Defence shows some offence

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 25/07/2010 (5550 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

After the game, Moton Hopkins sat at his locker, clutching his BlackBerry.

It was buzzing Saturday night. Much like the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defence.

Of all the plays made by the Blue and Gold defenders in Winnipeg’s 47-21 dismantling of the Edmonton Eskimos at Canad Inns Stadium, the big one came from the 23-year-old tackle. The rookie, making just his second professional start, found himself on the receiving end of a deflected Ricky Ray pass and he rumbled the 36 yards for the opening touchdown in the early stages of the game.

"It just worked out perfectly," said Hopkins, who was thrilled his mother had a chance to see it back home in Texas (the game was on the NFL Network). "We got a great rush on the quarterback, and I just happened to be in the right place at the right time. Then I got a great block from (Marcellus) Bowman on the wide receiver.

"Man, it was like a dream come true. I can’t believe it happened."

Not only did it give the Winnipeg offence some breathing room, it also set the tone for a furious first quarter by the defence. Three sacks on Ray in the opening 15 minutes, a frame that saw the potent Eskimos offence gain minus-one yards of offence.

The touchdown was Hopkins’ first since high school, when he was a tight end. In four years as a defensive end at Tulsa, he never saw the end zone once — a dry spell that he admits has crossed his mind over the years.

So what was he thinking as he tucked the ball under his arm and headed for the blue turf of the end zone?

"Don’t get tackled," he said with a laugh. "Seriously, the whole time I thought I was going to get caught — I’m not going to lie to you. Turns out the whole defence was behind me."

Hopkins finished the game with one pick, one touchdown, one sack and three tackles.

DEFENCE BOUNCE BACK: The man who got a hand on the ball on the Ray pass that landed in Hopkins’ lap was defensive end Odell Willis.

The second-year Bomber said the defence needed a bounce-back effort after laying an egg in Hamilton last week.

"We came out slow the last few games, so we knew we would have to come out here and put some pressure on early," said Willis, who finished with one sack on one knock-down.

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ANOTHER BIG PLAY: The Hopkins pick wasn’t the only large interception turned in by the D.

When defensive back LaVar Glover stepped in front of an Edmonton receiver at his own 18-yard line and ran it back to midfield in the third quarter, it reversed the momentum back to the Bombers’ side. Edmonton had cut a 23-point deficit to a nine-point disadvantage and looked like they were going to score again.

"We needed a big play there," Glover said. "Luckily, Ricky didn’t see me and I made a break on it. The guys were a little winded, so it turned the game around there, I think.

"I wish I could have scored on it."

adam.wazny@freepress.mb.ca