The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (8-7) hosted the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (9-6) on Saturday afternoon from Princess Auto Stadium. Zach Collaros made his return to Winnipeg after missing a couple of games with a head injury.
First Quarter:
Winnipeg kick returner Trey Vaval started the game with a 98-yard kick return for a touchdown. Kicker Sergio Castillo missed the extra point, and the Blue Bombers took a 6-0 lead with 14:30 left.
Later, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros threw three passes for 44 yards, while Brady Oliviera had two carries for 14 yards to lead the offense to the 44-yard line. On the next play, Zach Collaros scrambled to the right side before throwing the ball into the hands of Dillon Mitchell for the touchdown. The Blue Bombers extended their lead to 13-0 with 8:34 to cap off a seven-play drive for 93 yards.
Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the 39-yard line before the drive stalled. Kicker Marc Liegghio missed a 47-yard field goal wide right, and Winnipeg returner Trey Vaval returned it out to prevent the single point.
Late in the first quarter, Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball to the 20-yard line. Then, quarterback Zach Collaros threw a touchdown pass to Nic Demski. However, it was called back due to a holding penalty on offensive lineman Asotui Eli, backing them up 10 yards to the 30-yard line to start the second quarter up 13-0.
Second Quarter:
In the second quarter, Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira rushed for 14 yards to the 30-yard line. Kicker Sergio Castillo made a 24-yard field goal. The Blue Bombers extended their lead to 16-0 with 13:44 left.
Later, Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the 33-yard line. On the next play, Hamilton center Coulter Woodmansey fumbled the snap, and running back Greg Bell recovered it for a 14-yard loss to the 47-yard line. On third down, kicker Marc Liegghio made a 55-yard field goal when the ball hit the upright and bounced in. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Blue Bombers 16-3 with 8:31 left.
Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira started the drive with a four-yard run to the 44-yard line. He would get two more carries for 16 yards, helping the offense move the ball to the 30-yard line. The drive stalled, and kicker Sergio Castillo made a 38-yard field goal for a 19-3 lead with 4:41 left.
Late in the second quarter, Hamilton’s offense moved the ball to the eight-yard line. On third down, Mitchell’s pass intended for Kenny Lawler was tipped and incomplete. The Tiger-Cats trailed the Blue Bombers 19-3 at halftime.
First Half Stats:
Winnipeg’s offense had 224 yards (173 yards passing, 51 yards rushing), 11 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 19 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 10 of 14 passes (71.4%) for 150 yards and one touchdown.
Running back Brady Oliveira had seven carries for 48 yards and one catch for nine yards. Wide receiver Dillon Mitchell made three catches for 67 yards and one touchdown, while Nic Demski made three catches for 44 yards. The defense made one tackle for loss and one sack.
Hamilton’s offense had 175 yards (112 yards passing, 78 yards rushing, 15 yards loss), 11 first downs, 0 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized two times for 20 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 10 of 16 passes (62.5%) for 112 yards.
Running back Greg Bell had six carries for 64 yards and two catches for 22 yards. Wide receiver Kiondre Smith made three catches for 42 yards, while Tyler Ternowski made one catch for 12 yards.
Third Quarter:
In the third quarter, Winnipeg’s offense had the ball on the 16-yard line. Brady Oliviera started the drive with three carries for 16 yards, and caught a pass from Collaros for 18 yards to the 40-yard line. Zach Collaros threw two more passes for 69 yards, including a 56-yarder to Ontaria Wilson to the one-yard line. Chris Streveler came in to score the touchdown. The Blue Bombers took a commanding 26-3 lead with 6:20 left.
Late in the third quarter, Winnipeg’s offense had the ball on the 28-yard line. Zach Collaros threw four passes for 72 yards, including a 46-yarder to Nick Demski to the one-yard line. Chris Streveler came in to score the touchdown for a 33-3 lead to end the third quarter to cap off a six-play drive for 73 yards.
Fourth Quarter:
In the fourth quarter, Hamilton quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell threw six passes for 63 yards to lead the offense to the 11-yard line. On third down, Mitchell’s pass intended for Kenny Lawler was incomplete, and Winnipeg took over on the 11-yard line.
Later, Winnipeg’s offense took its time chewing up the clock and moving the ball to the eight-yard line. Then, Chris Streveler followed his linemen into the endzone for his third touchdown of the game. It was now 40-3 with 1:50 left to cap off a 12-play drive for 99 yards.
With the game well out of reach, Hamilton put in their backup players. Hamilton moved the ball to the 31-yard line as time expired. The Blue Bombers rout the Tiger-Cats 40-3 for their second straight win. The last time the Tiger-Cats were held under 10 points was in Week 11 against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Final Stats:
Winnipeg’s offense had 517 yards (393 yards passing, 124 yards rushing), 26 first downs, 3 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized five times for 44 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 20 of 25 passes (80%) for 367 yards and one touchdown. Backup quarterback Chris Streveler completed one pass for 23 yards, seven carries for 26 yards, and three rushing touchdowns.
Running back Brady Oliveira had 15 carries for 98 yards and one catch for nine yards. Wide receiver Dillon Mitchell made three catches for 67 yards and one touchdown, while Nic Demski made seven catches for 114 yards. The defense made 47 tackles, one tackle for loss, and three sacks.
Hamilton’s offense had 342 yards (254 yards passing, 113 yards rushing, 25 yards loss), 21 first downs, 0 for 2 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 38 yards. Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed 21 of 32 passes (65.6%) for 212 yards.
Running back Greg Bell had 11 carries for 88 yards and four catches for 26 yards. Wide receiver Kiondre Smith made six catches for 65 yards, while Shemar Bridges made four catches for 41 yards. The defense made 38 tackles.
Next Saturday, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats visit the Toronto Argonauts at 3 pm on CTV, TSN, and CFL+. The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are off next week.
