The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (5-4) hosted the Ottawa Redblacks (3-7) on Thursday night from Princess Auto Stadium to kick off Week 11. Winnipeg was missing five players due to injury, including defensive back Terrell Bonds, who was placed on the six-game injured list.
Ottawa received devastating news that defensive back Amari Henderson (knee) will miss the rest of the season. They also did not have defensive back Alijah McGhee (ankle) and linebacker Frankie Griffin (wrist).
First Quarter:
Winnipeg’s offense started on the 39-yard line. Running back Brady Oliveira started the drive by running for 14 yards to the 53-yard line, but a face mask penalty against Winnipeg backed them up to the 24-yard line. Quarterback Zach Collaros threw three passes for 36 yards to the 45-yard line. On third down, kicker Sergio Castillo made a 54-yard field goal. The Blue Bombers took a 3-0 lead with 11:36 left.
Ottawa’s offense started at the 54-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the one-yard line. On first down, Ottawa backup quarterback Dustin Crum fumbled the ball on the exchange and lost a yard. Next, running back Daniel Adeboboye rushed for a yard, setting up third down at the one-yard line. On third down, Winnipeg’s defense stopped Crum to force a turnover on downs.
Later, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the 48-yard line. On third down, Ottawa punter Richie Leone’s punt was blocked by Winnipeg defensive lineman Tanner Schmekel. A no yards penalty against Ottawa placed the ball at the 40-yard line.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw two passes for 16 yards to the 22-yard line. On the last play of the first quarter, Collaros faked a handoff and scrambled to his right side. He threw the ball to Jerreth Sterns, who made a leaping catch over Ottawa linebacker Adarius Pickett for the touchdown. Winnipeg extended its lead to 10-0 at the end of the first quarter.
Winnipeg’s offense had 104 yards (91 yards passing, 13 yards rushing), and Ottawa’s offense had 70 yards (57 yards passing, 13 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw four passes for 70 yards, including a 36-yarder to Nic Demski. The offense reached the one-yard line, where backup quarterback Chris Streveler finished it off with a touchdown. The Blue Bombers extended their lead to 17-0 with 10:24 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 75 yards.
Later, Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown’s pass intended for Bralon Addison was incomplete. However, a defensive pass interference penalty on Winnipeg moved the ball to the 43-yard line. Brown threw two passes for eight yards to the 35-yard line. On third down, kicker Lewis Ward made a 43-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Blue Bombers 17-3 with 8:04 left.
Late in the second quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown’s pass intended for Justin Hardy was intercepted by Evan Holm. He returned the ball for 18 yards to the 36-yard line. The offense gained five yards before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 39-yard field goal. It was now 20-3 with 4:31 left.
Both teams had a chance to get more points before halftime. Ottawa defensive back C.J. Coldon intercepted Zach Collaros with 30 seconds left. The Blue Bombers led the Redblacks 20-3 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Winnipeg’s offense had 232 yards (213 yards passing, 19 yards rushing), 12 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 74 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 16 of 23 passes (69.5%) for 213 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for one yard.
Running back Brady Oliveira had five carries for 15 yards. Wide receiver Nic Demski made three catches for 82 yards, while Jerreth Sterns made three catches for 43 yards and one touchdown. For Demski, he passed Jeff Boyd (5,110) for ninth on Winnipeg’s all-time receiving list. The defense made two tackles for loss, one turnover on downs, and one interception.
Ottawa’s offense had 132 yards (112 yards passing, 20 yards rushing), 7 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 15 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 8 of 15 passes (53%) for 112 yards and one interception.
Running back Daniel Adeboboye had five carries for 14 yards. Wide receiver Justin Hardy made one catch for 40 yards, while Bralon Addison made four catches for 35 yards. The defense made two tackles for loss and one interception.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the eight-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Dru Brown avoided getting sacked by Tony Jones and Willie Jefferson. He ran to his left before shoveling the ball to William Stanback for 12 yards to the four-yard line. Brown was tackled as he tossed the ball to Stanback and immediately grabbed his left knee. He tried to walk it off, but eventually headed to the medical tent.
On the next play, Dustin Crum scrambled up the middle for a four-yard touchdown. The Redblacks trailed the Blue Bombers 20-10 with 6:33 left to cap off a 13-play drive for 76 yards in eight minutes.
The medical team checked out Brown, and he was seen limping on his left knee without his helmet. It was all Dustin Crum for the rest of the game. Late in the third quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw two passes for 44 yards to the four-yard line to begin the fourth quarter up 20-10.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveria scored a four-yard touchdown. Winnipeg extended its lead to 27-10 with 14:24 left to cap off a three-play drive for 48 yards.
Ottawa’s offense started at the 18-yard line. They moved the ball to the 39-yard line. Kicker Lewis Ward made a 46-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Blue Bombers 27-13 with 10:21 left.
Late in the fourth quarter, Ottawa got the ball back at the 19-yard line. They moved the ball to the eight-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Dustin Crum threw the ball to Justin Hardy for the touchdown. The crowd in Winnipeg got quiet as the Redblacks trailed the Blue Bombers 27-20 with 2:35 left to cap off an 11-play drive for 91 yards.
Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball to the 49-yard line. Sergio Castillo attempted a 57-yard field goal. He was short wide left. Ottawa returner Kalil Pimpleton had room in front of him and took off for a 117-yard touchdown. The game was tied 27-27 with 53 seconds left. For the second week in a row, Winnipeg’s 17-point lead evaporated.
Winnipeg’s offense was on the 30-yard line. Quarterback Zach Collaros threw the ball intended for Nic Demski. However, Ottawa defensive back King Ambers closed in on Demski to make the interception. Ottawa’s offense went two-and-out.
Winnipeg’s offense got another shot. Quarterback Zach Collaros took off for a 17-yard run, followed by throwing an 11-yard pass to Nic Demski with six seconds left. Kicker Sergio Castillo kicked a walk-off 48-yard field goal, and the Blue Bombers defeated the Redblacks 30-27. This loss ends Ottawa’s two-game winning streak.
Final Stats:
Winnipeg’s offense had 362 yards (298 yards passing, 64 yards rushing), 20 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 89 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 24 of 34 passes (70.5%) for 298 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and three carries for 25 yards.
Running back Brady Oliveria had 10 carries for 35 yards, one rushing touchdown, and four catches for 29 yards. Wide receiver Nic Demski made six catches for 128 yards, while Jerreth Sterns made four catches for 50 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 46 tackles, two tackles for loss, one sack, and one interception.
Ottawa’s offense had 384 yards (291 yards passing, 100 yards rushing, 7 yards lost), 23 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 55 yards.
Quarterback Dru Brown completed 12 of 21 passes (57.1%) for 166 yards, one interception, and one carry for one yard. Backup quarterback Dustin Crum completed 11 of 17 passes (64.7%) for 125 yards, one touchdown, six carries for 21 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back William Stanback led the rushers with eight carries for 50 yards. Wide receiver Eugene Lewis made five catches for 72 yards, while Justin Hardy made two catches for 48 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 36 tackles, three tackles for loss, and two interceptions.
Next week, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit the Montreal Alouettes on Thursday at 7:30 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. The Ottawa Redblacks host the Edmonton Elks on Friday at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+.
