Bombers come out on top of defensive showdown against Riders

The Winnipeg Blue Bombers managed to edge out the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Friday evening, narrowly avoiding a season sweep at the hands of their West Division rival. With points hard to come by for both teams, it took a Sergio Castillo walk-off field goal for the Bombers to get over the line at Princess Auto Stadium as they claimed a 17-16 win at home.

Ontaria Wilson got the scoring started for Winnipeg on a 28-yard touchdown catch but Castillo’s leg was relied upon for the rest of his team’s points, including the game-winning kick. Brady Oliveira was a bright spot for the Bombers’ offence, gaining 75 yards on the ground and catching three passes for 29 yards. Zach Collaros finished 15-24, throwing for 182 yards, a touchdown, and an interception.

Having already secured top spot in the West Division, the Roughriders elected to sit many of their key personnel including Trevor Harris, A.J. Ouellette, and Marcus Sayles. Jake Maier got the start at quarterback for the visitors, going 15-20 for 123 passing yards before making way for Jack Coan in the fourth.

Coan ran in his team’s only touchdown shortly after Winnipeg fumbled away the opening kickoff. Receiver Mitchell Picton led the way for the Saskatchewan receiving room, reeling in five catches for 71 yards.

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It wasn’t the start the home team was looking for as Trey Vaval fumbled the opening kickoff. On their first play from scrimmage, a flea flicker from the Riders led to a defensive pass interference call against Demerio Houston, bringing the Riders to Winnipeg’s one-yard line. Coan broke the plane with his quarterback sneak, putting Saskatchewan up 7-0 just over a minute into the contest.

Winnipeg responded well after going down early. Gavin Cobb collected two catches for first downs on a seven-play drive which was capped off with a 28-yard touchdown pass from Collaros to Wilson. Castillo knocked in the extra point to tie things up at 7-7.

Mario Alford dashed down the left sideline for a 54-yard kick return following the Winnipeg touchdown, setting up the Saskatchewan offence in Winnipeg territory for their second offensive possession of the ballgame. Back-to-back tackles for loss by the Winnipeg defence meant it would only be a field goal try for the Riders. Brett Lauther delivered from 39 yards out to put the away team ahead 10-7 midway through the opening quarter.

Oliveira brought out the hurdle on a 22-yard catch-and-run for the Bombers on the ensuing drive. A couple of plays later, former Roughrider Jerreth Sterns picked up 28 yards on a jet sweep to create a first-and-goal opportunity for his team. The Bombers couldn’t make their way into the end zone from six yards out, resulting in a Castillo chip shot.

The four straight scoring drives to start the game were followed up with six consecutive punts as the scoring slowed down in the second quarter. A James Vaughters sack on Maier set Saskatchewan back 13 yards early in the quarter, while an Antoine Brooks Jr. takedown on Collaros meant that Winnipeg would quickly follow up with a two-and-out.

The Bombers jumped into a narrow lead with a rouge off of a Jamieson Sheahan punt after the first half’s three-minute warning. Chris Streveler came up short on a third-down rush bringing the Riders’ offence back onto the field with less than a minute remaining in the first half. A trio of completion by Maier brought Lauther into field goal range and he made a 42-yard kick to give Saskatchewan a 13-11 lead at the half.

A bad exchange between Maier and Mario Anderson Jr. resulted in a fumble recovery by Jaiden Woodbey gave Winnipeg a fortunate break right after halftime. Brooks Jr. wrapped up Collaros for a sack to bring Castillo onto the field. He kicked in a 23-yard field goal to put the Blue Bombers up 14-13.

After the two teams traded punts, the scoring would resume with Lauther’s third make of the evening. His 31-yard field goal finished off a drive which included three straight receptions by Picton, with the latter two good for first downs as the Riders head into the final quarter with a 16-14 advantage.

Coan came in at quarterback for the Riders’ first possession of the fourth, but he and the offence could only come up with a two-and-out. The Collaros led Bombers would follow suit with a two-and-out of their own as second-half scores remained elusive.

An impressive contested catch by Picton got the Riders 30 yards, setting up Lauther with a 49-yard attempt. His attempt flew wide right and into the hands of Vaval, who returned the kick all the way to midfield. The Bombers were unable to move the chains however, punting it back to the Riders.

Winnipeg started their next possession at midfield and this time worked their way into field goal range following a 20-yard passing play from Collaros to Keric Wheatfall. Collaros was picked off by DaMarcus Field on his next pass which was intended for Sterns. Fortunately for the hosts, Saskatchewan couldn’t manage any points off of the turnover, instead kicking it back to Winnipeg at the three-minute warning.

Down two and needing a score, Oliveira got his squad into field goal range with a 16-yard rush. A couple of plays later, Streveler got through a pile on third down to keep the drive alive. The Bombers killed some clock before allowing Castillo to come onto the field for his third kick of the game. He made no mistake, nailing the walk-off from 22 yards out to give Winnipeg a 17-16 win.

In Week 21, the Blue Bombers will host the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday, October 25. Later that day, the Roughriders will round out their regular season with a matchup against the BC Lions at home.