The Winnipeg Blue Bombers have officially named Chris Streveler as the team’s starting quarterback for Friday’s game against the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The dual-threat passer has started two games for Winnipeg this season, recording wins in both. He has thrown for 772 yards, five touchdowns, and eight interceptions in limited action this year, and rushed 32 times for 106 yards and three scores.
Zach Collaros, who was ruled out with a head injury on Wednesday, has been moved to the one-game injured list. The 37-year-old has thrown for 2,297 yards, 14 touchdowns, and 13 interceptions over 10 regular-season games this season, posting a 4-6 record. He was unable to finish last week’s Banjo Bowl after taking a helmet-to-helmet hit from strong-side linebacker C.J. Reavis.
Rookie quarterback Chase Artopoeus has been promoted from the practice roster to dress as the third-stringer behind Streveler and Terry Wilson.
The Blue Bombers have also made a change in the secondary, promoting Demerio Houston to the active roster. The native of Shelby, N.C. was named All-CFL with the team in 2023 after leading the league in interceptions.
Houston spent last season with the Calgary Stampeders but was released in February after being charged with misdemeanour domestic violence in North Carolina. The 29-year-old publicly denied the allegations and the charges were later dismissed in court.
The veteran defender will start at boundary cornerback over rookie Trey Vaval after spending the past three weeks on the practice roster.
Winnipeg has also added Canadian defensive back Nick Hallett back onto the roster after he missed three games with what the team termed a head/eye injury. The 31-year-old native of London, Ont. has recorded one defensive tackle and six special teams tackles over nine games this season.
Canadian defensive back Jake Kelly has been moved to the practice roster to create room for Hallett, while American offensive lineman Micah Vanterpool have been moved to the one-game injured list. Gabe Wallace will be the starter at left guard after serving in a depth role behind Vanterpool last week.
Friday’s matchup will be a special event as both teams pay tribute to longtime CFL personnel man Ted Goveia in the ‘Team Ted Game.’ The initiative was recently announced in support of the native of Burlington, Ont., who been battling a serious form of cancer since April. Goveia was hired as Hamilton’s general manager in December after eleven years with Winnipeg as an assistant general manager.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers (6-6) will visit the Hamilton Tiger-Cats (7-5) on Friday, September 12 with kickoff slated for 7:00 p.m. EDT. The Blue Bombers are coming off a 21-13 loss to Saskatchewan in the Banjo Bowl, while the Tiger-Cats went on the road to beat Montreal 26-9.
The weather forecast in Hamilton calls for a high of 22 degrees with a mix of sun and cloud and a 30 percent chance of showers. The game will be broadcast on TSN and RDS in Canada, CBS Sports Network in the United States, and CFL+ internationally. Radio listeners can tune-in on 680 CJOB in Winnipeg and the Ticats Audio Network in Hamilton.
Winnipeg Blue Bombers
