On Friday night at IG Field, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers took on the Calgary Stampeders in a battle of two unbeaten teams on Friday Night Football. This game lived up to the hype.
Winnipeg got the ball to start the game. They drove down to Calgary’s 41-yard line before Marc Liegghio made a 48-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 12:04 left.
On Calgary’s first possession, the Stampeders made little movement of the ball before punting the ball on 3rd and 5. They caught a break when Silas Stewart stripped Janarion Grant of the ball, and he recovered the ball on Winnipeg’s 19-yard line. Then, Bo Levi Mitchell dropped back and threw a dart down the middle to Reggie Begelton, who caught the ball and slipped but headed into the endzone for a 19-yard touchdown for a 7-3 lead with 9:32 left.
Stampeders’ quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell was 12/28 for 187 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Meanwhile, Reggie Begelton led the receivers with four catches for 82 yards and one touchdown. The Stampeders’ defense stood its ground and forced the Blue Bombers to punt the ball several times. They allowed 360 yards, 55 tackles, four sacks, one forced fumble, five pass breakups, and one fumble recovery.
Winnipeg got the ball late in the first quarter, and they had the ball to begin the second quarter down 7-3. They reached the Stampeders’ ten-yard line before Marc Liegghio made a 17-yard field goal, making it a one-point game, 7-6, with 14:43 left in the first quarter.
When the Stampeders got the ball, Bo Levi Mitchell made several passes but got sacked by Casey Sayles, bringing up third down. Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made a 50-yard field goal, extending Calgary’s lead 10-6 with 11:26 in the second quarter.
The Blue Bombers were in control for the rest of the second quarter. Quarterback Zach Collaros mixed in some short and long passes to get them to Calgary’s 16-yard line. Then, off a fake handoff, Collaros threw the ball up in the air to Carlton Agudosi for his first career touchdown.
The 6’6, 220lb wide receiver from Rutgers had Tre Robinson all over him, and he still made the catch, putting the Blue Bombers up 13-10 with 1:52 left. Zach Collaros was 27/38 for 315 yards, two touchdowns, and no interceptions. Meanwhile, Carlton Agudosi was second in receiving with six catches for 70 yards and two touchdowns. Just before halftime, Stampeders’ kicker Rene Parades made a 39-yard field goal, tying the game 13-13 at halftime.
In the third quarter, Stampeders’ running back Ka’Deem Carey rushed for 29 yards, along with a couple of passes from Bo Levi Mitchell, to get them to Winnipeg’s seven-yard line. After two straight incomplete passes, Calgary took a 16-13 lead with a 14-yard field goal by Rene Paredes.
When Winnipeg got the ball, they moved it down to Calgary’s 29-yard line. On 3rd and 10, the Blue Bombers went for a field goal. However, Marc Liegghio missed it. Winnipeg caught a break when Liegghio was hit after the missed field goal, giving them an automatic first down. They made it to the Stampeders’ one-yard line. Then backup quarterback Dru Brown scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak, giving them a 20-16 lead with 3:50 left of the third quarter.
On the kickoff, Stampeders returner Peyton Logan returned the kick for 44 yards. Bo Levi Mitchell and Ka’Deem Carey got Calgary down to the two-yard line. Ka’Deem Carey had a good game with 12 carries for 110 yards. After two failed attempts at the endzone, they went for it on third down, but Bo Levi Mitchell threw it to Reggie Begelton in coverage, and it was incomplete, turning the ball over to Winnipeg. The Blue Bombers had the ball to begin the fourth quarter.
Winnipeg did not move the ball much and punted it back to Calgary. The Stampeders got to Winnipeg’s 41-yard line before Rene Paredes made his fourth field goal of the night for 48 yards, making it a one-point game, 20-19, with 9:58 left.
On the Blue Bombers’ next possession, they marched down to the Stampeders’ ten-yard line, where Collaros connected with Carlton Agudosi for the second time in the game for a touchdown. However, Marc Liegghio missed the extra point, and it was a seven-point game, 26-19, with 4:22 left.
With less than a minute left in the game, the Stampeders had one more shot to tie the game. Bo Levi Mitchell threw the ball to Kamar Jordan, who nearly caught the ball, but the ball popped out of his hands and was intercepted by Winston Rose, ending the game, and the Blue Bombers won 26-19 to remain undefeated.
The Blue Bombers’ defense allowed 297 yards, 35 tackles, three sacks, two pass breakups, and one interception. Winnipeg wide receiver Greg Ellingson had a big game with 11 catches for 152 yards. The Blue Bombers are now 6-0 for the season, while the Stampeders are now 4-1.
This was a statement win by the Blue Bombers. They are two-time Grey Cup champions because of how they played this evening. The West Division is tough, and if Winnipeg can continue to play solid football, they will win the division. Winnipeg travels to Edmonton next week against the Elks on Friday at 9 pm on ESPN2.
For Calgary, they made a lot of mistakes, and one could argue that they should’ve won this game. While the game came down to the wire, they need to clean up on the mistakes or lose more games down the road. The Stampeders are off next week.
