The Saskatchewan Roughriders (9-2) hosted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-4) on Sunday night to kick off Labour Day Weekend in their first meeting of the season.
Winnipeg got back wide receiver Dalton Schoen after missing several weeks with a knee injury. Saskatchewan also welcomed back Mario Alford, who missed time with a hip injury.
First Quarter:
Winnipeg got the ball to start the game on the 26-yard line. They gained 25 yards before the drive stalled. It was a defensive battle with no points scored in the first quarter. Zach Collaros was sacked once by Malik Carney for a six-yard loss.
Late in the first quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw three passes for 87 yards, including a 51-yarder to Kevens Clercius. Winnipeg reached the five-yard line to start the second quarter. Winnipeg’s offense had 113 yards (121 yards passing, 2 yards rushing, 6 yards lost), and Saskatchewan’s offense had 45 yards (28 yards passing, 17 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Chris Streveler was brought in. He handed the ball off to Brady Oliveira, who followed his linemen into the endzone for a five-yard touchdown. Winnipeg took a 7-0 lead with 14:25 left to cap off a five-play drive for 92 yards.
Saskatchewan’s offense had the ball on the 19-yard line. On the first play, Winnipeg defensive lineman Cam Lawson bull rushed his way to Trevor Harris, causing a fumble, and it was recovered by Tony Jones on the five-yard line. The offense gained three yards before the drive stalled. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 10-yard field goal. Winnipeg extended its lead to 10-0 with 11:53 left.
Later, Saskatchewan defensive lineman Malik Carney got to Collaros again, this time causing a fumble and recovering it on the seven-yard line. On the next play, Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for a seven-yard touchdown. The Roughriders trailed the Blue Bombers 10-7 with 7:46 left.
Winnipeg’s offense gained 19 yards on the next drive before punting the ball back to Saskatchewan. The Roughriders started on the eight-yard line after they were called for an illegal blocking penalty. That did not faze the Roughriders.
Saskatchewan began the next drive with running back Mario Anderson rushing for three yards to the 11-yard line. Next, quarterback Trevor Harris threw two passes for 30 yards to the 41-yard line. Then, Harris chucked the ball down the middle to Tommy Nield, who caught it in between two Winnipeg defenders to score a 69-yard touchdown. The Roughriders took a 14-10 lead with 2:35 left to cap off a four-play drive for 102 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball to the 35-yard line. On the next play, Saskatchewan defensive lineman Ali Saad sacked Collaros for a seven-yard loss to bring up third down. Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo missed a 50-yard field goal wide right to end the first half. The Blue Bombers trailed the Roughriders 14-10 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Saskatchewan’s offense had 155 yards (132 yards passing, 35 yards rushing, 12 yards lost), 6 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 28 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 7 of 12 passes (58.3%) for 132 yards and one touchdown.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had eight carries for 32 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Tommy Nield made two catches for 78 yards and one touchdown, while Dohnte Meyers made one catch for 24 yards. The defense made two tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Winnipeg’s offense had 165 yards (172 yards passing, 15 yards rushing, 22 yards lost), 7 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 25 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 14 of 19 passes (73.7%) for 172 yards.
Running back Brady Oliveira had four carries for 16 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Kevens Clercius made two catches for 54 yards, while Nic Demski made three catches for 43 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense had the ball on the 50-yard line. Quarterback Trevor Harris threw two passes for 15 yards, and running back A.J. Ouellette had two carries for nine yards to reach the 26-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Brett Lauther made a 34-yard field goal. The Roughriders led the Blue Bombers 17-10 with 8:44 left.
Later, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw four passes for 48 yards to the 22-yard line. On the next play, Collaros found Nic Demski in the corner of the endzone for the touchdown. The game was tied 17-17 with 5:02 left to cap off a five-play drive for 70 yards.
Late in the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 26-yard line. Then, Trevor Harris handed the ball off to Mario Anderson. He followed his offensive linemen before bursting into the endzone. Kicker Brett Lauther missed the extra point. The Roughriders took a 23-17 lead to cap off a seven-play drive for 87 yards.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan linebacker A.J. Allen stripped the ball out of Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira’s arm, and Jameer Thurman recovered it on the 25-yard line. An objectionable conduct penalty against Saskatchewan placed the ball on the 35-yard line.
Saskatchewan running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for 9 yards, and backup quarterback Tommy Stevens rushed for eight yards to the 18-yard line. Ouellette would get another carry for 13 yards to the five-yard line. On the next play, Mario Anderson muscled his way into the endzone. The Roughriders went for a two-point conversion. Harris connected to Ajou Ajou for two points. Saskatchewan extended its lead to 31-17 with 9:43 left to cap off a four-play drive for 35 yards.
Late in the fourth quarter, Winnipeg punter Jamieson Sheahan punted the ball 48 yards to Mario Alford. Alford made a couple of juke moves, running for 24 yards before Winnipeg linebacker Kyrie Wilson punched the ball out, and Jake Kelly recovered it on the 46-yard line.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw two passes for 31 yards to the 33-yard line. On the next play, Collaros threw the ball to the corner of the endzone, where Keric Wheatfall made the catch for the touchdown. The Blue Bombers trailed the Roughriders 31-24 with 3:36 left.
With 1:28 left of the game, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris punted the ball for 43 yards. Deatrick Nichols picked it up and was tackled in the endzone for a single point. The Roughriders now led 32-24.
Winnipeg’s offense had the ball on the 40-yard line. Saskatchewan linebacker Jameer Thurman sacked Collaros for a four-yard loss. Two plays later, on third down, Collaros scrambled out of the pocket before throwing a long pass to Nic Demski. He was bumped, which led to a defensive pass interference penalty, placing the ball on the 17-yard line.
Zach Collaros threw a nine-yard pass to Brady Oliveira and rushed for two yards to the six-yard line. On the next play, Collaros threw a six-yard touchdown pass to Dalton Schoen for a six-play drive for 70 yards.
On the two-point try, Collaros’s pass was intercepted by Tevaughn Campbell, who took it to the house for two points to seal the game. The Roughriders defeated the Blue Bombers 34-30.
Final Stats:
Saskatchewan’s offense had 338 yards (219 yards passing, 133 yards rushing, 14 yards lost), 19 first downs, 2 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 110 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 17 of 27 passes (63%) for 219 yards and one touchdown.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had 18 carries for 89 yards and one rushing touchdown, while Mario Anderson had three carries for 34 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver Tommy Nield made three catches for 86 yards and one touchdown, while Dohnte Meyers made three catches for 52 yards. The defense made 35 tackles, three tackles for loss, five sacks, one interception, two forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Winnipeg’s offense had 321 yards (326 yards passing, 25 yards rushing, 30 yards lost), 16 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized eight times for 70 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 26 of 37 passes (70.2%) for 326 yards, three touchdowns, one interception, and one carry for two yards.
Running back Brady Oliveira had five carries for 24 yards and one touchdown. Wide receiver Nic Demski made seven catches for 89 yards and one touchdown, while Kevens Clercius made four catches for 85 yards, and Dalton Schoen made five catches for 58 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 37 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, three forced fumbles, and two fumble recoveries.
Next Saturday, the two teams will meet in a rematch at 4 pm on TSN and CFL+.
