The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-6) visited Mosaic Stadium on Sunday night in the annual Labour Day Classic game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-6-1). This was the second meeting of the season. They last met in Week 7 where the Roughriders won the game 19-9. A lot has changed since their last meeting. In this game, they were battling for first place in the West Division.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, both teams went two-and-out on their first possessions of the game. On Winnipeg’s second possession, they went on an 8-play drive for 86 yards before backup quarterback Chris Streveler scored a three-yard touchdown. The Blue Bombers took a 7-0 lead with 6:50 left of the first quarter.
Saskatchewan responded on their next drive. Quarterback Trevor Harris led the team to a 10-play drive for 68 yards. Then, he threw a nice 12-yard touchdown pass right into the hands of Shawn Bane Jr., and the game was tied 7-7 with 11 seconds left.
On the last play of the first quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw a 4-yard pass to Lucky Whitehead. The game remained tied 7-7 at the end of the first quarter.
Winnipeg had 89 yards on offense (88 yards passing, 6 yards rushing, 5 yards lost), 5 first downs, and 1 for 1 in the red zone. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 6 of 8 passes for 88 yards. Saskatchewan had 80 yards on offense (68 yards passing, 12 yards rushing), 6 first downs, and 1 for 1 in the red zone. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 6 of 11 passes for 68 yards, and one touchdown.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros attempted to complete a pass to Ontaria Wilson but Saskatchewan defensive back Marcus Sayles stepped in front of Wilson to make the interception and returned it for two yards reaching the Blue Bombers’ 41-yard line with 14:29 left.
Saskatchewan’s offense took advantage of the turnover. On the third play, quarterback Trevor Harris threw an 18-yard pass to Dhonte Meyers reaching the Blue Bombers’ 18-yard line. Two plays later, Harris threw an 18-yard touchdown to Dhonte Meyers and the Roughriders took a 14-7 lead with 11:56 left capping off a five-play drive for 41 yards.
Winnipeg’s offense started with the ball on their 29-yard line. They went six plays for 37 yards reaching the Roughriders’ 44-yard line. On the next play, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw a deep pass to Nic Demski up the middle. Demski was not touched as he ran for a 44-yard touchdown.
The game was tied 14-14 with 7:30 left of the second quarter. On the kickoff, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo kicked the ball 99 yards into the endzone for a single point. It was now 15-14 Blue Bombers with 7:20 left before halftime. Saskatchewan went two-and-out on their next play and punted the ball back to Winnipeg with 6:17 left.
Winnipeg’s offense reached their 50-yard line before the drive stalled. However, they caught a break when Winnipeg punter Jamieson Sheahan punted the ball 48 yards in the direction of Mario Alford. The ball went through Alford’s hand touching him making it a live ball. The ball bounced right into the hands of Winnipeg special team’s player Nick Hallett for a 7-yard touchdown extending their lead 22-14 with 3:41 left before halftime.
Saskatchewan would go two-and-out again giving the ball to Winnipeg with 2:24 left before halftime. On the sixth play, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros took a blow to the head by Miles Brown plus a defensive pass interference penalty by Deontai Williams placed the ball on the one-yard line. Zach Collaros did not return to the game. Backup quarterback Chris Streveler scored a one-yard touchdown with a quarterback sneak for a 29-14 lead with 1:16 left capping off a 7-play drive for 81 yards.
Saskatchewan had the ball for the final 1:08 left of the second quarter. They reached their 52-yard line before punting the ball on the final play of the second quarter. The Roughriders trailed the Blue Bombers 29-14.
First Half Stats:
Winnipeg had 254 yards on offense (218 yards passing, 41 yards rushing, 5 yards lost), 15 first downs, and 2 for 2 in the red zone. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 12 of 18 passes (66%) for 218 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for 9 yards. Running back Brady Oliveira had 5 carries for 18 yards.
Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson made three catches for 75 yards, and Kenny Lawler made three catches for 54 yards. Winnipeg’s defense made one sack. They were penalized two times for 15 yards.
Saskatchewan had 149 yards on offense (125 yards passing, 31 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 11 first downs, and 2 for 2 in the red zone. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 10 of 20 passes (50%) for 125 yards, 2 touchdowns, and two carries for 18 yards. Running back Frankie Hickson had five carries for 13 yards and two catches for 20 yards.
Wide receiver Dhonte Meyers made three catches for 48 yards, and one touchdown, and Shawn Baine Jr. made two catches for 16 yards and one touchdown. Saskatchewan’s defense made one sack and one interception. They were penalized two times for 32 yards.
Third Quarter:
Saskatchewan started with the football to begin the third quarter from their 20-yard line. They went on a five-play drive for 43 yards before kicker Brett Lauther made a 55-yard field goal and the Roughriders trailed the Blue Bombers 29-17 with 11:39 left.
Chris Streveler was the new quarterback for Winnipeg. They went two-and-out on their first drive of the third quarter and punted the ball to Saskatchewan’s 35-yard line with 10:31 left. The Roughriders went on a five-play drive for 43 yards before kicker Brett Lauther made a 25-yard field goal and the Roughriders trailed the Blue Bombers 29-20 with 4:44 left.
Winnipeg quarterback Chris Streveler started the next drive by completing a 10-yard pass to Nic Demski reaching their 50-yard line. Running back Brady Oliveira carried the ball three times for 15 yards before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 52-yard field goal for a 32-20 with 1:30 left capping off an 8-play drive for 70 yards.
Saskatchewan went two-and-out and punted the ball to the Blue Bombers’ 26-yard line. On the last play of the third quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Chris Streveler threw a 9-yard pass to Brady Oliveira reaching their 35-yard line. They led the Roughriders 32-20 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Winnipeg ran three plays for 10 yards before punting the ball to Saskatchewan’s 30-yard line with 12:11 left. Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed 4 of 5 passes for 64 yards reaching the Blue Bombers’ 16-yard line. Running back Frankie Hickson rushed for a gain of four yards, and Harris threw a 7-yard pass to KeeSean Johnson to reach the Blue Bombers’ 5-yard line.
On the next play, Harris froze the defense with a pump fake before throwing a 5-yard touchdown pass to KeeSean Johnson and the Roughriders trailed the Blue Bombers 32-27 with 7:31 left of the game capping off an eight-play drive for 70 yards.
In the next two series, both offenses combined to get two first downs before their drives stalled. Winnipeg had the ball with 2:43 left of the game from their 51-yard line. Quarterback Chris Streveler threw a 10-yard pass to Nic Demski and running back Brady Oliveira rushed for one yard before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 56-yard field goal for a 35-27 lead with 1:35 left of the game.
Saskatchewan’s offense was back out with 1:29 left from their 21-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw seven passes for 62 yards reaching the Blue Bombers’ 27-yard line facing third down. On third down, Harris threw the ball up in the air and Samuel Emilus leaped up in the air with Evan Holm on him to make the catch on the one-yard line.
On the next play, Trevor Harris scored the touchdown with a quarterback sneak. They went for the two-point conversion to tie the game but missed it. The Roughriders trailed the Blue Bombers 35-33 with 14 seconds left.
Saskatchewan set up for the onside kick. The ball went 10 yards and Adam Auclair recovered the ball for Saskatchewan on their 46-yard line. Trevor Harris attempted to complete a long pass to Ajou Ajou but it went incomplete. However, a defensive pass interference penalty on Evan Holm placed the ball on the Blue Bombers’ 52-yard line.
Kicker Brett Lauther had a chance to win the game but he missed a 60-yard field goal short of the goal post. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders 35-33 and now sit in first place in the West Division.
Final Stats:
Winnipeg had 327 yards on offense (264 yards passing, 68 yards rushing, 5 yards lost), 20 first downs, and 2 for 2 in the red zone. Quarterback Chris Streveler completed 4 of 6 passes (66%) for 46 yards, 7 carries for 12 yards, and 2 touchdowns. Running back Brady Oliveira had 12 carries for 42 yards, and one catch for 9 yards.
Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson made three catches for 75 yards, and Nic Demski made three catches for 64 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Sergio Castillo made 2 of 2 field goals with a long of 56 yards. Winnipeg’s defense made 44 tackles, one tackle for loss, two sacks, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and 9 tackles on special teams. They were penalized four times for 42 yards.
Saskatchewan had 423 yards on offense (368 yards passing, 64 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 30 first downs, and 4 for 5 in the red zone. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 30 of 49 passes (61.2%) for 368 yards, three touchdowns, four carries for 27 yards, and one touchdown. Running back Frankie Hickson had 10 carries for 32 yards.
Wide receiver Dhonte Meyers made five catches for 86 yards, and one touchdown, and KeeSean Johnson made eight catches for 84 yards and one touchdown. Saskatchewan kicker Brett Lauther made 2 of 3 field goals with a long of 55 yards. Saskatchewan’s defense made 35 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one interception, and eight tackles on special teams. They were penalized three times for 42 yards.
Final Thoughts:
Winnipeg suffered two major losses in this game with quarterback Zach Collaros (concussion) and linebacker Adam Bighill (left knee) that affected them. Winnipeg’s offense struggled in the second half with 73 yards on offense. They were in survival mode and Saskatchewan crawled their way back into the game and made it interesting in the end.
Depending on how long Collaros is out, the Blue Bombers should sign another quarterback tomorrow. They have Terry Wilson as the third-string quarterback and he could start some games for them while Collaros is recovering. However, there are guys out there who are hungry for a chance to play and Winnipeg should consider signing a quarterback.
With all due respect, Chris Streveler is not it. He is a good short-yardage guy but not someone who can fill in at quarterback. The quarterbacks who come to my mind as someone the Blue Bombers should sign are Bryan Scott, Jake Dolegala, and Mason Fine. These quarterbacks have seen action in the CFL and they are good candidates for Winnipeg.
Saskatchewan’s offense had a nice second half with 274 yards. Trevor Harris was throwing the ball all over the place but I felt Winnipeg’s defense at times sniffed out some of his throws. I wish they would have gotten Frankie Hickson more involved with the running game because there were times that the offensive line created holes and Hickson could have had a big game on the ground.
Wide receiver Dhonte Meyers continues to make a name for himself and takes advantage of his playing time. What I like about the guy is he creates separation with his speed and the Winnipeg secondary had a hard time keeping up with him. He is someone who is going to be a factor for the foreseeable future.
I know many will look at the West Division and say it is not good. However, I beg to differ. The West Division race is exciting and everyone in that division has a chance to win it. The one downfall of this division is they are not good on the road. These teams are a combined 8-21-1 on the road and I see this record improving as it gets closer to the end of the season.
Next week, these two teams will meet again in the Banjo Bowl on Saturday at 3 pm on CTV and CFL+. Subscribe to Fubo to watch all of the 2024 CFL Season. Purchase CFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
