Bombers ride out snow, Roughriders

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This article was published 11/11/2018 (2749 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

REGINA – In the biggest game of the season, in the most hostile environment in the CFL, it was the Winnipeg Blue Bombers’ brightest star who came through when it mattered most.

Clinging to a 16-12 lead over the Saskatchewan Roughriders late in the fourth quarter, and with the distraction of 30,000-plus fans cloaked in green and all the other pressures that come with facing a heated rival in a do-or-die game, Bombers running back Andrew Harris took the ball, dropped his head and drove into a pile of flesh.

When he finally emerged from the collision, the ball leaving his hands for a brief moment before returning to his grasp, Harris had broken the goal line for a touchdown. In a game filled with moments that will be dissected in the coming days, it’s this one that sparked the Bombers to a 23-18 win over the Roughriders in the West Division semifinal at Mosaic Stadium.

“I just enjoy watching him work, because he’s always doing it so hard and so well,” Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said after the game. “We’ll get on his back anytime we get a chance.”

The Bombers will now head to Calgary next week to face the Stampeders in the West final, the winner earning a trip to the Grey Cup on Nov. 25. Calgary finished with the best record in the CFL, 13-5, but split the season series with Winnipeg one game apiece.

What will pop out most are the numbers Harris put up once the smoke settled. He finished the game on fire, totalling 153 yards on 19 carries. Harris also did the heavy lifting on the possession that set up his two-yard TD plunge.

He opened the drive, which began with 6:17 remaining in the game, with a 37-yard run up the right sideline. He then followed that up with a 14-yard scamper that included the help of nearly the entire offensive line.

The O-line has had Harris’s back all season, and in this moment they took ahold of it literally, dragging him for what felt like an eternity before finally falling just short of the end zone.

“I feel like our offensive line thrives more in those situations, when we’re wearing them down. That touchdown, I was exhausted, and I know the five or six guys that were up there with me, blocking out front, were exhausted, too. But they just had that second gear, and that love to want to get it done and be successful out there.” Harris said.

“They were able to keep pushing and get their defensive line into the end zone. We preach that all the time and they were able to get that done. The O-line are just dogs out there, and I’ve really just got to tip my hat to them for sticking with it.”

What made the play all the more impressive was that the Bombers run game had started off stale, with Harris ending the first half with just 27 yards on seven carries and the Bombers up just four points, 13-9, through two quarters. In previous games this year, that lack of success would have meant abandoning the run game for other options in hope of a spark.

Neither team seemed capable of seizing momentum, with both sides settling for a pair of field goals in the early going. Bombers kicker Justin Medlock went three-for-four on the night, while Saskatchewan’s Brett Lauther was perfect on all four of his kicks.

In conditions far from ideal, with blowing snow and sub-zero temperatures as low as -11 C, relying on the pass game against a daunting Roughriders defence that led the CFL with 11 touchdowns was hardly a better option.

So Winnipeg stuck with the run game, and, in turn, remained committed to the player that has carried its offence all season.

“Stick with it, and if there are any adjustments to be made, the guys will make them,” O’Shea said. “They’re a hell of a good defence, and their guys made plays. We weren’t good enough, maybe, with a couple of positions blocking — otherwise we would have popped a few more earlier — but give them credit, too.”

One of the main objectives heading into the game was ball security. Bombers quarterback Matt Nichols had struggled with making smart decisions early in the year, but in his five-game winning streak heading into the playoffs, he had just one giveaway.

On Sunday, Nichols didn’t force any passes, and threw the ball away when his reads weren’t open. His stat line was modest — he completed 73 per cent of his passes (16-for-22) for just 169 yards and a 20-yard touchdown to Drew Wolitarsky — but he extended plays with his feet, and didn’t put his team in any trouble.

“It’s no secret that a lot of the games they won this year were from defensive and special teams touchdowns, and especially in the playoffs and in the cold,” Nichols said. “My plan going in was to give them nothing, and make them have to drive the field against our defence if we weren’t getting first downs. That’s the faith I have in my defence: that as long as I don’t put them in a bad situation, we’re going to win the football game.”

That made sense, considering the Bombers defence has been the most impactful part of the team over the last six weeks. They were once again effective against Saskatchewan, even if their pre-game planning was disrupted by the uncertainly of who the Roughriders would start at quarterback.

With starter Zach Collaros still reeling from the effects of a concussion he suffered in a Week 20 win over the B.C. Lions on Oct. 27, it wasn’t until a report leaked out late Saturday that he wasn’t able to play that it became known backup Brandon Bridge would get the nod.

While Collaros wasn’t the greatest threat — he had just nine touchdowns in 14 starts this year — he was 10-4 as a starter. Bridge, who was the first Canadian quarterback to start a playoff game since Gerry Datillio in 1986 with the Montreal Alouettes, was coming off a dismal regular season where in four starts he had just one touchdown, compared to three interceptions.

Though Bridge did earn a majority of the reps at practice with the first-team offence the past week, he did display some predictable rust.

His throws were off-target, either over- or under-thrown, but he was able to compensate with his feet. Before Harris took off in the fourth quarter, it was Bridge who paced all players in the run game. He still led his own team, ending the night with five carries for 86 yards — only 14 fewer than the 100 passing yards he put up on just 12 completions.

“We knew he’s an athlete with a very gifted arm. The weather probably played a part in his game, but we know he can sling it,” Bombers defensive back Marcus Sayles said. “He was good on all the read-options he was doing, able to get out of the pocket and make plays. We knew if we could take away the deep shots, their offence was a little bit slower.”

The Harris touchdown created some breathing room for the Bombers, but that was quickly stripped away when the Roughriders punched in a one-yard touchdown from Nick Marshall. The series was aided by two penalties on the Bombers, including a pass interference call on Brandon Alexander that set up the Marshall TD.

The Bombers went back to Harris to run the clock out, but even after moving the chains twice, Saskatchewan got the ball back for one final drive. Controversy would ensue when Bombers defensive end Jackson Jeffcoat made a helmet-to-helmet hit on Bridge as he attempted to launch the ball down field. Bridge had to leave the game, and backup quarterback David Watford was intercepted by Anthony Gaitor on the final play to seal the win.

It was the first playoff victory for the Bombers since 2011, and the first for O’Shea, Harris and Nichols, among others, in Winnipeg. 

Whether they can follow it up with a win against the Stampeders remains to be seen.

“Going into an environment like Calgary against that team, with what’s going to be on the line, you better being going in confident, or else it’s probably not going to work out too well for you,” Nichols said. “I’m fully confident in our team. We respect everyone and fear no one. Can’t wait for next week.”

jeff.hamilton@freepress.mb.ca

twitter: @jeffkhamilton