It was a game filled with lead changes, big plays, and huge momentum swings.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers outlasted the Calgary Stampeders 41-37 in a pretty wild affair on Friday at Princess Auto Stadium for their second straight victory, improving to 2-4 on the season.
Returning to the starting lineup after sitting out last week with a thorax injury, quarterback Zach Collaros finally threw his first touchdown pass of the season in the first half. He had another with just over three minutes left for the go ahead touchdown to give the Bombers the lead for good.
Between the lead changes and the five turnovers, it was CFL football at it’s finest.
“Certainly an odd one,” said head coach Mike O’Shea. “Just seemed to be an odd play or something odd going on inserted every 10 or 12 plays.
“Just some weird stuff going on out there.”
The two teams combined for 78 points and 902 net yards which are both season highs for a single game this year in the CFL.
Collaros had by far his best game of the season and finished with 344 yards passing with two touchdowns and two interceptions for his first win of the year.
“Always feels good to win at home,” he said. “Can play better. We can all play better, myself first and foremost. But it’s good to get a win at home.”
With Dalton Schoen and Kenny Lawler both still sidelined, receiver Ontaria Wilson stepped up with 13 catches for 201 yards with one TD.
“Never been over 200,” said Wilson. “That’s a milestone.
“I knew I was going to get a couple shots, so I expected to have well over a hundred.”
“He can play,” Collaros said. “He can waggle. He can play on the ball.
“The more reps these guys get, the better and better they’re gonna get and he’s showing it.”
The Bombers finished the game with a season-high 444 yards of net offence as Brady Oliveira rushed for 109 yards.
The Bombers forced three turnovers but the defence also gave up several big plays.
“That very first drive they just went right down on, I thought, two really big plays, two explosives,” said O’Shea. “And marched down. I didn’t think we had our legs with us yet. I don’t think we were running, right. We were watching and waiting for someone else to make a play.”
It was their last meeting of the season, and after a three-point overtime loss in their first matchup, the Bombers took the season series in the event of a tie in the standings at the end of the season thanks to a four-point win.
13 of their last 15 meetings have been decided in the final three minutes.
The Stamps fall to 2-3 and are still winless on the road this season.
The Stampeders offence got off to a quick start. Jalen Philpot had a 53 yard reception on the very first play from scrimmage. The Bombers made a couple of goal line stops but Tommy Stevens scored on a third down quarterback sneak from the one-yard line for an early seven point advantage.
It was a pretty wild first five minutes to the contest. Collaros was intercepted by Tre Roberson on their first offensive possession. But only two plays later the Bombers defence took the ball back as Tyrell Ford picked off Stamps QB Jake Maier. The Bombers turned that into a Sergio Castillo field goal and they scored another three-pointer following a Stamps fumble and it was 7-6 after a quarter.
Late in the half with it 13-9, Collaros finally ended his touchdown pass drought. Wilson made a fantastic catch in the end zone with a man draped all over him, a 30 yard strike for his first career touchdown reception.
And just two plays later Deatrick Nichols returned an interception for a touchdown and suddenly the Bombers had all the momentum up 23-13.
But the pendulum quickly swung back in the Stamps favour when Erik Brooks found the end zone on a 32 yard reception less than a minute later.
It was 23-23 after a high-octane 46-point first half.
Castillo’s streak of successful field goal attempts ended at 15 in the 3rd quarter when he missed a 55-yarder.
After Collaros was intercepted by Roberson again, a blocked punt by Tanner Cadwallader gave the Bombers the ball back with great field position. Chris Streveler eventually punched it from three yards out to lead by a touchdown.
But Stevens second touchdown run of the night to start the fourth quarter tied the game at 30.
The Stamps took the lead back with a little over seven minutes left after Marken Michel recorded the touchdown catch.
But with just three minutes to go Nic Demski made the catch and ran it in for the game winning touchdown. And they successfully made the two-point convert for the four-point victory.
Bombers rookie Owen Hubert made his first career start. He’s the fourth different player to start at defensive end opposite Willie Jefferson this season. Austria’s Lucky Ogbevoen made his CFL debut as Hubert’s backup.
The Bombers will renew the prairie rivalry next week with a matchup against the Saskatchewan Roughriders next Friday in Regina.
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