Bombers clinch first place in West Division with dominant win over the Lions
Zach Collaros passed for 267 yards and three touchdowns to help the Winnipeg Blue Bombers clinch first place in the CFL West Division with a dominant 45-0 blanking of the B.C. Lions on Saturday.
It was Winnipeg's eighth straight victory and boosted the club's record to 10-1 in front of 23,750 fans at IG Field, where the team will host the division final on Dec. 5.
The Bombers will host a divisional final for the first time since 2011 and the first West final since 1972. They also spent time in the East Division.
The loss dropped the Lions to 4-6 and extended their losing streak to four games.
The last time Winnipeg held an opponent scoreless was Oct. 13, 2018, in a 31-0 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
The defending Grey Cup-champion Bombers, who have a bye next week, earned touchdowns on offence, defence and special teams.
Kenny Lawler caught touchdown passes of 14 and five yards and Rasheed Bailey added another with a 17-yard reception. Kicker Ali Mourtada was good on six converts and Marc Liegghio booted a single. B.C. conceded two singles.
Second-year Bombers running back Brady Oliveira, making his fourth start this season in place of injured Andrew Harris, scored his first career TD on a two-yard run in the third quarter. The Winnipeg-born 24-year-old finished with 17 carries for 65 yards.
Winnipeg defensive end Willie Jefferson intercepted Lions quarterback Michael Reilly and ran 39 yards for his TD.
With 2:05 left in the game, Janarion Grant returned a punt 63 yards for a major.
Lions placekicker Jimmy Camacho missed a 46-yard field-goal attempt.
Collaros was replaced by Sean McGuire midway through the fourth quarter after completing 16-of-20 pass attempts with the three TDs and no interceptions. Reilly was 15-for-31 for 131 yards and one interception.
Winnipeg led 15-0 after the first quarter, 16-0 at halftime and 30-0 after the third.
Each of the Bombers' first-quarter TD drives featured big-yardage plays.
A Grant 32-yard punt return got the Bombers started at B.C.'s 34-yard line and then Lawler stretched up for his 14-yard catch in the end zone at 5:38.
B.C. conceded a single on the following kickoff and Winnipeg led 8-0.
Bombers receiver Darvin Adams burst down the field for a 52-yard catch-and-run, with B.C. defensive back Marcus Sayles (a former Bomber) making the TD-saving tackle. The drive ended with Bailey's 17-yard TD reception in the end zone at 11:10.
Reilly marched the Lions down to Winnipeg's 39-yard line late in the first quarter, but a dropped pass by Bryan Burnham and a knocked-down pass attempt halted the drive. Camacho then missed his field-goal try.
The Lions continued to start drives deep in their own end and had to concede a punt single with 1:51 left in the half to give Winnipeg a 16-0 lead.
At halftime, Reilly was 7-of-14 passing for 53 yards. Collaros was 12-for-15 for 206 yards.
Oliveira's TD run at 7:11 ended a 10-play, 88-drive that was aided by a pass-interference penalty on B.C., and one for roughing the passer that was unsuccessfully challenged by Lions head coach Rick Campbell.
After Jefferson intercepted Reilly and ran into the end zone, he rolled and then got up to celebrate with his defensive teammates and strut with the football to cheers of fans.
Lawler's second TD at 1:57 of the fourth quarter came after a B.C. turnover on downs.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 23, 2021.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
The kids from 'Mrs. Doubtfire' are all SUPER grown up now, and we're not OK
The adorable trio of child actors from the 1993 classic comedy 'Mrs. Doubtfire,' which starred the late and great Robin Williams, are all grown up and looking back on their seminal time together.
Two killed after collision with truck on Hwy. 417 near Limoges, Ont.
Ontario Provincial Police say two people were killed after a car and a transport truck collided in the westbound lanes of Highway 417 near Limoges, Ont. on Tuesday afternoon.
Houston braces for flooding to worsen in wake of storms
High waters flooded neighborhoods around Houston on Saturday following heavy rains that have already resulted in crews rescuing hundreds of people from homes, rooftops and roads engulfed in murky water.
‘We made them safer and more fun’: Here’s what’s new about e-scooters
Electric scooters (e-scooters) have been gaining popularity in the capital and this season comes with some changes and updates.
A Chinese driver is praised for helping reduce casualties in a highway collapse that killed 48
A Chinese truck driver was praised in local media Saturday for parking his vehicle across a highway and preventing more cars from tumbling down a slope after a section of the road in the country's mountainous south collapsed and killed at least 48 people.
Canadian Auger-Aliassime reaches first Masters final in Madrid with another walkover
Montreal's Felix Auger-Aliassime has advanced to his first ATP Masters final, and he hasn't had to play all that much tennis to do it.
Canadian doctor concerned new weight-loss drug Wegovy may be used inappropriately
As Wegovy becomes available to Canadians starting Monday, a medical expert is cautioning patients wanting to use the drug to lose weight that no medication is a ''magic bullet,' and the new medication is meant particularly for people who meet certain criteria related to obesity and weight.
Quebec man who threatened Trudeau, Legault online sentenced to 20 months in jail
A Quebec man who pleaded guilty to threatening Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Premier François Legault has been sentenced to 20 months in jail.
Drew Carey is never quitting 'The Price Is Right'
Drew Carey took over as host of 'The Price Is Right' and hopes he’s there for life. 'I'm not going anywhere,' he told 'Entertainment Tonight' of the job he took over from longtime host Bob Barker in 2007.