The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-2) battled the B.C. Lions (6-2) for the second time this year on Thursday night from IG Field. The two teams met at IG Field in Week where the Lions routed the Blue Bombers 30-6 and Zach Collaros was sacked seven times in that game.
A lot has changed since their last matchup and the Blue Bombers reminded B.C. who is still the best team in the West. It didn’t take long for Winnipeg to make a statement.
On the third play of the first quarter, Zach Collaros threw a deep pass right into the hands of Dalton Schoen for a 71-yard touchdown. It was 7-0 Winnipeg with 12:10 left. The Blue Bombers added protection on the offensive line to give Collaros time to throw the ball.
On the next Winnipeg play, the Blue Bombers loaded the front line and Collaros threw a 57-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler with two B.C. players on him for a 14-0 lead with 9:06. Collaros completed three passes for 162 yards, and two touchdowns on eight plays.
When the Lions got the ball back for their third possession of the game, running back Taquan Mizzell rushed for a gain of 14 yards before quarterback Dane Evans threw a four-yard pass to Lucky Whitehead at the Blue Bombers’ 54-yard line.
They were unable to get a first down and punter Sean Flintoft punted the ball for 57 yards. The ball bounced in the endzone and out of bounds for a single point. It was now 14-1 with 6:54 left.
Later in the first quarter, Winnipeg’s defense came up with a big play when Demerio Houston intercepted Dane Evans’s pass intended for Alexander Hollins. However, Winnipeg could not take advantage of the turnover. The Lions had the ball late in the first quarter and made it to their 51-yard line. The Lions were down 14-1 at the end of the first quarter.
The Lions were unable to move the ball and Sean Flintoft punted the ball for 42 yards to the Blue Bombers’ 23-yard line. Nine plays later, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made a 37-yard field goal which made it 17-1 with 8:52 left.
When the Lions got the ball back, quarterback Dane Evans completed four of five passes for 48 yards. B.C. made it to the Blue Bombers’ nine-yard line before Sean Whyte converted a 16-yard field goal. It was now 17-4 Winnipeg with 3:55 left.
On the third play for Winnipeg, quarterback Zach Collaros threw a 20-yard pass to Drew Wolitarsky before throwing a 31-yard pass to Kenny Lawler. In addition, a defensive pass interference penalty on B.C.’s Jalon Edwards-Cooper moved the ball to the Lions’ three-yard line.
On the next play, running back Brady Oliveira ran up the middle untouched for a three-yard touchdown for a 24-4 lead with 1:55 left. Late in the second quarter, Winnipeg defensive back Brandon Alexander intercepted Dane Evans’s pass intended for Jevon Cottoy.
Evans suffered an upper-body injury and did not return to the game. Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo kicked a 16-yard field goal for a 27-4 lead at halftime.
Winnipeg had 317 yards on offense. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 13 of 18 passes (72.2%) for 280 yards, two touchdowns, and one interception. Running back Brady Oliveira had five carries for 16 yards and one touchdown.
Wide receivers Kenny Lawler and Dalton Schoen combined with eight catches logging 216 yards, and two touchdowns. The only mistake Winnipeg made was committing five penalties for 50 yards.
B.C. had 140 yards on offense. Quarterback Dane Evans completed 12 of 21 passes (57.1%) for 113 yards and two interceptions. Running back Taquan Mizzell had five carries for 24 yards, and wide receiver Lucky Whitehead had five catches for 39 yards. Dominique Davis was the new B.C. quarterback.
In the third quarter, Winnipeg continued its dominance. On the fifth play, Zach Collaros faked a handoff before throwing a 30-yard touchdown pass into the hands of Nic Demski for a 34-4 lead with 11:29 left.
On the kickoff, B.C. returner Kienan Lafrance returned the ball for 35 yards to their 45-yard line. B.C. only gained four yards before Sean Flintoft punted the ball for 80 yards into the endzone where Greg McCrae took a knee in the endzone for a single point. It was now 34-5 with 10:09 left.
For the rest of the third quarter, the two teams traded field goals. Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made a 23-yard field goal to make it 37-5 with 5:54 left, and B.C. kicker Sean Whyte kicked a 47-yard field goal which made it 37-8 with 3:33 left.
As the seconds ticked off at the end of the third quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros’s ball was intercepted by Marcus Moore at the Blue Bombers’ 55-yard line. In the fourth quarter, the Lions marched down to the Blue Bombers’ 18-yard line but failed to convert third down.
However, the Lions’ defense came up with a big play. Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira ran with the ball when Jalon Edwards-Cooper punched it out. Boseko Lokombo picked it up and ran for a 30-yard touchdown. The Lions tried a two-point conversion but did not get it. The score was now 37-14 with 9:10 left.
When Winnipeg got the ball back, running back Brady Oliveira ran through a hole created by the offensive line to score a 27-yard touchdown. The Lions’ defensive backs made little effort to tackle him. It was now 43-14 with 8:21 left.
After that score, the Blue Bombers put in their backup players. Dru Brown was the new quarterback for the Blue Bombers. On the third play, he threw a 14-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Schoen for a 50-14 lead with 3:28 left.
Many fans on social media were not happy about running up the score. These people failed to realize that for these backup players, this was their chance to show what they can do. In a year with a lot of quarterback injuries, backup players are looking to make a statement with the hopes of becoming starters one day in the CFL. Dru Brown is a name to keep your eye on down the road. He might draw interest from other CFL teams.
For the rest of the game, both teams were running out the clock with the Lions taking a knee to end the game. The Blue Bombers clobbered the Lions by the final score of 50-14.
This was a statement win by Winnipeg. They had this game marked on their calendar after getting beaten in Week 3. Now, these two teams won’t meet again until October. That should be some game.
Winnipeg had 447 yards on offense. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 19 of 27 passes (70.4%) for 369 yards, three touchdowns, and one interception. Running back Brady Oliveira had nine carries for 62 yards, two touchdowns, and one catch for seven yards.
Wide receivers Kenny Lawler and Dalton Schoen combined for 12 catches logging 337 yards, and two touchdowns. Winnipeg’s defense had 39 tackles, three sacks, and two interceptions.
The B.C. Lions had 230 yards on offense. They did not have a lot of big plays and struggled to puncture the Blue Bombers’ defense.
Quarterback Dominique Davis completed 8 of 18 passes (44.4%) for 76 yards, and six carries for 13 yards. Running back Taquan Mizzell had ten carries for 50 yards, and wide receiver Keon Hatcher had four catches for 60 yards. B.C.’s defense had 34 tackles, one sack, one interception, one forced fumble, and two fumble recoveries.
Next week, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit the Edmonton Elks on Thursday at 9 pm on CBS Sports Network, while the Lions host the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday 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.
