Time to believe in the Big Blue

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This article was published 10/07/2022 (802 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Maybe these Winnipeg Blue Bombers are pretty good after all.

The Bombers (5-0) put the flavour of the month, the B.C. Lions (3-1), in their place with a convincing 43-22 victory Saturday night in front of 17,683 fans at B.C. Place.

All three phases came to play for Winnipeg, leading to the road side jumping out to a 24-0 advantage in the second quarter.

There’s no question about it: the Bombers made a big statement. They don’t have to wait long for a chance to make another one as they host the Calgary Stampeders (4-0) Friday night at IG Field.

But before we talk about Bo Levi Mitchell and Co. coming to town, let’s break down Saturday’s tilt with five takeaways.

1. BLUE ADD ZING TO OFFENCE

As soon as Marcus Sayles said it, I knew it was going to turn into a big story.

After Friday’s walk-through at the Lions’ practice facility in Surrey, I asked the defensive back for his opinion on the Bombers’ offence and he didn’t hold back.

“Right now they look like they’re a little vanilla. Their receivers aren’t the same,” said Sayles, who was a West Division all-star with the Bombers in 2019 before signing with the Leos in 2021.

“Collaros is out there making plays, just like he normally does. He’s a great player, but he’s running around, searching to scramble to make some plays. As long as we play top down defence, don’t give up explosion plays, and let our D-line eat, we feel like we’ll have just as much success like all these other teams.

“They’ve been skating away by little points, so we feel like we can beat them pretty bad.”

To be fair, everything Sayles said was spot on. It was a refreshingly honest take and I respect him for it. But it was also a reminder why you so often hear clichés in the world of sports. If you’re going to make a statement like that, you have to back it up. And considering how Sayles finished with a game-high 10 tackles, which is never a good stat for a defensive back, he certainly did not.

Late in the game, he was visibly frustrated on the sideline and was barking at some teammates sitting on the bench. Fellow DB Loucheiz Purifoy stepped in and led Sayles away to de-escalate the situation.

Tough night at the office.

The Bombers had some fun with Sayles’ comment afterwards, with defensive end Willie Jefferson saying his team’s offence looked like a chocolate sundae against the Lions.

“Whatever you want to call it, we had some sprinkles on there, a little whipped cream, cherry on the top. It just wasn’t vanilla, I can tell you that,” Jefferson said.

2. ZACH OUTDUELS ROURKE

Nathan Rourke is the best story in the CFL.

The Canadian pivot dominated the first three games, leading to him being named the league’s top performer of the month of June.

So with Rourke’s elite play and the Bombers coming to town on a short week, most so-called experts (this one included) thought the Lions were going to make a big statement and take down the back-to-back Grey Cup champs.

Not so fast.

Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros, last year’s Most Outstanding Player, clearly isn’t ready to give up the throne as he outshined Rourke by having his best game of the season.

The Lions, led by their stout secondary, have a darn good defence, but Collaros made them look silly. In their three victories, the Lions gave up an average of 244 yards of offence. The Bombers smashed that with 419 total yards.

Collaros may be 33 but he can still move around the pocket and when he does, he’s at his best. The Bombers averaged 17.8 points per game through four weeks, but there was no way that was going to fly in Vancouver against the Lions and their powerful attack. Rourke definitely showed flashes, especially with his deep ball, but a pair of interceptions did him in. He was also under pressure for a lot of the night as Jefferson consistently found his way into the backfield.

3. AUGUSTINE BOOSTS RUN

I’ve been pounding the table for weeks saying the Bombers need to give Johnny Augustine more carries.

Augustine only had three rushing attempts in the past two games despite Brady Oliveira’s struggles.

But Week 5 finally saw the Bombers give Augustine more of a chance. He led the team down the field on their second drive and had 49 yards on six carries in the first half. Augustine was held in check in the second half, finishing the game with 12 rushes for 57 yards, but he definitely provided the Bombers’ rushing attack with a spark.

Oliveira brings something to the table, but Augustine is more dangerous with the ball in his hands. And Oliveira was solid against the Leos as well, taking seven handoffs for 39 yards. Greg McCrae was also in on the action as he busted out a 22-yard yard.

The Bombers offence is at its best when the run game is working.

4. THE SCHOEN SHOW

It’s not easy being an American first-year receiver in the CFL.

It’s a difficult transition to make which is why so many pass catchers start out on the practice roster before they get a chance to play.

Apparently not if you’re Dalton Schoen. He’s been starting since Week 1, and rightfully so, as the 25-year-old Kansas State walk-on already looks like a seasoned vet. He’s been making plays all season, but Saturday saw him receive a career-high 10 targets and he made the most of them. Schoen caught eight balls for 117 yards and two scores.

With Kenny Lawler (Edmonton) and Darvin Adams (Ottawa) no longer in the fold, the Bombers needed to find a hidden gem at receiver and it looks like they have that in Schoen. Greg Ellingson is clearly Collaros’ favourite target, but Schoen has cemented himself as the No. 2 weapon. I still think the Nic Demski injury is holding this offence back, but Schoen’s emergence softens the blow.

5. GOOD/BAD ON SPECIAL TEAMS

Now that’s how you start a game.

Before some people could even take their seats, Bombers return specialist Janarion Grant was in the end zone after taking the opening kickoff 97 yards to the house.

Grant has four punt return touchdowns to his name, but this was the first time the third-year Bomber went the distance on a kickoff. It’s been a while since Bomberland had seen one of those as the team’s last kick return TD was July 13, 2019 when Lucky Whitehead took one for 104 yards against the Toronto Argonauts.

By the way, Whitehead, now with the Lions, was held to two catches for 14 yards against his old club.

Grant should’ve had two kick return touchdowns as he hit paydirt again in the second quarter, but a holding penalty spoiled it.

Grant’s dominance led to the Lions doing some short kickoffs down the stretch to keep the ball away from him. By doing so, they were putting the Bombers in prime field position without having to do anything.

And now the bad.

Marc Liegghio had to miss eventually. But closing out the game with three missed kicks, a convert and two field goals, wasn’t pretty. Liegghio made his first three field goal attempts on Saturday, including a season-long 46-yarder, to put him at 13-for-13 on the year, before the wheels fell off.

Could just be a small blip for Liegghio, or, it could be a sign of what’s to come.

taylor.allen@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @TaylorAllen31