Big Blue back on top in West

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This article was published 02/09/2024 (393 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers went to bed Sunday night sitting atop the West Division, climbing back to the top of the mountain with a thrilling 35-33 win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the annual Labour Day Classic at Mosaic Stadium.

It wasn’t easy and it certainly wasn’t pretty, but the Bombers, faced with some significant adversity, did enough to stave off a late charge by the Riders. Indeed, the final moments of the fourth quarter were enough to make one’s head spin.

A potentially game-tying touchdown drive by Saskatchewan in the dying seconds was stopped just short with a failed two-point convert. The game now seemingly over, with thousands of fans dressed in green headed for the exits, the Riders made one last ditch effort by recovering the ensuing onside kick and putting themselves in position to boot a 60-yard field goal for the win.

Brett Lauther’s attempt fell well short, dropping into the waiting arms of Lucky Whitehead, who sealed the Bombers’ fourth straight win by kneeling to the ground before raising his arm to the sky. The play capped off a second half where the Bombers were outscored 19-6, nearly squandering a 29-14 edge at halftime.

The victory was significant for the Bombers (6-6), as it not only leapfrogged the Riders (5-6-1) for first place in the West Division, but it also tied the season series — and first tiebreaker in the standings — with Saskatchewan. The rubber match will be this Saturday in the sold-out Banjo Bowl at Princess Auto Stadium.

But before we look too far ahead, let’s take a closer look back at Sunday’s nail-biter, with news and notes from on the scene at Mosaic Stadium.

No better place to start than the injury to QB Zach Collaros, who took a shot to the head from Riders DL Miles Brown just before halftime. Collaros was visibly shook from the collision, requiring medical attention on the field before being ruled out of the second half. Bombers president and CEO Wade Miller was incensed by the play, his anger only heightened by the fact a similar situation occurred in last year’s LDC, and he directed his frustration straight at Randy Ambrosie, demanding the commissioner take immediate action before more quarterbacks get seriously hurt.

There is no place for head shots in the game, and especially against the men playing the most important position. This has been a problem for years and Ambrosie, who happened to be in attendance, either has no clue how to fix it or doesn’t care to. This is a rare time the CFL should be on the same page as the NFL, a league that actually protects its QBs and delivers stiff fines to the culprits who can’t play within the rules.

The Riders have developed a reputation over the years for being dirty, particularly when it comes to cheap shots against QBs. In 2022, it was Garrett Marino who knocked Ottawa’s Jeremiah Masoli out for the season before finally being released and ultimately banned from the CFL for his antics against the Bombers in the LDC, which included a blindside hit on Collaros. Then there was last year’s LDC, when DL Pete Robertson viciously headbutted Collaros. And now Brown, who delivered the high shot on Collaros just weeks after rolling recklessly into the knees of Redblacks QB Dru Brown, sidelining the first-year starter for an extra game.

Collaros, in what’s been an up-and-down season for the two-time most outstanding player, was playing one of his best games of the year before he got hurt. He led the Bombers to the three TD drives in the first half, including a 44-yard score to Nic Demski, and completed 12 of his 18 passes for 218 yards. Collaros did throw his league-leading 13th interception, but he was solid working with a silent count all game. Head coach Mike O’Shea said Collaros was held out for precautionary reasons and that he didn’t undergo the league’s concussion protocol, so we’ll have to wait to find out his availability for this week’s Banjo Bowl.

While Collaros appears destined to return sooner than later, the same can’t be said for middle linebacker Adam Bighill. Bighill injured his left leg, with the club’s training staff working on his knee and calf while he lay on the field in visible pain. Bighill has been banged-up since training camp and had just returned from a hamstring injury. With a ton of miles on the 35-year-old, you have to wonder just how much more he can endure. That said, count him out at your own peril, as nothing drives Bighill more than naysayers.

Chris Streveler took over for Collaros in the second half. While his final stats aren’t going to scare anyone —Streveler completed just four passes for 46 yards and ran seven times for 12 yards, including a pair of one-yard TDs in the first half — he did just enough to squeak out the win. Streveler had a clutch 17-yard pass to Drew Wolitarsky on a critical second-and-9 in the fourth quarter that kept the clock running and a 10-yard completion to Demski later in the frame to move the Bombers into field goal range and increase their lead from five to eight points.

The field goal was a 56-yarder from Sergio Castillo with 1:35 remaining. It not only forced the Riders to attempt the two-point convert, it also tied Winnipeg’s Troy Westwood for the longest field goal in LDC history — a span of 59 games. Castillo, who has been on fire this season, added a 52-yard field goal earlier in the game. He also got Saskatchewan to give up a rouge on the ensuing kickoff following the Demski TD, which proved to be massive in the end.

For a second straight game, special teams found the end zone, in what was arguably the most important play of the night. Nick Hallett jumped on a fumbled punt return by Mario Alford after the ball just grazed Alford’s fingers before bouncing into the end zone. It was mix of great awareness by Hallett and an even better kick by punter Jamieson Sheahan, who gave the ball some wonky spin like only the Aussie can. Long snapper Mike Benson also deserves a nod, as he, Castillo and Sheahan are as consistent as they get in the CFL.

The Bombers O-line also deserve a ton of credit. They were missing LT Stanley Bryant, who needed at least another week to recover from an illness, as well as Patrick Neufeld, who missed his fourth straight game, yet still helped the offence average seven yards a play. The Riders also had to deal with a depleted O-line, much of which came in-game, with the situation getting so dire at one point that DL Micah Johnson had to play guard for a few drives.

DE Willie Jefferson, who was a pain for Riders QB Trevor Harris all night, looked like a deer in headlights when the ball was sailing his way on the onside kick attempt, only for Saskatchewan’s Rolan Milligan Jr. to step in front of him and retrieve the ball. I spoke with Jefferson after the game and he admitted he needed to do a better job attacking the ball in the air, but credited Lauther for a well-placed kick.

There are small plays in every game that often go unnoticed but still have a major impact. Whitehead’s 31-yard punt return to help set up Castillo’s 56-yarder comes to mind. Then there was halfback Evan Holm, who had he kneeled and not wasted eight seconds off the clock when he caught what he believed to be a game-sealing interception, likely would have left enough time for the Riders to get into more manageable field goal range.

It was the largest crowd in Mosaic Stadium history, with 33,861 in attendance. And while there predictably was a ton of green in the stands, there was also a significant blend of Bombers blue. The Riders opted to have the crowd sing the national anthem and the idea somewhat backfired on them, as those Winnipeg faithful in attendance took the opportunity to belt out “True North” and “Blue” as if they were at home. What was obvious, too, was while Mosaic is beautifully designed, it’s just not as loud as the building in Winnipeg.

The win put O’Shea into a tie with legendary Bud Grant for the most wins by a head coach in franchise history, at 102. To no one’s surprise, O’Shea wanted nothing to do with any accolades after the game, continuing his trend of downplaying the accomplishment. It’s fitting that O’Shea reached the mark against the club’s most hated rival, and now has the chance to move into sole possession of first place this week in a rematch with those same Riders.

Jeff.Hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

X: @jeffkhamilton