The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (1-0) kicked off Week 2 on Thursday night against the B.C. Lions (1-1) from Princess Auto Stadium. Chris Streveler was the starting quarterback for Winnipeg as Zach Collaros served a one-game suspension.
First Quarter:
Winnipeg got the ball to start the game. Kick returner Matthew Peterson returned the opening kickoff for 22 yards to their 30-yard line. Winnipeg’s offense went to work. Running back Brady Oliveira started the series with two carries for 49 yards, including a 43-yard run, and quarterback Chris Streveler threw an 11-yard pass to Nic Demski to reach B.C.’s 20-yard line.
The bad news after Oliveria’s second carry was he left the game with an upper-body injury. Winnipeg finished the drive off when Chris Streveler threw a 20-yard touchdown pass into the hands of Nic Demski, who extended his arms to make the catch for a 7-0 lead with 12:19 left. It was a four-play drive for 80 yards in two minutes and twenty-four seconds.
B.C. struggled in the first quarter with 48 yards on offense. Quarterback Nathan Rourke had a hard time finding someone open completing one pass for six yards. Winnipeg’s defense did a good job deflecting passes and Marquise Bridges intercepted Rourke after the ball deflected off the hands of Justin McInnis. The turnover would lead to a Sergio Castillo 49-yard field goal extending their lead to 10-0 with 6:20 left.
Late in the first quarter, B.C. quarterback Rourke took off for a 36-yard run. He was stepping out of bounds when Dedrick Nichols hit him to tack on 15 more yards. It would lead to B.C. kicker Sean Whyte making a 21-yard field goal. Winnipeg led 10-3 to end the first quarter.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Chris Streveler’s pass was intercepted by Garry Peters. B.C.’s offense continued to struggle and punted the ball back to Winnipeg.
No Brady Oliveria, no problem, Winnipeg’s offense did not miss a beat. Running back Matthew Peterson during the drive had five carries for 60 yards, including a 38-yard rushing touchdown for a 17-3 lead with 7:18 left. In that touchdown, Winnipeg’s offensive line did a solid job opening up a hole for Peterson and he made a nice juke move to avoid a tackle.
Moving ahead into the action, Winnipeg punter Jamieson Sheahan punted the ball 59 yards before the ball hit the pylon for a single point. It was now 18-3 with 3:10 left.
Late in the second quarter, B.C.’s offense started to build momentum. On the second play, quarterback Nathan Rourke threw a 49-yard pass to Ayden Eberhardt to Winnipeg’s 27-yard line. B.C. moved the ball up to the two-yard line, where Rourke scored the touchdown and it was now 18-10 heading into halftime. The drive went for eight plays for 77 yards.
First Half Stats:
Winnipeg’s offense had 210 yards (79 yards passing, 134 yards rushing), 11 first downs, and 1 for 1 in the red zone. The only problem they had in the first half was penalties. They were penalized five times for 65 yards. Quarterback Chris Streveler completed 7 of 13 passes (54%) for 79 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for four yards.
Running back Matthew Peterson had 10 carries for 77 yards, and one touchdown, and wide receiver Nic Demski made three catches for 49 yards and one touchdown. The defense made one sack, one tackle for loss, and one interception.
B.C.’s offense had 133 yards (67 yards passing, 74 yards rushing), seven first downs, and 1 for 2 in the red zone. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 4 of 13 passes (31%) for 67 yards, one interception, six carries for 58 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back James Butler had seven carries for 16 yards, and one catch for eight yards, while wide receiver Ayden Eberhardt made one catch for 49 yards. The team was penalized three times for 35 yards, and the defense made one sack, one tackle for loss, and one interception.
Third Quarter:
B.C. got the ball to start the third quarter. They gained 24 yards before the drive stalled and punted the ball to Winnipeg. The Blue Bombers started from their two-yard line. Running back Matthew Peterson rushed for three yards, and quarterback Chris Streveler gave them breathing room by throwing a 35-yard pass to Keric Wheatfall.
Winnipeg worked their way up to B.C.’s 30-yard line. Winnipeg quarterback Chris Streveler finished the drive by throwing a dart to Keric Wheatfall for the 30-yard touchdown. It was now 25-10 with 6:47 left to cap off a six-play drive for 108 yards in over three minutes.
B.C. needed to respond on their next series. Quarterback Nathan Rourke got good protection up front. He threw a long pass to Keon Hatcher, who made the catch on his way to scoring a 77-yard touchdown. It was now 25-17 with 6:06 left.
For the rest of the third quarter, the two teams traded field goals. Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made a 50-yard field goal, and B.C. kicker Sean Whyte made a 37-yard field goal. The score was now 28-20 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
Winnipeg had the ball on B.C.’s 46-yard line. Quarterback Chris Streveler threw two passes for 37 yards, and ran for five yards to B.C.’s four-yard line. On the next play, wide receiver Nic Demski created separation from Deontai Williams and Streveler threw the ball to him for a four-yard touchdown. Kicker Sergio Castillo missed the extra point and it was now 34-20 to cap off a six-play drive for 65 yards.
For the rest of the game, B.C. quarterback Nathan Rourke was getting beat up on the field. He left the game with an oblique injury and Jeremiah Masoli finished the game for the Lions.
Winnipeg defensive back Marquise Bridges intercepted Masoli with 3:39 left for his second interception of the night. The Lions had two more chances to put points on the board but Winnipeg’s defense kept them grounded. The Blue Bombers defeated the Lions by the final score of 34-20.
Final Stats:
Winnipeg had 438 yards of offense (246 yards passing, 201 yards rushing), 20 first downs, 2 for 2 in the red zone, and were penalized seven times for 80 yards. Quarterback Chris Streveler completed 15 of 24 passes (63%) for 246 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and two carries for nine yards.
Running back Matthew Peterson had himself a night with 23 carries for 130 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Nic Demski made four catches for 53 yards, and one touchdown, while Keric Wheatfall led the receivers making five catches for 127 yards, and one touchdown.
Kicker Sergio Castillo made 2 of 3 field goals (66%) with a long of 50 yards. The defense made 35 tackles, one sack, one tackle for loss, two interceptions, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
B.C. had 410 yards on offense (333 yards passing, 85 yards rushing), 18 first downs, 1 for 2 in the red zone, and were penalized five times for 55 yards. Quarterback Nathan Rourke completed 12 of 27 passes (44%) for 249 yards, one touchdown, one interception, six carries for 58 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back James Butler had 10 carries for 27 yards, and wide receiver Keon Hatcher made four catches for 150 yards and one touchdown. Kicker Sean Whyte made two field goals with a long of 37 yards. The defense made 48 tackles, two tackles for loss, two sacks, and one interception.
Next week, the two teams will meet again on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN/CTV, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. Purchase UFL tickets today on StubHub and Viagogo.
