to a diving interception by defensive back CJ Coldon.

Ottawa got back into the game by kicking off the third quarter with an impressive 14-play, 76-yard drive that lasted eight minutes. Brown kept it alive on a second and 12 at the Winnipeg 16-yard line by avoiding several defenders before delivering a shuffle pass to running back William Stanback to move the chains. Brown hobbled off the field afterwards, and Crum came on and managed to tuck the ball and run around the edge for a four-yard rushing TD to cut the Bombers’ edge to 20-10.

Brown did not return. The former Bomber made his first trip back to Winnipeg last season and also had to leave that game — a 25-16 Bombers win on July 5, 2024 — after a hit to the head in the second quarter.

“It’s tough. I went and saw him after the game on the sidelines. I still got so much respect and love for Dru,” said Oliveira. “When he was here for a number of years, we were pretty tight. He’s a guy I’ll call a friend for the rest of my life. So, I’m praying for him, hoping he’s all right because when he’s in the game, he makes this league a lot better.”

The Bombers would cap off a three-play, 48-yard drive with a four-yard touchdown run by Oliveira in the opening minute of the final quarter to get the score to 27-10. It was Oliveira’s first rushing score of the season.

Crum and Co. answered back with 10 points in the fourth, highlighted by a eight-yard touchdown by Hardy before the Pimpleton return tied things up.

Oliveira had 10 carries for 35 yards and four catches for 29 yards.

The Bombers are in Montreal next Thursday to take on the Alouettes.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca