On Thursday night at IG Field, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers took on the Calgary Stampeders in their third meeting of the year. The Blue Bombers have won both games by a margin of seven points.
However, they were not facing Bo Levi Mitchell this time, as Jake Maier was the starting quarterback for Calgary. Maier helped Calgary beat Toronto last week, and they went with the hot hand in Maier.
The Blue Bombers got the ball to start the first quarter. Winnipeg’s offense got to the Stampeders’ 41-yard line. Then, Zach Collaros dropped back to throw the ball and threw a 41-yard touchdown pass to Greg McCrae, who was bumped by Brad Muhammad as he caught the touchdown. Then, a defensive pass interference was called against Muhammad, but Winnipeg declined it, and it was 7-0 with 12:17 left.
On Calgary’s first possession, Jake Maier led the Stampeders down to their own 49-yard line. Then, Maier dropped back to throw the ball that was caught by Malik Henry and scored a 61-yard touchdown. Blue Bombers’ defensive back Demerio Houston pulled a hamstring trying to keep up with Henry and left the game. The game was tied 7-7 with 8:30 left.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw a couple of passes for 30 yards. Then, Brady Oliveira’s ten-yard run got them to Calgary’s 32-yard line. Collaros’s pass intended to Rasheed Bailey was incomplete, but a defensive pass interference penalty on Calgary moved them to the 15-yard line.
Two plays later, Collaros threw the ball in the air that was caught by Nic Demski in-between two Stampeders players for a 15-yard touchdown to take a 14-7 lead with 5:05 left. Just before the first quarter ended, Calgary got a single point when punter Cody Grace punted the ball for 74 yards into the endzone. The Stampeders trailed 14-8, and Winnipeg had the ball to start the second quarter.
Early in the second quarter, the two teams traded field goals. Winnipeg kicker Marc Liegghio made a 32-yard field goal for a 17-8 lead with 11:59 left, and Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made a 47-yard field goal, cutting Winnipeg’s lead 17-11 with 7:10 left.
Late in the second quarter, the Stampeders’ offense marched down to Winnipeg’s six-yard line. Then Jake Maier threw his second touchdown pass to Malik Henry, giving them an 18-17 lead heading into halftime. Calgary got the ball to start the third quarter.
In the third quarter, Winnipeg drove the ball down to Calgary’s ten-yard line. Dakota Prukop then threw a ten-yard touchdown pass to Rasheed Bailey for a 24-18 lead with 9:48 left.
The Stampeders responded on their next drive when Jake Maier threw three passes for 56 yards, and a ten-yard run by Ka’Deem Carey got them to the Blue Bombers’ seven-yard line. Then, Maier threw his third touchdown pass to Malik Henry, giving them a 25-24 lead heading into the fourth quarter. This was a great showing for Maier, who looked confident on the field and made good decisions.
In the fourth quarter, Calgary kicker Rene Paredes made a 32-yard field goal for a 28-24 lead with 13:23 left. Winnipeg came back on their next drive, reaching the Stampeders’ one-yard line. Backup quarterback Dakota Prukop scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak to take a 31-28 lead with 7:38 left.
Winnipeg’s defense came through late in the fourth quarter. They sacked Jake Maier, forcing Calgary to punt the ball and Cody Grace’s punt went 77 yards into the endzone for a single point. It was now 31-29 Blue Bombers with 5:05 left in the game.
Calgary had the ball one more time and gambled on third down by punting the ball in hopes of getting it back. However, Winnipeg found a way to keep the ball for the rest of the game and went into victory formation to beat the Stampeders 31-29 for their tenth win of the year. Meanwhile, the Stampeders dropped to 6-4.
This was a good game, and Calgary played better with Maier at quarterback. He has earned to start in the next game. For Winnipeg, they are a good football team, and the only way any team can beat them is if Winnipeg beats themselves like last week against Montreal.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros went 19/26 for 294 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions, while backup Dakota Prukop went 1/1 for ten yards, one touchdown, five carries for 25 yards, and one touchdown.
Running back Brady Oliveira had eight carries for 60 yards, while wide receiver Nic Demski had eight catches for 53 yards and one touchdown. Winnipeg’s defense allowed 409 yards, 46 tackles, one sack, and two pass breakups. The Blue Bombers play the Saskatchewan Roughriders next Sunday at 6 pm on ESPN+.
Calgary quarterback Jake Maier went 23/28 for 294 yards and two touchdowns while running back Ka’Deem Carey had 11 carries for 62 yards, and wide receiver Malik Henry had seven catches for 122 yards and three touchdowns.
The Stampeders’ defense allowed 475 yards, 46 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, one pass breakup, and two interceptions. Calgary plays the Edmonton Elks on September 5th at 4:30 pm on ESPN+.
