The B.C. Lions (2-5) visited Princess Auto Stadium on Thursday night to kick off Week 9 of the CFL season against the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (4-4) in their first meeting of the season. Kaidon got the start at quarterback for the B.C. Lions, while Dru Brown made another start for the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.
B.C. got the ball to start the game on the 27-yard line. Quarterback Kaidon Salter threw two passes for 22 yards to lead the offense to the 45-yard line. Kicker Sean Whyte attempted a 52-yard field goal, but it hit the crossbar and was no good.
Winnipeg had the ball on the 40-yard line. On the second play, Quarterback Dru Brown threw a short pass to Tim White for 32 yards to the 32-yard line. Running back Brady Oliveira had three carries during the drive for 27 yards to the 16-yard line. On the next play, Brown threw a screen pass to Tim White. White had blockers in front of him to score a 16-yard touchdown, but a holding penalty on Winnipeg wide receiver Ontaria Wilson wiped away the touchdown.
Brown threw a six-yard pass to Wilson, and Oliveira rushed for two yards to the eight-yard line before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 16-yard field goal to give the Blue Bombers a 3-0 lead with 5:16 left.
Winnipeg’s defense would quickly get the ball back after a snap went off Nick Cenacle and it was recovered by Jaylen Smith at the 34-yard line. Winnipeg moved the ball to the four-yard line before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 12-yard field goal for a 6-0 lead to end the first quarter. B.C.’s offense had 38 yards, and Winnipeg’s offense had 85 yards.
In the second quarter, there were a lot of two-and-outs. B.C. was 5 of 13, and Winnipeg was 3 of 9. Late in the second quarter, B.C. had the ball on the 46-yard line. Kaidon Salter used his legs with three carries for 40 yards, and threw a five-yard pass to Kieran Poissant to the one-yard line. Zander Horvath scored the touchdown to give the Lions a 7-6 lead at halftime on an eight-play drive for 64 yards.
B.C.’s offense had 152 yards. Kaidon Salter went 3 of 9 for 27 yards, and seven carries for 79 yards. Running back Zander Horvath had eight carries for 26 yards, and one touchdown, while Emani Baley had six carries for 26 yards. Wide receiver Kieran Poissant made two catches for 19 yards, and Nick Cenacle made one catch for eight yards.
Winnipeg’s offense had 153 yards. Dru Brown went 7 of 8 for 84 yards. Running back Brady Oliveira had 12 carries for 67 yards, while Tim White made two catches for 37 yards, and Ontaria Wilson made three catches for 30 yards.
Winnipeg got the ball to start the third quarter on the 33-yard line. Dru Brown started the drive by throwing an 18-yard pass to Tommy Nield. The Blue Bombers moved the ball to the 24-yard line before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 32-yard field goal to give the Blue Bombers a 9-7 lead with 8:46 left.
B.C. quarterback Kaidon Salter rushed for 40 yards to the 30-yard line. Two plays later, he was sacked by Willie Jefferson for a six-yard loss. Kicker Sean Whyte made a 43-yard field goal for a 10-9 lead with 6:50 left.
Late in the third quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Dru Brown threw two passes for 43 yards, while Brady Oliveira had two carries for 10 yards to the two-yard line. On the next play, Brown threw a touchdown pass to Tim White for a 16-10 lead heading into the fourth quarter on a five-play drive for 55 yards.
In the fourth quarter, kicker Sean Whyte made a 42-yard field goal, and Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made a 49-yard field goal for a 19-13 lead with 10:18 left. Dru Brown left the game with a lower back injury after a seven-yard run.
On the next B.C. drive, quarterback Kadian Salter rushed for 11 yards, followed by Zander Horvath’s 35-yard run to the 24-yard line. Then, Salter threw a 24-yard touchdown pass to Jermaine Jackson for a 20-19 lead with 4:30 left on a three-play drive for 70 yards.
After Winnipeg went two-and-out, B.C. running back Zander Horvath rushed for seven yards to the 52-yard line. On the next play, Horvath got a great block from Kory Woodruff to open the door for him to score a 52-yard touchdown. The Lions went for a two-point conversion. They did a reverse Philly special with Horvath tossing the ball to Keon Hatcher, who threw to Kaidon Salter to get two points for a 28-19 lead with 2:38 left in the game.
Late in the game, Winnipeg quarterback Taylor Elgersma fumbled the ball, and it was recovered by Woodly Appolon at the 35-yard line. B.C. running back Zander Horvath put the game away by bulldozing Winnipeg’s defense for a 35-yard touchdown. The Lions ended a two-game losing streak with a 35-19 win over the Blue Bombers.
B.C.’s offense had 453 yards (99 passing yards, 377 rushing yards, 23 yards lost), 20 first downs, 1 for 1 in the redzone, and the team was penalized three times for 30 yards. Quarterback Kaidon Salter completed 7 of 15 passes (46%) for 96 yards, one touchdown, and 10 carries for 160 yards. Running back Zander Horvath had 17 carries for 191 yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver Keon Hatcher made one catch for 32 yards, and Jermaine Jackson made one catch for 24 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 45 tackles, two tackles for loss, three sacks, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
Winnipeg’s offense had 304 yards (190 passing yards, 129 rushing yards, 15 yards lost), 17 first downs, 1 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized four times for 40 yards. Quarterback Dru Brown completed 18 of 21 passes (85.7%) for 180 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for seven yards, while Tayler Elgersma completed 1 of 4 passes (25%) for 10 yards, and two carries for seven yards. Running back Brady Oliveira had 19 carries for 107 yards, and one catch for nine yards.
Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson made four catches for 67 yards, while Tim White made five catches for 51 yards, and one touchdown. The defense made 36 tackles, two sacks, and one fumble recovery.
Next Saturday, the B.C. Lions host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats at 7 pm on TSN, CFL+, and CBS Sports Network, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers are on a bye week.
