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
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.
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.
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.
Being harassed at work? What to consider when deciding what to do next
If you've been the victim of workplace harassment, it can be difficult to feel you're not alone - and even more difficult to know where to go with a complaint.
Sunshine list: These were the Ontario public sector's highest earners in 2023
Ontario released its annual sunshine list Thursday afternoon, noting that the largest year-over-year increases were in hospitals, municipalities, and post-secondary sectors.
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.
Half of Canadians support TikTok ban, with U.S. concerns 'trickling' north: poll
A new poll indicates 51 per cent of Canadians support banning the social media app TikTok, after a U.S. bill aiming to do just that passed in the House of Representatives.
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.
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.