Blue Bombers on win spree

Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 05/10/2018 (2541 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

OTTAWA — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers didn’t make it easy at TD Place Friday night.

A nail-biting 40-32 overtime victory over the East-Division leading Ottawa Redblacks was certainly not perfect for the Blue and Gold.

There will be a long list of to-dos once the Bombers return to the field next week, though it will be the lessons learned in the final minutes of the fourth quarter that will be of most importance. Indeed, the Bombers were dealt a stark reminder of the need to play consistent football for four quarters — or risking having to bail yourselves out in extra time.

“It was a tale of two or three different games throughout the course of the evening. It felt like we were well in control for the first couple of quarters, but they did a good job of holding us to some field goals that kept them close in the game,” Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols said. “Obviously as an offence we’d have liked to have finished those off with a couple more touchdowns to separate us a little bit.”

After a strong start that saw Winnipeg’s offence collect points on all five of their first-half drives — four of which ended with three-point kicks — the Bombers started to unravel down the stretch. Trailing 32-17 in the dying minutes of the fourth quarter, Ottawa, led by quarterback Trevor Harris, utilized its trademark hurry-up offence to mount an incredible comeback.

A 33-yard completion from Harris to former Bomber Julian Feoli-Gudino capped off a four-play, 75-yard series that made it a one-score game, 32-24, with 3:50 left. Winnipeg then gained just three yards on five plays before Justin Medlock punted.

The Redblacks put together a 12-play, 80-yard drive that ended with a six-yard touchdown to Greg Ellingson. Still needing a successful two-point convert to tie the game, Harris went back to Ellingson, who reeled in a sharp throw to force overtime.

From there, it looked like all the momentum favoured Ottawa. But Winnipeg came out punching to open the extra frame, putting together an impressive series that needed six plays before Nichols connected with a wide-open Weston Dressler for a touchdown — his second of the game. Winnipeg, a team that rarely goes for the two-point convert, was forced to by the league’s overtime rules and they might consider doing more of it in the future after Darvin Adams caught the pass to put the visitors up 40-32.

Winnipeg put up 434 yards of net offence, its second-best total of the season. Ottawa was slightly better with 437 yards, with Harris accounting for 349 of those on 33-for-45 passing and three touchdowns.

“They did a good job storming back but I thought this team did a great job of responding. We had a 15-point lead with four minutes left and you see it disappear, I think it’s easy to say ‘Oh man, we blew it’,” said Nichols, who went 27-for-36 passing for 265 yards and three TDs. “But that wasn’t the mindset of this team. The offence came right out and scored another touchdown, got the two-point conversion and the defence went out and forced a turnover. For this team to respond like that, I think shows a lot about this team and we’re rolling along pretty good.”

Needing a touchdown to force an extra OT period, a penalty pushed the Redblacks back to the Bombers’ 45-yard line, putting them at first-and-20. That proved to be no issue for Harris, who went to Ellingson on back-to-back catches for 23 yards to earn the first down. Harris then converted a third-and-10 to Brad Sinopoli.

Harris went back to Sinopoli on the next play, but before he could get to the ground, Bombers middle linebacker Adam Bighill ripped the ball from his arms and Jovan Santos-Knox recovered the fumble, clinching the game for Winnipeg.

Winnipeg has now won three straight games after dropping four in a row, improving to 8-7 on the season, making it the first time since late July they’ve boasted a record above .500. Ottawa dropped to 8-6, remaining two points up on the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-7).

The Bombers leaned on a dominant defensive effort in wins over Montreal and Edmonton last week. On Friday, the offence paved the way.

Andrew Harris, who trailed Ottawa’s William Powell by 40 yards for the league’s rushing lead, finished with a 132 rushing yards — his fifth 100-yard rushing game — on 20 carries and added 31 yards on three catches.

Medlock finished 6-for-6, while Ottawa rookie Lewis Ward went 3-for-3. Ward’s final boot — a 40-yarder that cut the Bombers’ lead to 22-17 late in the third quarter — surpassed Rene Parades’ CFL record for most consecutive field goals made, putting the 26-year-old at 40 and counting.

The Bombers return to practice Tuesday to prepare for a divisional matchup against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. The Roughriders will look to improve on their 9-5 mark when they host the Edmonton Eskimos (7-7) on Thanksgiving Monday.

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @jeffkhamilton