Blue Bombers crush Roughriders 33-9 in Banjo Bowl with five touchdowns from their QBs
A pair of Blue Bombers quarterbacks led the team to victory on Saturday afternoon.
Starting QB Zach Collaros completed 18-of-22 passes for 278 yards and two touchdowns while Sean McGuire, his backup, scored three touchdowns as the Bombers trounced the Saskatchewan Roughriders 33-9 in a CFL slugfest.
The game was played before a sold-out Banjo Bowl crowd of 33,134 fully-vaccinated fans at IG Field.
Saskatchewan starting quarterback Cody Fajardo was removed from the game midway through the third quarter due to concussion protocol after he was sacked by Willie Jefferson. Fajardo, who had completed 11-of-17 passes for 169 yards at the time, was replaced by Isaac Harker.
The game was also marred by a second-quarter brawl that resulted in two Roughriders getting ejected.
With back-to-back wins over the Riders, Winnipeg improved to 5-1 on the season and remained in sole possession of top spot in the West Division. Saskatchewan dropped to 3-2 and remained in second.
With the Bombers up 19-9 early in the fourth quarter, Collaros completed a 30-yard touchdown toss to wide receiver Darvin Adams to finish off a five-play 76-yard drive. Collaros followed that up with a 52-yard touchdown pass to slotback Kennny Lawler late in the game.
McGuire had scored his third touchdown of the game with his third one-yard quarterback sneak midway through the third quarter to give Winnipeg that 19-9 lead.
The Bombers grabbed a 12-9 lead on McGuire's second one-yard touchdown of the first half. That's when a brawl broke out with punches thrown, at least one facemask grabbed, players piling onto each other and flags flying all over the end zone.
As a result, Saskatchewan defensive lineman Garrett Marino and defensive back A.J. Hendy were ejected from the game. No Bombers were ejected.
Kicker Marc Liegghio, who was short on a 48-yard field goal attempt, missed his second convert of the half.
The Roughriders had taken a 9-6 lead on a 30-yard field goal by Brett Lauther.
The Roughriders knotted the score at 6-6 early in the second quarter when Lauther kicked a 24-yard field goal.
Winnipeg had taken a slim 6-3 lead over the Riders into the second quarter. McGuire capped off a 13-play, 79-yard drive with a one-yard touchdown on a sneak. Liegghio's convert attempt was wide.
Saskatchewan had opened the scoring on its first possession when Lauther connected on a 25-yard field goal.
Saskatchewan next plays host to the Toronto Argonauts on Friday while the Bombers travel to Edmonton to play the Elks on Saturday.
This report was first published by the Canadian Press on Sept. 11.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.