Homegrown hellcats

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 22/10/2023 (722 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers didn’t know it would be a meaningless game when they set their lineup for Saturday’s Week 20 matchup against the visiting Edmonton Elks.

It wouldn’t matter, though, that they clinched the West Division fewer than 24 hours before kickoff, as the Bombers showed little mercy in a dominating 45-25 victory over the Elks in front of a sold-out crowd of 32,343 at IG Field.

The Bombers scored on their opening drive – the first of six Winnipeg touchdowns on the day – and kept the lead from there, getting better as the game wore on, outscoring the Elks 21-8 in the second half. The Blue and Gold took a 14-0 lead before the game was six minutes old, and when they pulled several starters in the fourth quarter, the Bombers didn’t miss a beat, finding the end zone twice in the final frame to put an exclamation mark on the win.

The victory improved the Bombers to 13-4, 8-1 at home. The Elks, who were eliminated from playoff contention weeks ago, dropped to a CFL-worst 4-14.

Winnipeg will wrap up the regular season on Friday in Calgary against the Stampeders, who are scheduled to play the B.C. Lions in the West semi-final Nov. 4 – the winner travelling to Winnipeg to take on the Bombers in the West final on Nov. 11.

Let’s take a look back at the win over the Elks in the latest edition of 5 Takeaways.

1) For a game that didn’t mean much, it sure was memorable for a couple homegrown players.

Receiver Nic Demski has been a solid contributor in his seven CFL seasons, particularly with the Bombers over the last five. As good as he’s been, Demski had yet to eclipse 1,000 yards through the air in a season – a significant factor in determining an elite pass-catcher.

That is, until Demski caught all five of his targets Saturday for 27 yards, putting the Winnipeg native at 1,006 on the season. For a moment, though, it looked as if he might fall just short, as Demski had to leave the game with a seemingly injured ankle at a time he had hit the 999-yard mark.

Demski said after the game he was aware of being a single yard short of 1,000, and it was a motivating factor to return to the game. After a brief visit to the locker room, Demski was back and he had hit his mark before the third quarter was over.

Demski is the second Bombers receiver to record 1,000 yards, coming after the injured Dalton Schoen, who has 1,222. Kenny Lawler, who had a team-high seven catches for 98 yards, is at 844 yards with one more regular season game to be played.

2) Shortly after hitting the 1,000-yard mark, Demski could be seen on the sideline embracing running back Brady Oliveira.

The two were celebrating a CFL first, as the Bombers are the only club in league history to have a Canadian rush for 1,000 yards and a receiver catch 1,000 yards in the same season. The feat is only made cooler by the fact both are from Winnipeg and attended Oak Park High School.

Oliveira added to his stellar 2023 campaign, rushing for 72 yards on 14 carries and two touchdowns. That brings the 26-year-old to 1,498 rushing yards on the season, good for second all-time by a Canadian in a single year.

What’s more, Oliveira’s total is the eighth highest among all Bombers running backs over their more than 90 years of existence. He also has 482 receiving yards and another four touchdowns through the air, making him just 20 yards short of hitting 2,000 all-purpose yards, while his 14 combined touchdowns – including 10 rushing – is the most of any player in the CFL.

Oliveira has been nothing short of sensational and he’ll continue to play a pivotal role as the Bombers continue to lean on the run game in their pursuit of a third Grey Cup win in four seasons. With final votes for team awards due on Sunday, might Oliveira’s latest display of domination prove enough to put him over the top?

3) The offence didn’t put up a scary number of yards, totalling a modest 371, including 219 passing and 155 rushing. They did, however, put up points, accounting for five touchdowns, while also dominating time possession by moving the chains, spending 38:46 with the ball compared to the Elks’ 21:14.

Zach Collaros played the first three quarters, ending his night 13-for-16 passing for 125 yards and a touchdown. No. 2 QB Dru Brown took over in the final frame and was a perfect seven-for-seven for 94 yards and two scores, adding to his intrigue as a pending free agent.

With Schoen out, the Bombers had the rest of their receivers step up. Rasheed Bailey scored a pair of touchdowns; Greg McCrae, activated from the practice roster, had one score; Drew Wolitarsky caught two balls for 36 yards; and Lawler led all players with nearly a 100 yards though the air.

The Bombers are hopeful Schoen will be available in the West final. If he can’t go he will be impossible to replace, but it’s a good sign they were able to still move the ball without one of their best offensive weapons.

4) The defence played a sturdy game, and like they’ve done many times over the years were able to lock things down in the second half. The Elks were limited to just eight points in the final two quarters, one of which came from the offence, with the other seven points coming off a return touchdown by Deontez Alexander.

Containing Elks QB Tre Ford, considered among the best athletes in the CFL, was a major storyline heading into the game. Ford has turned heads since taking over behind centre midway through the season, averaging nearly 200 passing yards and close to 70 rushing yards per game.

Winnipeg clearly had the game plan to make Ford beat them with his much less dangerous arm, rather than allowing him space to run. Ford put up 228 passing yards, 77 of which came on a catch-and-run play to Manny Arceneaux, and completed 12 of his 22 passes, while having no touchdowns or interceptions (short-yardage QB Taylor Cornelius punched in both offensive scores).

Ford was invisible in the ground game, rushing just twice for 14 yards – his lowest single-game total by at least 37 yards. He was also sacked five times, including one where he fumbled, with linebacker Adam Bighill returning the ball 26 yards to the end zone for a touchdown.

5) The Bombers continue to set the bar in the CFL when it comes to game-day experience and attendance.

Saturday marked a fourth consecutive sellout and IG Field was absolutely rocking. Bailey told me in the locker room afterwards there were moments when he was unable to hear his teammates on the sideline, a fact that made him emotional when he spoke.

Through nine home games this season, the Bombers averaged a league-best 30,444 fans per game. It’s the second straight year Winnipeg has paced the league at the gate, something fans in this city deserve a lot of credit for.

The Bombers feed off the energy from the stands, with the raucous crowd creating a significant homefield advantage. It’s expected to be another packed house for the West final, in what will be rough environment to endure for either the Stamps or Lions.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton