The Saskatchewan Roughriders (10-2) visited Princess Auto Stadium on Saturday afternoon against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-6) in the annual Banjo Bowl.
Earlier this week, the Blue Bombers lost wide receiver Dalton Schoen for the season with a Torn ACL. However, they re-signed wide receiver Ontaria Wilson, who was in the lineup. The Roughriders were missing several players, including wide receiver Shawn Bane Jr. (knee).
First Quarter:
The majority of the first quarter was all defense. With 9:05 left, Saskatchewan Roughriders defensive lineman Malik Carney sacked Zach Collaros for a nine-yard loss. Later, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 44-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Trevor Harris’s pass intended for Joe Robustelli was intercepted by Redha Kramdi on the 35-yard line with 5:47 left.
During the drive, Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira had two carries for four yards, and quarterback Zach Collaros threw two passes for 43 yards to the 31-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 39-yard field goal to give the Blue Bombers a 3-0 lead with 2:53 left.
Late in the first quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw a nine-yard pass to A.J. Ouellette. Tommy Stevens rushed for three yards, an illegal blocking penalty on Winnipeg, and A.J. Ouellette’s 18-yard run led the offense to the 30-yard line. The first quarter ended with the Roughriders trailing the Blue Bombers 3-0.
Winnipeg’s offense had 77 yards (60 yards passing, 26 yards rushing), and Saskatchewan’s offense had 61 yards (16 yards passing, 45 yards rushing).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 12-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Brett Lauther made a 20-yard field goal to tie the game 3-3 with 13:34 left.
Later, Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira began the next drive with two carries for 10 yards to the 50-yard line. Next, quarterback Zach Collaros threw a 23-yard pass to Nic Demski, followed by Brady Oliveria’s two-yard run to the 35-yard line.
On the next play, Zach Collaros took off for 11 yards to the 24-yard line. Then, Collaros threw a short pass to Ontaria Wilson. Wilson stiff-armed a Saskatchewan player on his way into the endzone. The Blue Bombers led the Roughriders 10-3 with 9:40 left to cap a six-play drive for 70 yards.
Winnipeg’s offense had the ball on the 26-yard line. They marched down to the 25-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 34-yard field goal for a 13-3 lead with 3:08 left.
Late in the second quarter, Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball to the 40-yard line. On the next play, Zach Collaros overthrew wide receiver Ontaria Wilson and into the hands of Saskatchewan defensive back Marcus Sayles for the interception.
He returned it for 19 yards to the 49-yard line. Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw a 27-yard pass to Tommy Nield to the 27-yard line. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 35-yard field goal. The Roughriders trailed the Blue Bombers 13-6 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Winnipeg’s offense had 230 yards (165 yards passing, 74 yards rushing, 9 yards lost), 11 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized three times for 25 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 9 of 14 passes (64.25%) for 165 yards, one touchdown, one interception, and one carry for 11 yards.
Running back Brady Oliveira had 12 carries for 58 yards and one catch for seven yards. Wide receiver Nic Demski made four catches for 80 yards, while Ontaria Wilson made three catches for 72 yards and one touchdown. The defense made one interception.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 143 yards (96 yards passing, 47 yards rushing), 8 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized one time for 10 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 8 of 16 passes (50%) for 96 yards and one interception.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had four carries for 34 yards. Wide receiver KeeSean Johnson made three catches for 39 yards, while Tommy Nield made two catches for 39 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and one interception.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Winnipeg’s offense had the ball on the 29-yard line. Quarterback Zach Collaros’s pass intended for Ontaria Wilson was intercepted by Damarcus Fields. He returned it for 33 yards to the 27-yard line.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw one pass to KeeSean Johnson for 11 yards and had two carries for 10 yards to the five-yard line. On the next play, he handed the ball off to running back A.J. Ouellette. Ouellette had a Winnipeg player on him, but that did not stop him from scoring the touchdown. Kicker Brett Lauther missed the extra point, and the Roughriders trailed the Blue Bombers 13-12 with 6:31 left.
Later, Saskatchewan’s defense blitzed Zach Collaros. Collaros did not see C.J. Reavis coming and got hit hard, causing a fumble. Mike Rose recovered the ball on the 30-yard line. However, Reavis was given a roughing the passer penalty, giving the ball back to Winnipeg on the 52-yard line. On the Reavis penalty, it was for making helmet-to-helmet contact, which was a questionable call. Chris Streveler was the new quarterback for Winnipeg.
Winnipeg’s offense reached the 43-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Sergio Castillo missed a 51-yard field goal wide left. Saskatchewan returner Mario Alford returned the ball for 41 yards to the 33-yard line with 2:08 left.
Late in the second quarter, Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris completed four passes for 27 yards to the 50-yard line to end the third quarter. The Roughriders trailed the Blue Bombers 13-12 heading into the fourth quarter.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 33-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Brett Lauther made a 41-yard field goal to give the Roughriders a 15-13 lead with 13:24 left.
Later, Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball to the 40-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Sergio Castillo missed a 48-yard field goal wide right. Saskatchewan returner Mario Alford ran for 11 yards before running backwards and almost costing his team two points, but was tackled down on the one-yard line.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw a 48-yard pass to Joe Robustelli, and running back A.J. Ouellette rushed for four yards to the 53-yard line. On the next play, Harris’s pass intended for Ajou Ajou went incomplete. However, a defensive pass interference penalty on Trey Vaval moved the ball to the 28-yard line. They would reach the 25-yard line before kicker Brett Lauther made a 33-yard field goal for an 18-13 lead with 6:16 left.
Late in the fourth quarter, Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball to the 43-yard line. On the next play, quarterback Chris Steveler’s pass intended for Dillon Mitchell was intercepted by Tevaughn Campbell on the 27-yard line with 2:26 left.
Saskatchewan’s offense moved the ball to the 27-yard line before kicker Brett Lauther made a 35-yard field goal to seal the game. The Roughriders defeated the Blue Bombers 21-13 to win the Banjo Bowl for the first time since 2018, and sweep the home-and-home series.
Final Stats:
Saskatchewan’s offense had 337 yards (239 yards passing, 98 yards rushing), 21 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 40 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 18 of 31 passes (58%) for 239 yards, one interception, and two carries for 10 yards.
Running back A.J. Ouellette had 11 carries for 50 yards, one rushing touchdown, and one catch for nine yards. Wide receiver Joe Robustelli made three catches for 72 yards, while KeeSean Johnson made six catches for 69 yards. The defense made 40 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, and three interceptions.
Winnipeg’s offense had 310 yards (204 yards passing, 115 yards rushing, 9 yards lost), 18 first downs, no redzone opportunities, and the team was penalized five times for 66 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 9 of 15 passes (60%) for 165 yards, one touchdown, two interceptions, and one carry for 11 yards.
Backup quarterback Chris Steveler completed 5 of 9 passes (55%) for 39 yards, two interceptions, and two carries for nine yards. Running back Brady Oliveira had 20 carries for 83 yards and two catches for 19 yards.
Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson made five catches for 89 yards and one touchdown, while Nic Demski made four catches for 80 yards. The defense made 41 tackles and one interception.
Next week, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday at 7 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+. The Saskatchewan Roughriders host the Montreal Alouettes on Saturday at 7 pm on TSN and CFL+.
