The Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the annual Labour Day Classic by a score of 35-33 in front of a sold-out crowd of 33,861 at Mosaic Stadium. Below are my thoughts on the game.
Zach goes down
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros didn’t return after taking a headshot from defensive tackle Miles Brown that occurred late in the first half — more on that in a moment — and finished the game completing 12-of-18 pass attempts for 218 yards, one touchdown, and one interception. Collaros watched the second half from the sidelines with head coach Mike O’Shea indicating the decision to hold him out was precautionary.
“We consider him the best quarterback in the league, especially in clutch situations,” he said. “He’s dynamite, so to lose him was tough.”
O’Shea declined to comment on the challenges the CFL has faced in protecting its starting quarterbacks, six of whom have missed games due to injury this year. In last year’s Labour Day Classic, defensive lineman Pete Robertson headbutted Collaros after the play and was suspended for the following week’s Banjo Bowl.
Collaros’ touchdown pass was beautiful. Nic Demski, who has made his fair share of plays in the Labour Day Classic — for both teams — found a seam deep down the field and was wide open for a 44-yard score. It was only the seventh touchdown pass of the season for the veteran quarterback.
The interception was bad as, for the second straight week, Collaros threw the ball into the waiting hands of a defensive back on a hook route. Last week, Hamilton defensive back Richard Leonard stepped in front of a pass intended for Kenny Lawler. This week, it was Marcus Sayles getting in front of Ontaria Wilson to make the pick. The 36-year-old passer now leads the CFL with 13 picks.
Chris Streveler played the entire second half, completing four-of-six pass attempts. Winnipeg appeared to shorten the playbook with Streveler under centre, prioritizing controlling the ball and running out the clock.
The dual-threat passer made a beautiful throw to former college teammate Drew Wolitarsky for a key first down midway through the fourth quarter but also botched a couple of simpler throws, missing outlets to Demski and Brady Oliveira.
Winnipeg has won a game with Streveler as their starter once already this year as he led the team to a 25-16 win over the Ottawa Redblacks in Week 5. He and Oliveira combined for 208 yards along the ground in that game as he completed only 13 passes for 127 yards.
If Collaros is unable to play next week, I would expect a similar game plan from the Blue Bombers with Streveler under centre.
Blown coverage
Sunday’s game featured an uncharacteristically poor performance from Winnipeg’s defence, which ranked second in offensive points allowed and first in net offensive yards allowed heading into this week.
Saskatchewan quarterback Trevor Harris finished the game completing 30-of-49 pass attempts for 368 yards and three touchdowns along with 27 yards and one touchdown along the ground.
The first touchdown was caught by Shawn Bane Jr. near the back of the end zone late in the first quarter with veteran defensive back Nick Hallett trailing in coverage. Winnipeg rushed only three on the play, giving them nine to drop back into coverage. When you drop nine, you should never get beaten deep.
The Blue Bombers appeared to have a complete breakdown early the following quarter when Dohnte Meyers caught an 18-yard touchdown from Harris. Meyers ran a post route and Hallett was the only defender in the area. If he was Hallett’s responsibility, he must have been out of position. If he wasn’t Hallett’s responsibility, Tyrell Ford or Evan Holm may have botched a switch in coverage on the field side.
KeeSean Johnson embarrassed cornerback Terrell Bonds with a double move midway through the fourth quarter, getting behind him in man coverage. Harris spent most of the drive throwing underneath, which is probably why Bonds bit early on the route.
Winnipeg’s defence has bailed out its offence several times this season, so it’s only fair that the defence was afforded a chance to play catch-up this week. Regardless, they’ll have plenty to improve upon ahead of next week’s Banjo Bowl.
“It’s definitely one of those games that you’re happy you win but it kind of feels like a loss, just with how we let them drive the field there at the end and get the onside kick,” said defensive tackle Jake Thomas. “It’s great that we won — it’ll be easier to clean up tomorrow — but I think guys in here want to play better. I think we can play better.”
The onside kick
Saskatchewan successfully recovered the onside kick after their failed two-point conversion as Willie Jefferson, who was back to receive the ball, was bowled over by defensive back Rolan Milligan Jr.
“Good kick by Brett — a high kick that got over the front line,” said Jefferson. “I was waiting on it, didn’t know if I had to go up and jump for it or sit back and cradle it in. It was a bang-bang play. I got my hands on it but as soon as I got my hands on it, the Rider guy came in and punched it, so it was just a good play by them.”
Canadian special teamer Tanner Cadwallader seemed to suggest Winnipeg had an alignment issue on the play.
“It’s a complex play. You never know what you’re gonna get because there’s so many different options of what they can do and — with Brett having in recent memory done the middle dribble — you’ve gotta respect that, too. Just getting aligned properly is the key on that one and we’ll get that one right before next week for sure,” he said.
“We’ve just gotta move our numbers with them. Ultimately, it’s not the result we wanted on that play but we’ll look at it through the week and see where we can improve on it and get it right for next week if we find ourselves in that situation again.”
No lead is safe
The stands at Mosaic Stadium started to empty almost immediately after Saskatchewan failed to score on the two-point convert near the end of regulation.
The seats, which were jam-packed for virtually the entire game, were barely half-full when Brett Lauther eventually tried his potential game-winning 60-yard field goal, though some of those fans were still lining the concourses and walkways.
Here’s the bottom line: this is the CFL. Leave early at your own peril. Had Lauther made the kick — which was extremely difficult, given that he was facing a stiff breeze — thousands of local fans would have been heartbroken to have missed what would have been one of the greatest moments in the history of the Labour Day Classic.
The parking lot can wait. STAY. IN. YOUR. SEAT.
Recovering quickly
Nick Hallett gave Winnipeg its second special teams touchdown in as many games late in the second quarter when he jumped on a punt that went off the hands of Mario Alford.
Jamieson Sheahan hit a beautiful punt on the play as the ball sailed high in the wind while spinning end-over-end. It bounced awkwardly when it landed, flying to Alford’s left and he was unable to corral it as it ricocheted off his hands.
Though he’s a tier below Janarion Grant, Alford remains one of the CFL’s best returners. It’s impossible to boil an entire game down to one play, but it feels highly unlikely that Winnipeg would have won this game without it, especially after Zach Collaros went out near the end of the first half.
Sheahan had arguably his best game as a CFL player, punting five times for a net average of 38.6 yards. Punting is often overlooked but, in a close game, it can be the difference between winning and losing — especially in the CFL.
Sergio Castillo also had a brilliant day, making field goals from distances of 52 and 56 yards with a breeze at his back.
Double penalty
On the play that immediately preceded Winnipeg’s touchdown near the end of the first half, defensive tackle Miles Brown was called for roughing the passer and defensive back Deontai Williams was charged with pass interference on Kenny Lawler.
The penalty on Brown was clear as day. It wasn’t a bang-bang play — he could have avoided the hit altogether — and he turned his body, almost as if to force his shoulder into Collaros’ helmet. There’s no place in football for those types of hits. It’s not 1975 anymore.
The pass interference penalty, however, was borderline. Williams might have briefly grabbed Lawler’s wrist but — to me, at least — it looked like two players competing for the football. I would have rather seen the officials keep the flag in their pocket and let the players decide the outcome.
Cover zero
Winnipeg rushed three for most of the second half, dropping nine players back into coverage and forcing Trevor Harris to throw the ball underneath. That changed when Saskatchewan had a key third down with 28 seconds remaining and the Blue Bombers blitzed eight with Deatrick Nichols, arguably their best defensive back in pass coverage, as the free rusher off the edge.
The blitz didn’t get there in time as Harris threw up a pass to Samuel Emilus, who made a tremendous catch working against Evan Holm.
Though the route was different, the play was eerily similar to the finale of last year’s Grey Cup when Winnipeg blitzed and Tyson Philpot caught the game-winning touchdown on a slant route from Cody Fajardo.
“We knew they were trying to get the ball out quick, we knew they were trying to do short routes and things like that, so we brought the pressure to make him know where he had to go with it quick,” said Willie Jefferson.
“I think it was a good call, especially with their (injuries along the offensive) line,” said Jake Thomas. “I think it’s a good time to bring pressure. Obviously, it’s high-risk, high-reward play and their guy made a hell of a play on the ball, but I don’t think there was any issue with the call. I think it was a good call.”
Bouncing back
Franchise left tackle Stanley Bryant missed a game due to injury or illness for the first time since joining the Blue Bombers as a free agent in 2015, giving way to rookie Kendall Randolph. The University of Alabama product gave up three sacks after taking over from Bryant against Hamilton last week, so I’m sure Saskatchewan’s edge rushers were licking their chops heading into Sunday’s contest.
Despite last week’s struggles, Randolph — to his credit — played well on Sunday. I predicted that offensive coordinator Buck Pierce would have backup offensive lineman Micah Vanterpool, who dressed for his first career CFL game, in at tight end beside Randolph to provide help but that wasn’t the case. Winnipeg left Randolph on an island and he rose to the occasion, providing solid protection.
“You’ve gotta focus on each play individually,” said Randolph. “Coach is going to call the plays and it’s our job to go out and execute plays regardless of whatever he calls. He didn’t put a tight end there and that was the game plan. Overall, my job is to go do my job regardless of whatever the play call is.”
The offensive line allowed a sack on Winnipeg’s first possession as Bryan Cox Jr. beat Eric Lofton around the right side, though Collaros had time to step up in the pocket — one could argue it was a coverage sack. After that, Winnipeg’s quarterbacks had plenty of time to operate.
Brady Oliviera had a relatively quiet night, finishing the game with 12 carries for 42 yards.
First place
Winnipeg has moved into first place in the West Division, which is pretty remarkable considering they started the season 0-4. The team doesn’t seem to have any interest in celebrating that, already focusing on the final third of the regular season.
“There’s still lots of season left,” said Mike O’Shea. “Let’s just keep chugging along, sticking to our process.”
“I’m not concerned about that,” said Drew Wolitarsky. “It just feels really good to have this win and be part of this locker room right now and have this energy around the team.”
Walking wounded
Lucky Whitehead left the game momentarily as Evan Holm, who had a collegiate kickoff return touchdown at the University of North Dakota, took over the return duties. He eventually returned in the second half, finishing the game with four kickoff returns for 83 yards and three punt returns for 58 yards, including a key 31-yard return late in the fourth quarter that set up a 56-yard field goal from Sergio Castillo.
Adam Bighill went down late in the fourth quarter after taking a cut block from running back Frankie Hickson. The trainers appeared to be looking at his lower left leg, though he was able to leave the field partially under his own steam with a trainer under both arms. He was on crutches in the locker room after the game.
Switching sides
Saskatchewan had injury problems along the offensive line as centre Peter Godber went down in the first half and Zack Fry, who moved from left guard to centre to replace him, went down in the second half. Three-time CFL all-star defensive tackle Micah Johnson took over at right guard following the injury to Fry with Logan Ferland moving to centre.
Trevor Harris had plenty of time to operate for most of the second half, which feels like an indictment of Winnipeg’s defensive line. Johnson is a heck of a player but he’s not an offensive lineman — having him in at guard should have provided more opportunities for Winnipeg to disrupt the passer.
“I thought (Johnson) did a hell of a job,” said veteran defensive tackle Jake Thomas. “It’s not a good look on us but I don’t know if he gave up a statistic — he definitely didn’t give up a sack. He’s a hell of a player, he’s been really productive in this league for a long time and I think he’s having a really good year.”
Winnipeg finished the game with two sacks — one from Willie Jefferson and one from Jamal Woods. That’s hardly a bad number but Trevor Harris dropped back to pass a whopping 49 times. When you’re only getting home for sacks on four percent of your opponent’s dropbacks, that’s not a strong endorsement of your pass rush.
Coincidentally, Thomas revealed postgame that he was forced into action along the offensive line in 2016 in a game against Calgary. Among the players he blocked in that contest? Micah Johnson.
In the old days, it was perfectly normal for players to play along the offensive and defensive lines. In the modern game — say, since 1980 — Thomas and Johnson might be the only two players to go up against one another on both sides of the ball.
Hitting the road
According to a few local reporters in the press box, this was the most blue they’d ever seen in the crowd for the Labour Day Classic. The thing that most stood out to them was how much blue there was along the east side of the lower grandstand. They said there are typically pockets of blue in the corners of the upper deck and the end zones but Winnipeg fans have now infiltrated the main seating areas.
“When we made a big play, I remember hearing a big cheer and I was kind of surprised, like, ‘Damn, we really have a showing here.’ You’ve gotta love that support. This is such a big game, too, and such a fun game to be a part of,” said receiver Drew Wolitarsky. “They make a really fun event out of it and the atmosphere is insanely cool. We put on a very fun game to watch.”
Sellouts at Mosaic Stadium typically seat 33,350 but a team employee indicated that, due to demand, the club made extra standing-room-only tickets available for the first time ever, adding a little over 500 extra fans into the building.
“If you heard the anthem, it was pretty impressive — when they chime in in their parts of the anthem, I think it caught some other people off guard. It was nice. It was great to hear,” said head coach Mike O’Shea.
Moot point
The season series between the Blue Bombers and Roughriders would normally be a big story going into next week’s Banjo Bowl given that it’s currently tied 1-1. However, thanks to Saskatchewan’s tie from Week 10, the season series is moot. Oh well.
In the extremely unlikely event that Winnipeg or Saskatchewan tie one of their final six games, the season series will be decided next week.
Fine threads
I write this every year and will continue to do so until the team makes a change: the Riders should wear their retro uniforms full-time. They’re exceptional and everything a uniform should be: timeless, clean, classic, and sleek. Saskatchewan’s current uniforms are fine but they don’t hold a candle to the retros they wear annually for the Labour Day Classic.
Next up
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-6) will host the Saskatchewan Roughriders (5-6-1) for the annual Banjo Bowl on Saturday, Sept. 7 at 3:00 p.m. EDT. The Blue Bombers are 12-7 all-time in the rivalry game dating back to the inaugural affair in 2004 and have won the past four, including last year’s game by a score of 51-6.
Next week’s game will be the first CFL game broadcast on CTV since 1986. It’ll be interesting to see how the broadcast audience changes with the game moving from cable television to network television, opening it up to more potential viewers.
