The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-1) hosted the Calgary Stampeders (1-3) on Friday night from IG Field in their first meeting of the season.
Winnipeg came into this game looking to start fresh at home. In their last home game, they were routed by the B.C. Lions 30-6 on June 22nd. Meanwhile, Calgary had a bye last week. They were looking to get back on track after losing to Saskatchewan a couple of weeks ago.
In the first quarter, Calgary took a 3-0 lead on a 30-yard field goal by Rene Paredes with 9:51 left. After Winnipeg went two-and-out, Calgary’s offense went back on the field. Calgary running backs Dedrick Mills and LeVante Bellamy combined with five carries for 32 yards along with Jake Maier’s three passes for 26 yards.
Maier tried to throw the ball to Rysen John but it was incomplete. However, an illegal contact penalty on Winnipeg moved the ball to the 11-yard line. Two plays later, Dedrick Mills ran for a three-yard touchdown. It was 10-0 Calgary with 3:07 left.
Late in the first quarter, Winnipeg punter Jamieson Sheahan punted the ball 44 yards toward the endzone and out of bounds for a single point. It was now 10-1 Calgary at the end of the first quarter.
The roles were reversed in the second quarter. Calgary extended their lead to 11-1 when punter Cody Grace punted the ball 73 yards into the Blue Bombers’ endzone with returner Janarion Grant taking a knee with 10:45 left.
Later in the second quarter, Winnipeg got closer to Calgary when kicker Sergio Castillo made a 47-yard field goal. It was now 11-4 Calgary with 3:20 left. Winnipeg’s defense stepped up to force a two-and-out which gave the Blue Bombers two minutes to get more points.
On the second play, Zach Collaros made a great pump fake which got Calgary’s secondary to bite before throwing a 68-yard touchdown pass to Greg McCrae. The game was tied 11-11 with 1:30 left.
Calgary tried to get the lead back late in the second quarter but ended up punting the ball and Winnipeg ran out the clock to end the half. The game remained tied 11-11 at halftime.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros completed 8 of 10 passes (80%) for 135 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receivers Nic Demski and Greg McCrae combined with three catches for 91 yards, and Demski led the rushers with one carry for 18 yards as part of Winnipeg’s 139 yards on offense. Winnipeg defensive lineman Willie Jefferson had a nice first half with two sacks.
Calgary quarterback Jake Maier completed 10 of 15 passes (66.7%) for 82 yards while running back Dedrick Mills had ten carries for 85 yards, and one touchdown, and wide receiver Tre Odoms-Dukes had four catches for 33 yards as part of Calgary’s 152 yards on offense. Calgary linebacker James Vaughters had a nice first half with two sacks.
In the second half, Winnipeg took command to shut out Calgary. In the third quarter, Demerio Houston picked off Jake Maier’s pass intended for Tre Odoms-Dukes. Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw four passes before throwing a nine-yard touchdown pass to Rasheed Bailey for an 18-11 lead with 1:28 left. Winnipeg led 18-11 after three quarters.
In the fourth quarter, Calgary tried to get closer to Winnipeg but Rene Paredes missed a 47-yard field goal wide right and Greg McCrae ran the ball for a 103-yard return. Winnipeg cashed in when Sergio Castillo made a 17-yard field goal for a 21-11 lead with 13:14 left.
Late in the game, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made a 12-yard field goal for a 24-11 lead with 1:59 left. Calgary’s offense struggled in the second half with too many dropped passes and Jake Maier was replaced by Tommy Stevens late in the fourth quarter. Winnipeg went on to defeat Calgary by the final score of 24-11.
Winnipeg did what they needed to do and it was a nice win. Their defense did a heck of a job allowing 215 yards, with 34 tackles, two sacks, one interception, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros completed 20 of 28 passes (71.4%) for 231 yards, and two touchdowns. Running back Brady Oliveira had 15 carries for 73 yards, and wide receivers Greg McCrae, Rasheed Bailey, and Dalton Schoen combined with nine catches for 153 yards, and two touchdowns.
For Calgary, Jake Maier had a bad game completing 14 of 25 passes (56%) for 122 yards, and one interception. Running back Dedrick Mills had a good game for Calgary with 14 carries for 97 yards, and one touchdown, while wide receiver Reggie Begelton had four catches for 51 yards, and wide receiver Tre Odoms-Dukes had five catches for 44 yards.
Calgary’s defense allowed 307 yards, with 47 tackles, and three sacks. Calgary linebacker Micah Awe led the team with ten tackles.
Next Saturday, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit TD Place to battle the Ottawa Redblacks at 4 pm on CFL+, followed by the Calgary Stampeders against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 7 pm on CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2023 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
