On a snowy Sunday evening at IG Field, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers took on the BC Lions in the Western Final. It was the Blue Bombers’ fourth straight appearance, while the Lions were making their first Western Final in six years.
Winnipeg did not waste any time on their first possession. On the second play, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw a 40-yard pass to Nic Demski at the Lions’ 31-yard line. After a couple of runs by Brady Oliveira for 11 yards, and a one-yard run by Zach Collaros, Collaros threw a 19-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Schoen. However, kicker Marc Liegghio missed the extra point, and the score was 6-0 with 11:47 left.
On the Lions’ first possession, Winnipeg’s defense stopped them twice to force third down. Then, the Blue Bombers’ special teams blocked Stefan Flintoft’s kick, and Winnipeg recovered it. However, roughing the kicker penalty on Winnipeg gave the Lions a first down.
Unfortunately, the Lions could not advance the ball and punted back to Winnipeg. Once again, the Lions caught a big break when returner Janarion Grant fumbled the ball and the Lions recovered it on Winnipeg’s two-yard line. Afterward, third-string quarterback Antonio Pipkin scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak, giving them a 7-6 lead with 8:57 left.
Later in the first quarter, Winnipeg kicker Marc Liegghio made a 44-yard field goal, putting Winnipeg up 9-6 with 6:12 left. Late in the first quarter, Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira had three carries for 22 yards. Winnipeg faced second down to begin the second quarter.
Winnipeg was unable to move the ball on second down and punted it back to the Lions. Midway through the second quarter, Winnipeg returner Janarion Grant broke several tackles to return a punt for 92 yards, extending the Blue Bombers’ lead to 16-7 with 10:01 left.
For the rest of the second quarter, the BC Lions only got a single point after Stefan Flintoft’s punt went 56 yards into the endzone where Janarion Grant took a knee, making it 16-8 with 1:13 left. Meanwhile, Winnipeg kicker Marc Liegghio put up more points by making a 24-yard field goal for a 19-8 lead at halftime.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros was 9/13 for 133 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Running back Brady Oliveira had ten carries for 56 yards as part of Winnipeg’s 202 yards on offense. On the other side, BC Lions quarterback Nathan Rourke was 7/17 for 87 yards, and one interception as part of the BC’s 105 yards on offense.
In the third quarter, BC kicker Sean Whyte made a 42-yard field goal, making it 19-11 with 13:28 left. Then, Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira had four carries for 27 yards, while quarterback Dakota Prukop had two carries for nine yards plus a ten-yard pass to Rasheed Bailey. The Blue Bombers reached the Lions’ one-yard line, and Dakota Prukop scored a touchdown with a quarterback sneak.
However, Winnipeg kicker Marc Liegghio missed the extra point, and BC returner Terry Williams returned the missed extra point and turned it into a 102-yard run for a two-point conversion. The score was now 25-13 with 8:03 left. It was the first two-point conversion in CFL playoff history.
Late in the third quarter, the Lions tried to convert a third down, but Winnipeg’s defense stopped them, turning the ball over to the Blue Bombers. Running back Brady Oliveira had two carries for 28 yards, leading Winnipeg to the Lions’ nine-yard line to begin the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, Winnipeg kicker Marc Liegghio made a 16-yard field goal for a 28-13 lead with 13:26 left. Moving ahead into the fourth quarter, BC quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Alexander Hollins, cutting Winnipeg’s lead to 28-20 with 2:43 left.
BC got one more crack at tying the game but came up short, and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are heading to their third straight Grey Cup game with a 28-20 win. The Blue Bombers will play the Toronto Argonauts in the 109th Grey Cup championship game next Sunday at 6 pm on ESPN2.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros was 14/20 for 178 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and two carries for two yards. Running back Brady Oliveira had 20 carries for 130 yards, and wide receiver Nic Demski had five catches for 74 yards.
Winnipeg’s defense allowed 328 yards, with 42 tackles, two sacks, one forced fumble, five pass breakups, two interceptions, and one fumble recovery.
BC quarterback Nathan Rourke went 20/37 for 300 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and two carries for 20 yards. Running back James Butler had six carries for four yards, while wide receiver Keon Hatcher had seven catches for 133 yards.
BC’s defense allowed 373 yards, with 54 tackles, one sack, three pass breakups, one interception, and one fumble recovery.
The BC Lions should not get down on losing this game. They have a bright future ahead of them. Not a lot of people picked them to make the playoffs, and for Nathan Rourke to showcase his talent after returning from a foot injury and missing several weeks of action. They are the real deal.
When you look at the state of the Western Division, Calgary and Saskatchewan are on the decline, and Edmonton is rebuilding with Chris Jones at the helm. Who else can challenge the Blue Bombers next year for the Western title? It is not any of those three, it’s the Lions.
If the BC Lions make some upgrades like running back, and defensive, we might be talking about the Lions heading to the Grey Cup next season. If you are a BC Lions fan, you have a lot to look forward to heading into the 2023 season.
