The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-5) hosted the Montreal Alouettes (9-2) on Friday night at Princess Auto Stadium in their first of two meetings this season.
On the opening kickoff, Winnipeg returner Trey Vaval fumbled the ball, but it was recovered by his teammate Tanner Cadwallader at the 43-yard line. On the first play of the game, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros’s pass intended for Nic Demski was incomplete. However, Montreal’s Robert Kennedy was called for defensive pass interference, moving the ball to the 32-yard line.
The offense continued to move the ball until reaching the one-yard line, where Bryce Perkins lunged into the endzone to put the Blue Bombers up 7-0 with 8:55 left. The drive took nine plays for 67 yards.
Montreal started its first drive at the 33-yard line. Montreal went two-and-out. In their second possession, Davis Alexander was sacked by Michael Fletcher for a 10-yard loss. On the next play, Alexander came back to throw a 30-yard pass to Cole Spieker to the 13-yard line. Then, he threw a 13-yard touchdown pass to Tyson Philpot, tying the game 7-7 with 3:52 left on a three-play drive for 33 yards.
Winnipeg had the ball for the rest of the first quarter. Zach Collaros threw two passes for 27 yards, and Brady Oliveira had two carries for 19 yards to the three-yard line. On the final play, Bryce Perkins rushed for two yards to the one-yard line to end the first quarter. Winnipeg’s offense had 99 yards, and Montreal’s offense had 40 yards.
Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira started the second quarter with a one-yard touchdown, giving the Blue Bombers a 14-7 lead with 14:34 left on an eight-play drive for 54 yards. Montreal had the ball on the 40-yard line. Davis Alexander threw a 30-yard pass to Tyler Snead, followed by throwing an eight-yard pass to Alexander Hollins to the 32-yard line. Running back Travis Theis rushed for five yards, and Alexander rushed for 17 yards to the 10-yard line. On the next play, Alexander threw a touchdown pass to Tyler Snead, tying the game 14-14 with 11:44 left on a five-play drive for 70 yards.
Winnipeg’s offense had the ball on the 50-yard line. Zach Collaros threw three passes for 38 yards, plus a roughing-the-passer penalty on Montreal moved the ball to the seven-yard line. Then, Collaros pitched the ball to Ontaria Wilson for a seven-yard touchdown. The Blue Bombers took a 21-14 lead with 9:40 left on a five-play drive for 60 yards.
Midway through the second quarter, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made a 51-yard field goal for a 24-14 lead with 5:43 left. Montreal had the ball on the 40-yard line. Davis Alexander threw two passes for 30 yards to the 40-yard line.
Running back Travis Theis rushed for two yards, and Terry Wilson rushed for two yards to the 36-yard line. On the next play, Alexander completed a pass to Tyler Snead, who bounced off Jake Kelly before breaking another tackle to score a 36-yard touchdown. The Alouettes trailed the Blue Bombers 24-21 with 2:52 left on a five-play drive for 70 yards.
Late in the second quarter, Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros completed a short pass to Tommy Nield. Montreal defensive back Nate Beauchemin forced the ball out, and it was recovered by Kabion Ento to the 12-yard line. The Alouettes did not try to get any more points and took a couple of kneel-downs to end the first half.
Winnipeg’s offense had 233 yards. Zach Collaros went 13 of 17 for 167 yards, one touchdown, and one carry for four yards. Brady Oliveira had six carries for 52 yards, while Bryce Perkins had eight carries for 11 yards and one rushing touchdown. Tim White made three catches for 59 yards, while Tommy Nield made four catches for 49 yards, and Ontaria Wilson made three catches for 34 yards and one touchdown.
Montreal’s offense had 181 yards. Davis Alexander went 9 of 11 for 162 yards, three touchdowns, and one carry for 17 yards. Travis Theis had four carries for 12 yards. Tyler Snead made three catches for 76 yards, while Tyson Philpot made three catches for 43 yards and one touchdown.
Winnipeg started to pull away in the third quarter. Montreal went two-and-out. On third down, Montreal punter Joseph Zema’s punt was blocked by Tanner Cadwallader and recovered by David Reese at the one-yard line. It took two plays before Bryce Perkins lunged into the endzone for the touchdown. The Blue Bombers led the Alouettes 31-21 with 12:45 left.
Later, Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander tried to avoid pressure by tossing the ball to Travis Theis, who got hit, losing the ball that was recovered by Winnipeg linebacker Tony Jones. Alexander was holding his right knee after the play. However, he would walk under his own power to the sidelines. Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made a 43-yard field goal for a 34-21 lead with 7:22 left. After Montreal went two-and-out, Winnipeg had the ball for the rest of the third quarter. The offense moved the ball to the 18-yard line.
In the fourth quarter, Winnipeg kicker Sergio Castillo made a 20-yard field goal for a 37-21 lead with 12:44 left. In their next possession, Winnipeg had the ball on the 33-yard line. Zach Collaros threw two passes for 31 yards to the 46-yard line. They moved the ball to the 11-yard line before Collaros threw a touchdown pass to Ontaria Wilson for a 44-21 lead with 5:04 left to cap off a seven-play drive for 77 yards.
Late in the game, Montreal quarterback Davis Alexander threw a 10-yard touchdown pass to Tyler Snead. The Alouettes trailed the Blue Bombers 44-28 with 2:13 left on an eight-play drive for 66 yards. Montreal would get another shot to add more points, but they were stopped on third down, ending the game. The Blue Bombers beat the Alouettes 44-27. The loss ended Montreal’s seven-game winning streak.
Winnipeg’s offense had 447 yards (324 passing yards, 127 rushing yards, 4 yards lost), 32 first downs, 5 of 7 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 65 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 26 of 32 passes (81.2%) for 324 yards, two touchdowns, and two carries for nine yards. Running back Brady Oliveira had 16 carries for 106 yards, one rushing touchdown, and one catch for two yards, while Bryce Perkins had nine carries for 12 yards and two rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver Ontaria Wilson made nine catches for 114 yards and two touchdowns, while Tim White made six catches for 96 yards. The defense made 28 tackles, one sack, and two fumble recoveries.
Montreal’s offense had 284 yards (257 passing yards, 51 rushing yards, 24 yards lost), 17 first downs, 3 for 3 from the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 78 yards. Quarterback Davis Alexander completed 20 of 31 passes (64.5%) for 257 yards, four touchdowns, and one carry for 17 yards. Running back Travis Theis had eight carries for 31 yards and one catch for -12 yards.
Wide receiver Tyler Snead made six catches for 107 yards and three touchdowns, while Tyson Philpot made seven catches for 87 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 50 tackles, one tackle for loss, one sack, two forced fumbles, and one fumble recovery.
Next Friday, the Montreal Alouettes host the B.C. Lions at 7:30 pm on TSN and CFL+, while the Winnipeg Blue Bombers visit the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday at 7 pm on TSN, CBS Sports Network, and CFL+.
