Slow start but gritty play not enough in Bombers OT loss to Roughriders in Labour Day Classic

REGINA – Leave it to Brady Oliveira to succinctly describe that fine line between jubilation and the alternate.

In the aftermath of another Labour Day Classic that went down to the wire, Oliveira went through the joy of tying the game with no time left on the clock to the empty feeling that came moments later when the Saskatchewan Roughriders finished off a 32-26 victory on Sunday night before a raucous crowd of 34,352 at Mosaic Stadium.

“It’s terrible,” said Oliveira. “You just kind of feel all of the emotions. I’m pretty pissed right now. We were close, we were right there. We didn’t play our best football and we still gave ourselves a chance, which could be a silver lining.

“I don’t like to look at silver linings because the fact of the matter is we play this game to get positive results. We want to win the game and we didn’t win the game. So, I’m pissed.”

Ultimately, overtime losses count the same as blowout losses, but Oliveira was able to find a silver lining that had nothing to do with the outcome of the 61st edition of the Labour Day Classic.

“The best part about these two amazing games – again, the best (regular season) games on the calendar is that we get them again next week,” he said.

The Blue Bombers (6-6) and Roughriders (8-4) meet again next Saturday in the Banjo Bowl and the importance of that game increases exponentially for Winnipeg if they don’t want to lose any more ground in the battle for second spot in the CFL West Division.

“I just don’t think we were nearly polished or nearly good enough,” said Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea. “We played physically, we played tough, guys were grinding it out.

“Guys were gritty, for sure. But we just weren’t right enough. In a tough environment, we’ve got to be correct. Keep the simple things simple.”

Whether that was taking a time-count violation in the red zone or a pair of missed tackles allowed Daniel Wiebe to turn a short gain into a 72-yard catch, the Blue Bombers simply weren’t as sharp as they needed to be.

“Everybody took their turn,” said O’Shea. “Win or lose, you’ll find plays you want to have back. When you lose in overtime and it’s a six-point game, those just sting more.”

Given how tight things are in the standings, getting swept by their Prairie rival would have serious ramifications, even with the final quarter of the campaign set to begin.

“We know what it looks like when we have to get rolling,” said Blue Bombers veteran offensive lineman Paddy Neufeld. “We can’t worry about the past, we can’t worry about the future. It’s really (about) focusing on the task at hand for us.”

The Blue Bombers got off to a slow start offensively, as they failed to record a second down in the first quarter while accumulating 12 yards of net offence and also giving up a safety when Zach Collaros was sacked in the end zone.

Collaros was in no mood to elaborate on the outing in either general or broader terms during a scrum that lasted only 45 seconds after five questions were sent in his direction.

Three of those answers referenced the need to “watch the tape” while the other two were four words or fewer, featuring “yeah, we didn’t win” and “losing.”

Collaros is one of the most accessible players in the CFL, making his series of curt responses quite out of the ordinary, even though his competitive nature and hatred of losing are often on display in post-game scrums.

Collaros was seen in the locker room showing concern for receiver Ontaria Wilson, who left the game with just under nine minutes to go in the fourth quarter with an undisclosed injury after he landed on the concrete beyond the end zone.

To make matters worse, Wilson was flagged for offensive pass interference on the play, moving the ball back into a first and 20 situation after Corey Mace used a coach’s challenge.

One week after shining in a 44-28 victory over the Montreal Alouettes that was the most complete effort of the season, the Blue Bombers offence was a bit of a mixed bag.

The Roughriders defence applied a great deal of pressure on Collaros, sacking him three times and getting hard hits on him on numerous occasions.

Oliveira finished with nine carries for 28 yards (his lowest total of the season in that category) and that inability to establish the running game or dominate the line of scrimmage early meant that the Blue Bombers relied heavily on Collaros, who threw the ball 40 times, completing 27 of those attempts for 279 yards and two touchdowns with no interceptions.

One of bright spots for the offence was Dorian Singer, who made sure his CFL debut for the Blue Bombers was a memorable one as the receiver made five catches for 62 yards – including an eight-yard touchdown reception from Collaros with no time left on the clock that capped a six-play, 77-yard drive that was boosted by a roughing the passer call for helmet-to-helmet contact.

“I didn’t think there was a rush,” O’Shea said of the final drive in regulation time. “The offence was very calm about it. They went about their business.”

Thrust into action with the starting offence when Nic Demski (ankle) was held out of the lineup due to injury, Singer was targeted nine times and made a case for additional playing time – even once Demski is ready to return, which could be as early as Saturday.

“The biggest takeaway is just staying ready when your number is called,” said Singer. “I’ve still got a lot I need to work on. Just watch the film and see what I can do to get better to help this team win games.”

After the Roughriders built a 12-3 lead, the Blue Bombers started moving the ball a bit more efficiently as the offence found its collective rhythm.

Sergio Castillo’s second field goal of the contest made it a six-point game and the Blue Bombers took the lead with 38 seconds to go in the second quarter as Collaros hit Kevans Clercius for a 12-yard touchdown strike that nearly hit the goal post in the end zone.

That allowed the Bombers to take a 13-12 lead at halftime.

The Roughriders offence was impressive to watch, racking up 463 yards of net offence as quarterbacks Trevor Harris and Tommy Stevens took turns coming through with big plays.

Harris moved into 10th place in CFL all-time passing yards after going 23 of 33 for 362 yards and a touchdown with no picks.

Stevens did his damage on the ground, rushing 10 times for 29 and three touchdowns, including the game-winner in overtime.

As had been the case throughout parts of the season, the Roughriders used several packages where both Stevens and Harris were on the field at the same time.

“We practiced for this, but they still gave us a different look,” said Blue Bombers defensive back Major Williams. “I think it was very unique.”

The Blue Bombers defence, which was without defensive back Jonathan Moxey, lost versatile linebacker Jaiden Woodbey to what looked like a right hamstring injury late in the second quarter.

“There were a lot of moving pieces after that,” said O’Shea. “It’s not easy.”

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