Bombers lose Banjo Bowl, starting quarterback

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers lost not only the 21st edition of the Banjo Bowl on Saturday, but also their starting quarterback.

The Saskatchewan Roughriders successfully swept the back-to-back series with a 21-13 victory over the Blue and Gold in front of a sold-out crowd, but the story of the night, however, was the headshot that took Zach Collaros out of it.

Late in the third quarter, the veteran pivot was drilled in the side of his facemask by a blitzing Riders defensive back C.J. Reavis. The hit — which was challenged for roughing the passer and successfully overturned to erase a fumble recovery by the visitors — left Collaros on the ground motionless for a while as players from both sides took a knee to show their support.

Collaros eventually jogged off the field and was sitting in his locker after the final whistle, chatting with backup QB Chris Streveler, but was not made available to media.

“Yeah, he doesn’t stay down, usually. It’s not comforting, by any means,” said head coach Mike O’Shea in his postgame press conference.

“I hate to see that. I’m sure he’ll be OK. When, I don’t know. No update.”

This is the third time this season Collaros has had to leave a game early. The 37-year-old has a well-documented history of head and neck injuries.

“It’s not the games that are concerning; it’s Zach that I’m concerned about. I care about the guy,” said O’Shea.

“These guys aren’t just football players in here. So yeah, you don’t like to see that. I’m not worried about his ability to be consistently on the field. I’m worried about Zach.”

The Bombers led 13-12 with five minutes remaining in the third when Collaros was taken out. He completed nine-of-15 passes for 165 yards, a touchdown and two interceptions. Streveler went five-for-nine for 39 yards and two interceptions and failed to put any points on the board in relief duty.

“It’s terrible. I just love (Collaros), we put in so much work together during the week and I know what he puts into this,” Streveler.

“It’s terrible seeing anyone go down, especially a guy I’m that close with. I just hope he’s doing OK.”

The Riders took over the game with three Brett Lauther field goals in the fourth. Saskatchewan’s lone turnover came in the opening quarter when Trevor Harris was picked off by Redha Kramdi for the defensive back’s first career interception. Harris was held in check for most of the night, going 18-of-31 for 239 yards.

The Bombers are now 6-6, while the win improves the first-place Riders to 10-2.

“It’s heartbreaking. I pray that Zach’s OK,” said Harris, who was teammates with Collaros in Toronto in 2012 and 2013.

“I know early on in his career he had quite a few of those and so, across the league, I think everybody will probably join up in prayer for Zach. He’s a close friend of mine. I came in the league with him. But I know he’s a tough dude and he loves football. I know he’ll find a way to bounce back, but I pray that he’s OK and hopefully it’s not what everybody thought it would be, a concussion. You don’t want that for anybody.”

Harris added, “We all have long lives. He’s got three beautiful kids, an awesome wife. Hopefully, he can bounce back, hopefully he’s OK, so prayers up for Zach for sure.”

It’s the second week in a row the Bombers have suffered a major blow as star receiver Dalton Schoen was shut down for the season with a torn ACL — which he suffered in Week 5 and tried to play through after weeks of rehab — after last week’s Labour Day Classic.

“We know the season is a marathon. This is an 18-game regular season, so you need everybody,” said Streveler.

“We need guys to step up and I’ve got to play my part better than I did today. We’ve got to have guys step up and I know we’ve got the guys in the locker room to win games and I know we all believe that, too. We’re gonna go back to work tomorrow, we’re going to get better, and whoever’s going to be out there we’re going to put our best foot forward and we’re going to step up and make plays.”

The Bombers had won five Banjo Bowls in a row and eight of the last nine. It was the lowest scoring LDC rematch between the two sides since 2016 when the Bombers prevailed 17-10, and the least number of points tallied by the Blue and Gold since a 14-11 loss to Toronto at home on Oct. 11, 2024.

It’s also the first time the Riders have gone undefeated in the two-game Prairie battle since 2018.

“Right now, we can’t go back in time. You just got to look at yourself in the mirror and be honest with where we’re at and hold each other accountable and just take the next step forward,” said right guard Patrick Neufeld.

“It’s a long season, the CFL seasons are crazy. We’ve been in the spot before in the past and we’ve rallied and come through. I’m extremely optimistic about our group. No one is panicking whatsoever, that’s not even a thought at all.”

It’s been a nightmare of a season for Lauther who was kicking at just 65 per cent for the green and white heading into Saturday. He ended up going a perfect five-for-five, whereas Bombers kicker Sergio Castillo was off his usual A-game with a pair of costly misfires in the second half. He missed from 51-yards at the end of the third — a make would’ve put the home side ahead 16-12 — and again in the fourth from 48 yards, which would’ve given them a 16-15 edge.

“It’s frustrating because I feel like I let the team down. I feel it could’ve been a different ball game, for sure,” said Castillo. “No one’s perfect. It’s sports, that’s why we play the game, right?”

After having just five handoffs in Regina, Bombers running back Brady Oliveira bounced back with 20 carries for 83 yards and two catches for 19 yards. Second-year receiver Ontaria Wilson was making his season debut for Winnipeg after recently rejoining the club off a stint with the NFL’s New York Jets and led all pass catchers with 89 yards on five grabs and a touchdown. It wasn’t all positive for Wilson, though, as both of Collaros’s INTs were thrown in his direction. The first was some clear miscommunication between the two.

“I should’ve made a better play on the ball. I saw the ball was in the air and I tried to readjust my angle to try to track it, but the DB made a better play than I did,” said Wilson.

“Maybe it (was miscommunication), but at the end of the day, if he throws it to me, I’ve got to come down with it.”

The rivals meet again in Winnipeg on Oct. 17, but Saskatchewan has already claimed the tiebreaker.

“They were hard-fought wins, but I wouldn’t call it a statement,” said Riders right tackle Jermarcus Hardrick — a mainstay on the Bombers’ o-line from 2016-23.

“I’ve been in that locker room, and I know the men they have, and I know what they’re gonna do.”

Next week Winnipeg travels to Hamilton to take on the Tiger-Cats on Friday.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca