On Sunday night at Mosaic Stadium, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers took on the Saskatchewan Roughriders for the first time this year on Labour Day weekend.
Saskatchewan dominated the first quarter. First, quarterback Cody Fajardo and Frankie Hickson led the offense down to Winnipeg’s one-yard, and Fajardo took it in for the touchdown with a quarterback sneak for a 7-0 lead with 9:42 left. Then, on the kickoff, Brett Lauther put the ball in the endzone for a single point, 8-0.
When Winnipeg got the ball, Saskatchewan defensive lineman Pete Robinson knocked the ball out of Zach Collaros’s hands, and the Roughriders recovered. They converted the turnover into points when kicker Brett Lauther made a 47-yard field goal for an 11-0 lead with 2:55 left. After Winnipeg went two-and-out, the Roughriders got the ball back to start the second quarter.
Saskatchewan’s offense drove the ball down to Winnipeg’s 22-yard line before Brett Lauther made a 30-yard field goal for a 14-0 lead with 13:36 left. On Winnipeg’s next possession, the offense woke up. Zach Collaros threw a couple of passes, while Brady Oliveira had two carries for eight yards.
Then, Zach Collaros dropped back from the pocket with the blitz coming at him and threw a 50-yard touchdown over the right shoulder of Nic Demski, who caught the ball and scored, making it a one-score game, 14-7, with 10:26 left.
Saskatchewan responded on their next drive when Cody Fajardo threw a 47-yard pass to Mitchell Picton, and they reached Winnipeg’s 32-yard line before Brett Lauther made his third field goal for 41 yards, extending their lead 17-7 with 7:43 left.
Late in the second quarter, the Blue Bombers pulled within three after Zach Collaros threw a 22-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Schoen. Schoen did a great job keeping his feet in bounds as he was sliding, trailing 17-14 with 2:49 left. Then, as time expired, Blue Bombers’ kicker Marc Liegghio made a 41-yard field goal, tying the 17-17 at halftime.
In the third quarter, the Roughriders were looking to take the lead, but kicker Brett Lauther missed a 57-yard field goal wide left and was returned out of the endzone. Despite their best efforts, no one was able to score, and the game remained tied 17-17 heading into the fourth quarter.
Midway through the fourth quarter, the Roughriders regained the lead 18-17 after punter Kaare Vedvik punted the ball for 78 yards that bounced into the endzone, and Winnipeg conceded a single point with 7:27 left.
Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball down to Saskatchewan’s 47-yard line, and Marc Liegghio made a 55-yard field goal, giving them a 20-18 lead with 3:20 left. Saskatchewan had a couple of chances to win the game.
On the last play of the game, Cody Fajardo scrambled out of the pocket and threw a hail mary, but the pass was incomplete, and the Blue Bombers escaped with a 20-18 win. The Blue Bombers improved to 11-1 and officially clinched a playoff spot, while the Roughriders dropped to 6-6.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros went 15/24 for 214 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions. Running back Brady Oliveira had 12 carries for 38 yards, while wide receiver Nic Demski had five catches for 79 yards and one touchdown. Winnipeg’s defense allowed 390 yards, 54 tackles, three sacks, two pass breakups, and one interception.
Saskatchewan quarterback Cody Fajardo was 23/32 for 292 yards, one interception, five carries for nine yards, and one touchdown. Running back Frankie Hickson had 15 carries for 85 yards, while wide receiver Shaq Evans had five catches for 88 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense allowed 301 yards, 40 tackles, one sack, one forced fumble, four pass breakups, and one fumble recovery. Both teams will go at it again next Saturday at 5 pm on ESPN+.
