The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-4) visited Percival Molson Memorial Stadium on Thursday night against the Montreal Alouettes (5-6) in their first meeting of the season. James Morgan was the starting quarterback for Montreal.
Morgan became the fourth quarterback to start in the game for Montreal as Caleb Evans (Torn ACL) is out for the rest of the season. For Winnipeg, running back/kick return Peyton Logan made his season debut after dealing with a thigh injury.
First Quarter:
Winnipeg’s offense started on the 47-yard line. Quarterback Zach Collaros threw three passes for 43 yards and rushed for one yard to the five-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Sergio Castillo made a 13-yard field goal for a 3-0 lead with 6:55 left.
Montreal quarterback James Morgan completed a pass to Alexander Hollins for 45 yards to the 25-yard line. The Alouettes ran three rushing plays for 20 yards to the five-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Jose Maltos made a 13-yard field goal. The game was tied 3-3 with four minutes left.
Late in the first quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw three passes for 23 yards to the 53-yard line. Running back Brady Oliveira broke one out for 28 yards, and Collaros ran for two yards to the 23-yard line.
On the next play, Collaros completed a pass to Oliveira for six yards, and a roughing the passer penalty was called on Montreal defensive lineman Dylan Wynn for an extra 15 yards. The ball was placed on the two-yard line. Then Collaros threw a touchdown pass to Nic Demski for a 10-3 lead to end the first quarter to cap off a seven-play drive for 76 yards.
Winnipeg’s offense had 134 yards (85 yards passing, 49 yards rushing), and Montreal’s offense had 71 yards (45 yards passing, 26 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Montreal’s offense started on the 40-yard line. On the third play, Montreal ran a trick play with quarterback James Morgan tossing the ball to wide receiver Tyler Snead. Then, Snead threw the ball to Alexander Hollins, who made the catch for 44 yards to the 15-yard line. Four plays later, Morgan threw a four-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Snead. The game was tied again 10-10 with 11:08 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 70 yards.
Later, Winnipeg defensive lineman Jay Person got to James Morgan as he was throwing the football, and it was intercepted by Evan Holm on the 49-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 11-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 20-yard field goal. The Blue Bombers took a 13-10 lead with 2:45 left.
Late in the second quarter, Winnipeg wide receivers Nic Demski and Jerreth Sterns suffered injuries. Neither player returned for the rest of the game. On the final play of the first half, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made a 35-yard field goal. The Blue Bombers took a 16-10 lead at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Winnipeg’s offense had 269 yards (203 yards passing, 72 yards rushing, 6 yards lost), 14 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 20 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 19 of 22 passes (86.4%) for 203 yards, one touchdown, and three carries for 13 yards.
Running back Brady Oliveira had six carries for 55 yards and five catches for 46 yards. Wide receiver Keric Wheatfall made three catches for 64 yards, while Nic Demski made four catches for 25 yards and one touchdown. The defense made one interception.
Montreal’s offense had 144 yards (95 yards passing, 49 yards rushing), 6 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 25 yards. Quarterback James Morgan completed 3 of 7 passes (42.9%) for 51 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and three carries for five yards.
Running back Travis Theis had four carries for 26 yards. Wide receiver Alexander Hollins made two catches for 84 yards, while Tyler Snead made one catch for four yards and one touchdown. The defense made one tackle for loss and one sack.
Third Quarter:
Montreal got the ball to start the third quarter on the 24-yard line. The offense moved the ball to the 30-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Jose Maltos made a 38-yard field goal. The Alouettes trailed the Blue Bombers 16-13 with 8:53 left.
It was a defensive battle the rest of the way. Montreal defensive lineman Isaac Adeyemi-Berglund sacked Zach Collaros for a six-yard loss. The Blue Bombers led the Alouettes 16-13 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira had two carries for 15 yards. The offense moved the ball to the two-yard line, and Oliveira finished it off with a touchdown. The Blue Bombers extended their lead to 23-13 with 8:23 left to cap off a 10-play drive for 81 yards.
Later, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw two passes for 14 yards to the 46-yard line. Terry Wilson and Brady Oliveira ran for a combined 13 yards to the 33-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 41-yard field goal. It was now 26-13 with 2:37 left.
Late in the fourth quarter, Montreal quarterback James Morgan threw six passes for 38 yards to the 38-yard line. On the next play, Morgan’s pass was intercepted by Trey Vaval on the one-yard line. Running back Brady Oliveira finished the game with three carries for 27 yards, and the Blue Bombers defeated the Alouettes 26-13.
Final Stats:
Winnipeg’s offense had 425 yards (263 yards passing, 176 yards rushing, 14 yards lost), 23 first downs, 2 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 35 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 27 of 31 passes (87%) for 263 yards, one touchdown, and three carries for 13 yards.
Running back Brady Oliveira had 16 carries for 137 yards, one touchdown, and led the receivers with nine catches for 73 yards. Wide receiver Keric Wheatfall made three catches for 64 yards, and Kevens Clercius made four catches for 29 yards. The defense made 32 tackles and two interceptions.
Montreal’s offense had 302 yards (242 yards passing, 60 yards rushing), 16 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 40 yards. Quarterback James Morgan completed 18 of 33 passes (54%) for 198 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and four carries for six yards.
Running back Travis Theis had eight carries for 36 yards. Wide receiver Alexander Hollins made five catches for 132 yards, while Tyler Snead completed one pass for 44 yards, six catches for 56 yards, and one touchdown. The defense made 51 tackles, one tackle for loss, and two sacks.
Next Sunday, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders at 7 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. The Montreal Alouettes are on a bye week.
