Bombers look to follow Saskatchewan’s blueprint of controlling the clock

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This article was published 24/10/2018 (2558 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Few teams have been able to find an answer for the Calgary Stampeders this season, almost all inept at devising a game plan capable of knocking off the league’s perennial juggernaut.

But following back-to-back losses in recent weeks, the Stampeders, who still sit atop the CFL standings at 12-4, have worn off some of the shine from a stellar start to the season. Though Calgary opened the 2018 campaign with seven straight wins and nine victories in their first 10 games, losses to the B.C. Lions and the Saskatchewan Roughriders have many questioning just how unbeatable they are.

But it’s the game against the Roughriders — a 29-24 defeat at McMahon Stadium — that should be of most use for the 9-7 Winnipeg Blue Bombers, who welcome the Stampeders to town Friday in a game in which the Blue and Gold have a chance to punch their ticket to the playoffs with a victory.

Specifically, the Roughriders provided a blueprint on offence that wasn’t only effective, but should be relatable for the Bombers. Led by quarterback Zach Collaros, Saskatchewan put up 469 yards of net offence — the most yards, by a large margin, the Roughriders have put up this year against a team not named the Montreal Alouettes.

“Their receivers were making plays. It wasn’t like Collaros was chucking it deep downfield or anything like that. I saw them take one or two shots, but at the end of the day, it was breaking tackles and getting yards and staying on the field,” Bombers receiver Nic Demski said following a closed practice at Investors Group Field Wednesday.

“That’s one of the main things that you got to look at going against a defence like Calgary, who is so sound and so disciplined. How do you out-discipline them? By being on the field and breaking tackles, not letting them make those plays on you.”

Collaros, who has been mostly mediocre this season despite boasting a 9-4 record as a starter, didn’t need to stretch the field with big passes to beat the Stampeders. In fact, his longest completed throw travelled just 21 yards. He had other, bigger gains, including five other plays that netted at least 25 yards, but that was due to some shifty work after the catch.

Indeed, it was the work of the Roughriders receivers, who often turned short passes into large gains, which made the biggest difference for why Saskatchewan was so successful against Calgary’s league-leading defence. Consider this: of Collaros’s 352 passing yards, 163 yards were registered after the catch.

“From the clips I watched, they broke a lot of tackles and turned small plays into big plays and that’s a huge momentum changer. That’s what we have to do as well,” Bombers second-year receiver Drew Wolitarsky said. “Calgary likes to bring a lot of blitzes, a lot of different looks, so it’s about just taking short little passes and turning them into big plays. That’s demoralizing for a defence, especially when they bank on bringing heat and making you throw quick passes.”

For anyone who has watched the Bombers’ offence this season, they aren’t exactly known for throwing the deep ball. Quarterback Matt Nichols has made a living in Winnipeg executing the exact kind of short plays that worked for the Roughriders. It’s a recipe that, when effective, can eat up the clock and keep the ball out of the other team’s hands.

For Saskatchewan, it also meant scoring early and often with points in seven of its first eight drives, including two touchdowns. But it was the Roughriders’ ability to eat away at the clock that ultimately won them the game. They won the time-of-possession battle, possessing the ball nine minutes more than their opponent (34:40 to 25:20).

“When you have the time of possession — I think Saskatchewan was plus-nine (minutes) in terms of time of possession — that’s a long time. If you’re keeping (Calgary quarterback) Bo Levi (Mitchell) and that offence off the field, that’s a good thing,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said.

“But I’m not so sure it’s about the offence. I’m sure it’s more about the defence of the Stamps and how long they’re out on the field. A majority of them are special-teams players, too, right? I’m sure it’s more about the defence being tired.”

By night’s end, Saskatchewan boasted four drives against the Stampeders that lasted at least three minutes, with two of those eclipsing the six-minute mark. During one series, the Roughriders had 15 plays, which chipped 8:06 off the clock before booting a 49-yard field goal.

While there is certainly a benefit to playing against a fatigued defence, leaving a banged-up Calgary offence — the Stampeders have lost four of their top-five receivers to injury — on the sidelines for long stretches will surely not help in their attempt to build a rhythm. Because of Saskatchewan’s long drives, Mitchell, who is the front-runner for the CFL’s Most Oustanding Player award, had just nine drives, and only four in the first half.

“When you can’t even have that chance to go out there and get the ball in your hands, when you have to watch the other team have their playmakers doing their thing, it’s frustrating,” Demski said. “But that’s football and that’s how you win games.”

What the Roughriders also utilized — and what the Bombers surely possess — is a strong running game. Saskatchewan chewed up 140 yards on the ground against Calgary, which complemented their short passing game.

As Bombers running back Andrew Harris admitted Wednesday, those rushing yards aren’t easy to come by against the Stampeders — a team that has the reputation of being among the league’s best group of tacklers.

“Every run against Calgary is always going to be one where you need to break tackles because you’re going to get hit near the line of scrimmage or very shortly right after it,” said Harris, who is second in CFL rushing with 1,269 yards on 222 carries.

“They get off blocks well, so the biggest thing is just trying to get leverage and make it the best run possible or get the best leverage on a play where you can get on a corner or create something inside. It’s definitely one where you need to fight for every yard and we enjoy those types of games and that type of environment.”

Harris wasn’t about to agree that whatever worked for Saskatchewan was going to automatically be the ticket to a Bombers win. But he did give an overview that summed up much of the Roughriders’ success against the Stampeders and with Winnipeg playing a similar style this season, it may just serve the same result.

“There are many recipes. The first one, though, is getting first downs on first down, and being productive on first down. Obviously having their offence off the field is huge, so our defence needs to be stout,” Harris said. “For us, we just got to stay on the field. Those short passes, those small chunks… they’re a team that’s not going to give you big plays. They’re not going to have many busts in the secondary or big open holes where you can rip off a 40-yard run. You just got to take what you can and grind it out against them and part of that is keeping their offence off the field and making sure that you’re sustaining your drives.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.caTwitter: @jeffkhamilton