The Saskatchewan Roughriders (8-4) hosted the Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-6) on Sunday night at Mosaic Stadium in the first of two meetings this season in the OK Tire Labour Day Weekend.
Winnipeg started the first quarter with the ball on the 40-yard line. They went two-and-out. The Roughriders had the ball on the 19-yard line. Two plays in, quarterback Trevor Harris completed a pass to D’Sean Mimbs for 15 yards before Winnipeg linebacker Tony Jones stripped the ball out, and Evan Holm touched it just before the ball went out-of-bounds at the 40-yard line.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros completed a two-yard pass to Tim White. The drive stalled, and kicker Sergio Castillo made a 46-yard field goal to put the Blue Bombers up 3-0 with 10:48 left.
Later in the first quarter, Winnipeg was pinned on the five-yard line. Saskatchewan defensive end Derick Roberson sacked Zach Collaros in the endzone for a safety. The Roughriders trailed the Blue Bombers 3-2 with 5:10 left. Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris threw a short pass to Quali Conley for 35 yards to the 35-yard line. Conley also rushed for three yards, and Harris threw two passes for nine yards to the 23-yard line. Kicker Alex Hale made a 31-yard field goal to give the Roughriders a 5-3 lead with 1:11 left.
The Blue Bombers would go two-and-out. Saskatchewan returner James Letcher Jr. returned a 51-yard punt for eight yards to the 21-yard line to end the first quarter. Saskatchewan’s offense had 84 yards, and Winnipeg’s offense had 12 yards. The Blue Bombers were 0 for 5 on second down, while the Roughriders were 1 for 5 on second down.
In the second quarter, Trevor Harris threw a short pass to Daniel Wiebe for 72 yards to the 11-yard line. Running back Thomas Bertrand-Hudson rushed for four yards before Harris threw a short pass to Quali Conley for a seven-yard touchdown. The Roughriders led the Blue Bombers 12-7 with 12 minutes left on a five-play drive for 88 yards.
The Blue Bombers had the ball on the 26-yard line. Zach Collaros threw a 24-yard pass to Dorain Singer to the 50-yard line. The offense continued to move the ball to the 24-yard line before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 32-yard field goal. The Blue Bombers trailed the Roughriders 12-6 with 7:55 left.
Late in the second quarter, Winnipeg had the ball on the 32-yard line. The Blue Bombers moved the ball to the 10-yard line. On the next play, Zach Collaros threw the ball over the goalpost and right into the hands of Kevens Clercius for the touchdown. Winnipeg took a 13-12 lead with 38 seconds left.
Just before halftime, Saskatchewan running back Quali Conley caught a 10-yard pass and rushed for nine yards to the 52-yard line. Saskatchewan kicker Alex Hale had a chance to give the Roughriders the lead back, but he missed a 46-yard field goal wide right. Winnipeg returner Trey Vaval returned it for 20 yards. However, he was hurt after the play. The Blue Bombers led the Roughriders 13-12 at halftime.
Winnipeg’s offense had 157 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros went 12 of 18 for 128 yards and one touchdown. Running back Brady Oliveira had seven carries for 27 yards and one catch for 10 yards. Wide receiver Dorian Singer made three catches for 49 yards, while Tim White made three catches for 26 yards, and Kevens Clercius made two catches for 25 yards and one touchdown.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 210 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris went 9 of 16 for 175 yards and one touchdown. Running back Quali Conley had six carries for 31 yards, two catches for 42 yards, and one touchdown. Wide receiver Nick Wiebe made one catch for 72 yards, and Dhel Duncan-Busby made two catches for 27 yards.
Saskatchewan got the ball to the third quarter at the 22-yard line. Trevor Harris threw three passes for 43 yards, while Quali Conley rushed for two yards, and Trevor Harris rushed for four yards to the 39-yard line. Kicker Alex Hale attempted a 47-yard field goal. He missed it wide right, but the ball went off the hands of Trey Vaval and out of bounds for a single point. The game was tied 13-13 with 10:39 left.
Late in the third quarter, Winnipeg’s offense moved the ball to the 35-yard line before kicker Sergio Castillo made a 43-yard field goal for a 16-13 lead with 59 seconds left. On the second play, Trevor Harris threw a 10-yard pass to Dhel Duncan-Busby, and Tommy Stevens rushed for seven yards to the 54-yard line to end the third quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Roughriders moved the ball to the one-yard line. Winnipeg’s defense stopped Tommy Stevens on the first try, but was unsuccessful in the second as Stevens leaped over the linemen to score the touchdown. The Roughriders took a 20-16 lead with 11:03 left on an eight-play drive for 70 yards.
Winnipeg had the ball on the 40-yard line. Zach Collaros threw a short pass to Ontaria Wilson for 28 yards, plus a horse collar tackle on Saskatchewan moved the ball to the 27-yard line. The offense continued to move the ball to the 10-yard line until kicker Sergio Castillo made an 18-yard field goal. The Blue Bombers trailed the Roughriders 20-19 with 5:44 left.
Saskatchewan had the ball on the 40-yard line. Trevor Harris threw a 32-yard pass to Dhel Duncan-Busby to the 38-yard line. Two plays later, the two would connect again for 26 yards to the seven-yard line. Tommy Stevens went in a shotgun formation. He ran to his right side, getting a good block from KeeSean Johnson that allowed him to dive into the endzone for a four-yard touchdown. The Roughriders tried a two-point convert, but did not get it. The Roughriders led the Blue Bombers 26-19 with three minutes left on a five-play drive for 70 yards.
Saskatchewan’s defense took over, sacking Zach Collaros two times by Seyi Oladipo and Aubrey Miller Jr., forcing Winnipeg to punt the ball. Saskatchewan had the ball on the 38-yard line. The Roughriders were able to take time off the clock before punting the ball, leaving Winnipeg with 39 seconds. Zach Collaros threw three passes for 50 yards, plus a roughing-the-passer penalty on Saskatchewan moved the ball to the 14-yard line.
On the next play, Collaros threw an eight-yard pass to Tim White to the seven-yard line with five seconds left. On the final play of regulation, Collaros threw the ball to the corner of the endzone, where it was caught by Dorian Singer to tie the game 26-26, sending the game into overtime on a six-play drive for 77 yards.
Saskatchewan got the ball to start overtime. They moved the ball to the one-yard line before Tommy Stevens scored the touchdown. They did not get the two-point conversion. It was now 32-26 on a five-play drive for 35 yards. It was Winnipeg’s turn.
Zach Collaros threw a four-yard pass to Tommy Nield to the 31-yard line. However, they were hit with a time-count penalty, backing them up five yards. Collaros came back to throw a five-yard pass to Gavin Cobb. On third down, Collaros completed a pass to Tim White, but Saskatchewan’s defense was right on him, and the game was over. The Roughriders held on to beat the Blue Bombers 32-26.
Saskatchewan’s offense had 463 yards (362 passing yards, 101 rushing yards), 23 first downs, 4 for 4 in the redzone, and the team was penalized six times for 69 yards. Quarterback Trevor Harris completed 23 of 33 passes (69%) for 362 yards, one touchdown, and two carries for nine yards. He passed Doug Flutie to move into 10th place on the CFL’s All-Time Passing Yards List. Running back Quali Conley had 14 carries for 59 yards, two catches for 42 yards, and one touchdown, while Tommy Stevens had 10 carries for 29 yards and three rushing touchdowns.
Wide receiver Dhel Duncan-Busby made 10 catches for 148 yards, while Daniel Wiebe made two catches for 90 yards, and KeeSean Johnson made four catches for 32 yards. Johnson now has 1,000 receiving yards for the season. The defense made 39 tackles, four tackles for loss, and three sacks.
Winnipeg’s offense had 307 yards (279 passing yards, 46 rushing yards, 18 yards lost), 19 first downs, 2 for 3 in the redzone, and the team was penalized seven times for 65 yards. Quarterback Zach Collaros completed 27 of 40 passes (68%) for 279 yards, two touchdowns, and one carry for 11 yards. Running back Brady Oliveira had nine carries for 28 yards, and three catches for 38 yards.
Wide receiver Tim White made seven catches for 63 yards, while Dorain Singer made five catches for 62 yards and one touchdown, and Kevens Clercius made two catches for 25 yards and one touchdown. The defense made 44 tackles, one tackle for loss, one forced fumble, and one fumble recovery.
The two teams will meet in the Banjo Bowl next Saturday at 4 pm on TSN and CFL+.
