Bombers defence dominates, Collaros tosses four TDs in 31-13 win over Riders
WINNIPEG -- Linebacker Adam Bighill relished the way the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defence bounced back from their worst performance of the season.
The defence forced six turnovers to key a 31-13 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders before a sold-out crowd of 33,234 fans at IG Field on Friday night.
Winnipeg, which had given up 48 points in a loss to the Hamilton Tiger-Cats two weeks ago, forced three turnovers on downs, a fumble and grabbed two interceptions to improve to 13-2 and clinch a home playoff game in the West.
"Our efficiency was pretty good," Bighill said. "I mean, we had (Riders quarterback) Cody (Fajardo) running all over the place. We made some big plays on third down, got some takeaways, which we've lacked in the last little bit. That's much more up to par."
Defensive backs Jamal Parker and Evan Holm picked off passes from two different quarterbacks while the Bombers stuffed Saskatchewan on two third-and-short gambles. The third turnover on downs was due to an incomplete pass. Safety Brandon Alexander also recovered a Fajardo fumble.
"That's exactly what we talked about before the game and to come out here and execute, you can see what that does for the game, what it does for our offence, see what it does for field position," Bighill said. "It's a huge deal. That was much more to our satisfaction."
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros completed 14-of-25 passes for 296 yards and four touchdowns. Collaros completed touchdown passes of 25 and 42 yards to slotback Nic Demski, 36 yards to wide receiver Rasheed Bailey and 64 yards to slotback Dalton Schoen. Kicker Marc Liegghio hit all four extra-point attempts and added a 22-yard field goal.
The 42-yarder to Demski and 64-yarder to Schoen in the fourth quarter salted the game away.
"It's huge scoring touchdowns," Collaros said. "It's kind of the name of the game, especially with a defence like ours that was really rolling tonight. Being able to make (it) a two-score football game really changes the way you get to call a game. The defence was great all night, as was the special teams."
Schoen scored his 11th TD of the season, which set a CFL record for a rookie receiver.
"That's not really something I think about or have given thought to," he said. "It's an honour and it's really humbling to have that happen and it's really special in hindsight."
Saskatchewan fell to 6-9 but remains in the crossover playoff picture.
"We did some good things tonight," said Fajardo. "We left a lot of plays on the field. We missed some plays, turned the ball over, stuff you can't do against the defending Grey Cup champs in back-to-back years.
"We know what we have in that room. We moved the ball well. We talk about it every time we play these guys. They clamp down when we get into the red zone and make it very difficult for us to score touchdowns. We kick some field goals and that's not how you win against them."
Fajardo completed 26-of-38 passes for 307 yards and had one interception. He also ran for a seven-yard TD.
"I didn't make plays when they had to be there," Fajardo said. "I dropped a snap, which I've never done in my career. Those are tough things to do when we're in the red zone. There's a lot of plays that swing the momentum. We got stuffed twice on third-and-one."
Riders head coach Craig Dickenson was encouraged by giving Winnipeg a scare when Saskatchewan closed to within 17-10 after Fajardo ran for a seven-yard touchdown.
"I thought we played a championship-calibre team pretty well tonight," he said. "Midway through the third, I think everyone thought we had a chance to beat them, including our own guys. We let it get away on a couple of big plays here and there. But that's a good football team and they know they played a good football team tonight, and I think we gained some respect across the room tonight."
Riders kicker Brett Lauther connected from 14 yards to close the deficit to 17-13 in the fourth. He also converted on a 25-yard field goal in the first and hit the extra-point after the team's lone TD.
The Riders, who are set to play the Tiger-Cats in Hamilton Oct. 7, see it as a must-win contest.
"Hamilton's a win-or-go-home mentality for us," Fajardo said. "If we win this game, we kind of control our own destiny a little bit. So, this is a playoff game for us to make the crossover. I think Hamilton knows that and it's gonna be a playoff atmosphere. We're excited about the opportunity."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 30, 2022.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'A beautiful soul': Funeral held for baby boy killed in wrong-way crash on Highway 401
A funeral was held on Wednesday for a three-month-old boy who died after being involved in a wrong-way crash on Highway 401 in Whitby last week.
'Sophisticated' cyberattacks detected on B.C. government networks, premier says
There has been a "sophisticated" cybersecurity breach detected on B.C. government networks, Premier David Eby confirmed Wednesday evening.
Police handcuff man trying to enter Drake's Toronto mansion
Toronto police say a man was taken into custody outside Drake's Bridle Path mansion Wednesday afternoon after he tried to gain access to the residence.
Biden says he will stop sending bombs and artillery shells to Israel if they launch major invasion of Rafah
U.S. President Joe Biden said for the first time Wednesday he would halt shipments of American weapons to Israel, which he acknowledged have been used to kill civilians in Gaza, if Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu orders a major invasion of the city of Rafah.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
Nijjar murder suspect says he had Canadian study permit in immigration firm's video
One of the Indian nationals accused of murdering British Columbia Sikh activist Hardeep Singh Nijjar says in a social media video that he received a Canadian study permit with the help of an Indian immigration consultancy.
Pfizer agrees to settle more than 10K lawsuits over Zantac cancer risk: Bloomberg News
Pfizer has agreed to settle more than 10,000 lawsuits about cancer risks related to the now discontinued heartburn drug Zantac, Bloomberg News reported on Wednesday, citing people familiar with the deal.
Quebec premier defends new museum on Quebecois nation after Indigenous criticism
Quebec Premier Francois Legault is defending his comments about a new history museum after he was accused by a prominent First Nations group of trying to erase their history.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his brain more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.