Willy leads the way

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 28/06/2015 (3756 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA — There was lot to like about Drew Willy’s performance Saturday night at Mosaic Field in a 30-26 Winnipeg Blue Bombers win over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.

The Winnipeg starting quarterback’s percentages were off the charts: 22-for-25, for 325 yards and three touchdowns.

He finished drives, found ways to keep other drives alive and, aside from a goofy first-half fumble that didn’t cost the Bombers because of a Saskatchewan penalty on the same play, Willy was as close to flawless as CFL fans have seen a Winnipeg quarterback in quite some time.

So what did Willy like best about his night?

“I’m just happy we could get a win here,” he said with a grin. “So that the media can stop talking about us not winning here since 2004.”

Join the club, pal.

On a night the Bombers defence surrendered 495 yards to Saskatchewan, history will record it was the Bombers offence that was instrumental in a win that halted the franchise’s 11-game losing streak in Regina.

And on a night the Bombers were busy getting the Saskatchewan monkey off their back, it was perhaps fitting it was made possible by slotback Nick Moore shedding a monkey of his own.

Moore’s 18-yard touchdown catch was his first as a Bomber — he was shut out of the end zone in 2014 — and it proved to be the game-winner.

Moore had predicted a couple weeks ago during training camp that he was going to score a touchdown in Week 1. And it wasn’t the only prediction he made that came true Saturday night.

Prior to the start of the game, Moore confronted some Riders as they were coming out for player introductions. He said he gave another prediction of sorts to Saskatchewan defensive tackle Tearrius George when the two men confronted one another at centre field.

“It’s our house tonight,” Moore said he told George.

That’s some bold talk, but Moore backed it up with a huge game, finishing the night tied with Clarence Denmark for the team lead in receiving yards with 94.

“I had a chip on my shoulder,” explained Moore. “I wasn’t satisfied with how our season went last year, both as a team and individually. So any way I could change my focus a little bit and help the team, that’s what I’m going to do.”

Admired

Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said he admired how mentally tough his team was on a very warm evening and cited how his offence rose to the occasion at several key moments, including working its way out of the shadow of the Bombers own goalposts in the fourth quarter, and then controlling the ball on the ground to run out the clock and seal the victory.

“I thought we made strides in terms of mental toughness,” said O’Shea. “There were just things we did differently from last year.

“They seemed to be a confident bunch. Not cocky or anything like that — just understanding that they can and will win.”

The Bombers used two tailbacks Saturday in a system that let speedster Paris Cotton and bruiser Cameron Marshall confound the Riders defence with their different running styles.

“That was great — that was thunder and lighting there,” said Cotton. “He’s going to beat them up and I’m going to run past them. It feels good, man.”

paul.wiecek@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @PaulWiecek