The B.C. Lions (2-1) visited Princess Auto Stadium on Friday night against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (0-3). The last time the Lions played at Princess Auto Stadium was the 2023 Western Final where the Blue Bombers beat them to go to the 110th Grey Cup. These two teams have met in the last two Western Finals. On this night, the two teams were engaged in a game of chess. For one team, the skies were the limit while the other has more questions than answers.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, B.C. Lions quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. got Winnipeg’s defenders to freeze for a couple of seconds before throwing a deep pass to wide receiver Alexander Hollins who made the catch. Hollins dangled around a couple of defenders before scoring a 71-yard touchdown for a 7-0 lead with 12:04 left. The drive went for five plays for 84 yards.
Later in the first quarter, B.C. went on a five-play drive for 18 yards before kicker Sean Whyte made a 12-yard field goal for a 10-0 lead with 7:32 left. Winnipeg’s offense got off to a slow start early in the first quarter going two-and-out on their first possession of the game.
On their second possession of the game, the Blue Bombers used the last 7:18 left of the first quarter mixing up a few running and passing plays keeping the Lions on their toes. The drive went for 14 plays for 70 yards ending when backup quarterback Chris Streveler scored a one-yard touchdown using a quarterback sneak as time expired. The Lions led the Blue Bombers 10-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Second Quarter:
On the ninth play for B.C. in the second quarter, quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a short pass to offensive lineman Andrew Peirson playing tight end for a gain of 13 yards before he was tackled at the Winnipeg’s 21-yard line. The Lions got as far as the Blue Bombers’ 7-yard line before kicker Sean Whyte made a 14-yard field goal making it 13-7 with 8:04 left of the second quarter.
Later in the second quarter, B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw an 18-yard pass to Travis Fulgham. Fulgham was running with the football when Marquise Bridges stripped the ball away from Fulgham and it was recovered by Brandon Alexander on their 32-yard line with 2:01 left.
Late in the second quarter, Winnipeg began to put a drive together marching down the field to the Lions’ five-yard line. On the final play of the second quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw an incomplete pass intended for wide receiver Dalton Schoen. The Lions led the Blue Bombers 13-7 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
B.C. had 241 yards on offense (163 yards passing, 73 yards rushing). Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 9 of 14 passes (64.3%) for 163 yards, one touchdown and three carries for 24 yards. The offensive line gets a lot of credit for protecting Adams Jr. in the first half.
Winnipeg could not touch him and he had all day to throw the football. At times, Adams Jr. did scramble out of the pocket to make plays and for the most part, he was successful.
Running back William Stanback had 10 carries for 54 yards. Wide receiver Alexander Hollins made three catches for 96 yards, one touchdown, while Travis Fulgham made two catches for 15 yards. B.C.’s defense made one sack and two tackles for loss.
Winnipeg had 127 yards on offense (89 yards passing, 48 yards rushing, 10 yards lost). Quarterback Zach Collaros completed (77%) for 89 yards. Running back Brady Oliveira had five carries for 21 yards, while backup quarterback Chris Streveler had six carries for 15 yards, and one touchdown.
Wide receiver Dalton Schoen made four catches for 36 yards, and Nic Demski made two catches for 22 yards. Winnipeg’s defense had one tackle for loss.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, B.C.’s offense got going when quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw two passes for 39 yards to both Alexander Hollins and Justin McInnis. Two plays later, Adams Jr. was positioned in a shotgun formation. He dropped back finding that there was a busted coverage with Alexander Hollins wide open before throwing a 29-yard touchdown to him for a 20-7 lead with 10:40 left.
With 10:18 left, Winnipeg’s offense went on an eight-play drive for 84 yards ending with backup quarterback Chris Streveler scoring a one-yard touchdown using the quarterback sneak. The score was now 20-14 B.C.
Late in the third quarter, Winnipeg’s offense was back out on the field with 2:23 left. On the last play of the third quarter, quarterback Zach Collaros threw a 21-yard pass to Nic Demski at the B.C.’s 43-yard line. B.C. led 20-14 at the end of the third quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Winnipeg continued its march before backup quarterback Chris Streveler scored a two-yard touchdown using the quarterback sneak and suddenly, Winnipeg took its first lead of the night 21-20 with 12:35 left in the game.
When B.C. got the ball back, Winnipeg’s defense tried to hold the fort down but B.C. quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. kept picking them apart throwing three passes for 51 yards. However, Winnipeg did stop B.C. in its tracks and kicker Sean Whyte initially made a 26-yard field goal. However, a time count violation on B.C. moved the ball back five yards. That did not phase Whyte, who made a 31-yard field goal giving the Lions a 23-21 lead with 8:46 left in the game.
Later in the fourth quarter, Winnipeg would get the lead back when kicker Sergio Castillo made a 25-yard field goal for a 24-23 lead with 5:28 left. Late in the fourth quarter, B.C. would take the lead once and for all when kicker Sean Whyte made a 42-yard field goal for a 26-24 lead with 2:37 left.
With 1:54 left in the game, Winnipeg’s defense needed to make a stop. B.C. put the game away when quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. threw a 63-yard pass to Alexander Hollins and the crowd at Winnipeg fell silent. B.C. went into victory formation and they defeated the Winnipeg Blue Bombers by the final score of 26-24.
Final Stats:
B.C. had 500 yards on offense (398 yards passing, 107 yards rushing, five yards lost). Quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. completed 21 of 33 passes (64%) for 398 yards, two touchdowns, and five carries for 24 yards.
Running back William Stanback had 16 carries for 83 yards. Wide receiver Alexander Hollins made seven catches for 215 yards, and two touchdowns while Justin McInnis made six catches for 95 yards. Kicker Sean Whyte made four field goals with a long of 42 yards. B.C.’s defense made 46 tackles, five tackles for loss, and one sack.
Winnipeg had 339 yards on offense (247 yards passing, 102 yards rushing, 10 yards lost). Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 23 of 30 passes (77%) for 247 yards. Running back Brady Oliveira had nine carries for 64 yards, while backup quarterback Chris Streveler had 10 carries for 24 yards, and three touchdowns.
Wide receiver Nic Demski made eight catches for 94 yards, while Drew Wolitarsky made seven catches for 72 yards, and Dalton Schoen made five catches for 54 yards. Kicker Sergio Castillo made one field goal for 25 yards. Winnipeg’s defense made 38 tackles, seven tackles on special teams, two tackles for loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Final Thoughts:
For the second week in a row, B.C. scored a total of 26 points to beat their opponents. They did it against Calgary last week and Winnipeg on Friday night. The offensive line did a nice job protecting quarterback Vernon Adams Jr. Winnipeg’s defense could not figure out how to get to him giving him chances to complete plays.
One player who needs to step up is wide receiver Travis Fulgham. He was targeted eight times making three catches for 33 yards and unfortunately, he fumbled the ball. Fulgham can be a dynamic threat but the mistakes like these might cost him playing time on the field. He has to work on getting wide open and making plays when it comes his way.
Injuries were another issue in this game. Among the injuries in this game, Winnipeg wide receiver Nic Demski was injured in the third quarter and missed several plays, and B.C. linebacker Ben Hladik suffered an injury in the fourth quarter. The good news was the injuries did not seem serious and they returned to the game.
For the first time since 2012, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers start the season 0-3. In 2012, the Blue Bombers finished the season 6-12 missing the playoffs when they were in the Eastern Division. While they played better, there are still a lot of questions surrounding this team. The offensive line did a decent job however they gave up one sack.
Quarterback Zach Collaros did a better job on the field and his receivers were making plays. Bringing back quarterback Chris Streveler is so far paying off since he scored the Blue Bombers’ only touchdowns in this game. Defense is Winnipeg’s weakness.
They have given up a total of 1,345 yards in three games. That is not good if they still want to get back to the Grey Cup. I still say it is not time to panic on this team but in a few weeks if things continue to escalate like this then it’s time to worry if you are a Blue Bombers fan.
Next Thursday, the B.C. Lions host the Edmonton Elks at 10 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit the Calgary Stampeders on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN and CBS Sports Network. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
