The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (7-7) visited TD Place Stadium on Saturday afternoon against the Ottawa Redblacks (4-10). Chris Streveler was the starting quarterback for Winnipeg as Zach Collaros continues to recover from a head injury.
Dru Brown returned as Ottawa’s starting quarterback after missing several weeks with a knee injury. The Redblacks also welcomed back wide receiver/returner DeVonte Dedmon, who missed several weeks with an ankle injury.
First Quarter:
In the first quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown began the drive by throwing two straight passes for 30 yards to the 55-yard line. Bralon Addison rushed for one yard before Brown threw two more passes for 43 yards. Running back Daniel Adeboboye rushed for two yards to the nine-yard line. Then, Brown threw a touchdown pass to the corner of the endzone, where it was caught by Bralon Addison for a 7-0 lead with 9:34 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 85 yards.
Later, Winnipeg’s offense started to put a drive together, starting on the 11-yard line. Running back Brady Oliveira had three carries for 25 yards, and Chris Streveler threw two passes for 19 yards to the 47-yard line. On the next play, Streveler tried to complete a pass to Nic Demski, but it was intercepted by Ottawa linebacker Jovan Santos-Knox. He returned it for 15 yards to the 47-yard line.
Late in the first quarter, Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown completed two passes for 11 yards. Running back Daniel Adeboboye rushed for 11 yards, and Brown threw a four-yard pass to Bralon Addison to close out the first quarter on the 37-yard line. The Redblacks led the Blue Bombers 7-0.
Ottawa’s offense had 116 yards (102 yards passing, 14 yards rushing), and Winnipeg’s offense had 38 yards (11 yards passing, 31 yards rushing, 4 yards lost).
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Ottawa kicker Lewis Ward attempted a 42-yard field goal. He missed it wide right, and Winnipeg returner Trey Vaval returned it out of the endzone. He avoided several tackles and made a cut to avoid going out of bounds to return the missed field goal for a 128-yard touchdown. The game was tied 7-7 with 13:20 left. It was Vaval’s third return touchdown this year.
Ottawa would get the ball again on the 42-yard line. Quarterback Dru Brown threw two passes for 20 yards, and running back Daniel Adeboboye rushed for two yards to the 46-yard line. The drive stalled, and punter Noah Gettman punted the ball 66 yards into the endzone, and out of bounds for a single point. The Redblacks took an 8-7 lead with 10:53 left.
Later, Ottawa had the ball again on the 21-yard line. They moved the ball to the 49-yard line until quarterback Dru Brown’s pass intended for Kalil Pimpleton was intercepted by Cam Allen. He returned it for 29 yards to the 43-yard line.
Two plays into Winnipeg’s drive, quarterback Chris Streveler could not find anyone open. He took off for a 36-yard run to the one-yard line. Streveler finished the drive off with a touchdown to give the Blue Bombers a 14-8 lead with 4:13 left.
Late in the second quarter, Winnipeg punter Jamieson Sheahan punted the ball 51 yards to DeVonte Dedmon. Winnipeg defensive end Michael Ayers forced the ball out, and it was recovered by Tanner Cadwallader on the 38-yard line. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 44-yard field goal for a 17-8 lead at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Winnipeg’s offense had 100 yards (11 yards passing, 95 yards rushing, 6 yards lost), 5 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team had no penalties. Quarterback Chris Streveler completed 1 of 5 passes (20%) for 11 yards, five carries for 45 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back Brady Oliveira had nine carries for 50 yards, and wide receiver Ontaria Wilson made one catch for 11 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and one interception.
Ottawa’s offense had 171 yards (162 yards passing, 26 yards rushing, 17 yards lost), 11 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 25 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 16 of 20 passes (80%) for 162 yards, one touchdown, and one interception.
Running back Daniel Adeboboye had five carries for 25 yards. Wide receiver Bralon Addison made five catches for 53 yards and one touchdown, while Eugene Lewis made four catches for 48 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss, two sacks, and one interception.
Third Quarter:
Ottawa got the ball to start the third quarter on the 30-yard line. On the second play, quarterback Dru Brown threw a 54-yard pass to Eugene Lewis to the 19-yard line. They reached the 15-yard line before kicker Lewis Ward made a 23-yard field goal. The Redblacks trailed the Blue Bombers 17-11 with 12:39 left.
Later, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the 39-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Lewis Ward missed a 47-yard field goal, and Winnipeg returner Trey Vaval returned it for 71 yards to the 53-yard line with 7:01 left. Winnipeg’s offense went two-and-out.
For Winnipeg, the offense continued to struggle. Ottawa’s defense sacked Chris Streveler twice. Late in the third quarter, Winnipeg defensive lineman Cameron Lawson was given a roughing the passer penalty on his hit to Dru Brown on the helmet. The third quarter ended with Brown completing a six-yard pass to Eugene Lewis to the 51-yard line. The Redblacks trailed the Blue Bombers 17-11.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Winnipeg’s defense pressured Brown. He quickly tried to throw the ball to Justin Hardy, but Cam Allen was to make his second interception of the game. He returned it for 57 yards to the 18-yard line.
On the third play for Winnipeg, Ottawa blitzed Streveler. He threw the ball to Keric Wheatfall. Wheatfall initially made the catch, but Adarius Pickett used his shoulder to make the hit on Wheatfall for an incomplete catch. Wheatfall’s head hit the turf hard, and he was down for several minutes.
Wheatfall was able to walk away under his own power to the locker room holding his ribs. Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made a 35-yard field goal. The Blue Bombers led the Redblacks 20-11 with 12:17 left.
Later, Winnipeg’s offense had the ball on the 15-yard line. Brady Oliveira had four carries for 18 yards, and Chris Streveler rushed for nine yards and threw a 24-yard pass to Joey Corcoran to the 29-yard line. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 37-yard field goal for a 23-11 lead with 6:15 left.
Ottawa quarterback Dru Brown threw passes for 48 yards to the 22-yard line. On third down, Brown’s pass intended for Eugene Lewis was batted down by Trey Vaval. The crowd at TD Place Stadium was not happy with the team’s performance.
Late in the fourth quarter, Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball to the 15-yard line. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 23-yard field goal for a 26-11 lead with 1:32 left. In the final minutes of the game, Ottawa’s offense moved the ball to the 10-yard line. Quarterback Dru Brown threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Kalil Pimpleton to cap off an eight-play drive for 93 yards. The Blue Bombers defeated the Redblacks 26-18 to snap a three-game losing streak.
Final Stats:
Winnipeg’s offense had 210 yards (54 yards passing, 172 yards rushing, 16 yards lost), 11 first downs, 1 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 50 yards. Quarterback Chris Streveler completed 3 of 8 passes (37,5%) for 54 yards, one interception, 11 carries for 72 yards, and one rushing touchdown.
Running back Brady Oliveira had 20 carries for 100 yards. Wide receiver Joey Corcoran made one catch for 24 yards, and Dillon Mitchell made one catch for 19 yards. The defense made 47 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, one forced fumble, one fumble recovery, and two interceptions.
Ottawa’s offense had 452 yards (406 yards passing, 63 yards rushing, 17 yards lost), 25 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 80 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 33 of 45 passes (73%) for 406 yards, two touchdowns, two interceptions, and one carry for four yards.
Running back Daniel Adeboboye had nine carries for 43 yards. Wide receiver Eugene Lewis made nine catches for 155 yards, while Bralon Addison made six catches for 69 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 39 tackles, one tackle for loss, four sacks, and one interception.
Next Saturday, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 3 pm on TSN, CTV, and CFL+. The Ottawa Redblacks are on a bye week.
