In a display that probably set football back twenty years, the Lions and Bombers combined to fumble six times, punt eighteen times and score a grand total of one touchdown as BC defeated short-handed Winnipeg at Princess Auto Stadium. The Bombers, missing starting QB Zach Collaros to a one-game suspension for an off-season drug testing issue, out gained British Columbia but were ineffective in scoring areas and paid the price for two missed field goals by Sergio Castillo. The Lions did barely enough to win, getting the one big strike required to score the game’s only major early in the second quarter and then holding on as Winnipeg stalled out three times in Lion territory in the fourth quarter.
The game got off to an exciting start when Trey Vaval fumbled the opening kickoff, but the Bombers recovered their own muff and the excitement fell off from there. BC opened the scoring on Sean Whyte’s chip-shot FG after Nathan Rourke’s 34-yard strike to Ayden Eberhardt had put the visitors into the red zone. On Winnipeg’s next possession, Chris Streveler was intercepted by Robert Carter, Jr. near midfield but BC couldn’t move the ball and Carl Meyer’s punt was blocked and recovered by Winnipeg at the Lion 30. The home team moved inside the ten with a first-and-goal, but had to settle for Castillo’s short FG to tie the game after Streveler was sacked by Dewayne Hendrix on second down. Castillo crushed the ensuing kickoff twelve yards into the end zone, and Carter was smothered after only four yards after mishandling the kick and WPG took a one-point lead. Winnipeg’s next possession saw Streveler hit three straight passes to get near the BC 30, but the Bombers decided to settle for a Castillo FG on third-and-one.
BC’s next possession proved to be the key one of the game. A nice kick return by Phillip Brooks gave them good field position, and Rourke hit Jevon Cotty three times for 55 yards, the last 26 ending in the Winnipeg end zone for a touchdown, and the PAT gave BC a 10-7 lead. The offenses went into hibernation for the next ten minutes, Streveler being sacked again by Hendrix and Rourke getting picked off by Evan Holm, but there was a flurry of activity in the final minute of the half. BC got possession in Winnipeg’s half of the field after pinning the Bombers in the shadow of their goal posts and fielding a short punt, and one Rourke completion to Justin McInnis was enough to earn the Lions a 40-yard FG from Whyte with just under a minute to go. The Bombers took the ball 39 yards in three plays, perhaps critically deciding to use both of their time outs to allow a 43-yard FG attempt by Castillo at the gun - he missed to the left and BC conceded the single to go to halftime up by five points.
When the Lions fumbled the snap on the second play of the second half and WPG recovered at the BC 48, it looked as if the Bombers would be in business; but a first-down penalty stalled them again and, again, Castillo missed from 43 yards out and the kick went through the end zone for another single. British Columbia took the ensuing possession back into Winnpeg territory on the strength of Rourke’s 20-yard scramble on second-and-6 and Whyte hit his third place kick of the game to push the Lions ahead by a full score. Winnipeg moved the ball across midfield on two of their next three possessions, but couldn’t get near the red zone and got nothing more than their fourth rouge of the night when Jamieson Sheahan’s punt bounced to a halt 14 yards into the end zone a couple of minutes into the final quarter. Punts were exchanged until the Blue Bombers took over at their own 47 with three-and-a-half minutes remaining, looking at what might be their final chance to get on top. They turned to the rushing game, and five carries had gotten them into Lion territory when Matthew Peterson was stripped on a second-down carry; WPG fell on the ball, but faced a third-and-two with two minutes to go. Peterson got the rock again, and rumbled for five to move the chains and the ball to the BC 40. Streveler hit Peterson with a 10-yard swing pass on second-and-ten to move the ball inside the 30, but the Winnipeg QB fumbled the snap on a second-and-seven play and the Lions covered the loose ball with just over a minute to go. It wasn’t quite over yet, as a quick two-and-out got WPG the ball back just on their side of the midfield stripe, but Nic Demski was pulled down at the final gun after a 21-yard catch and the Lions had won the battle on the scoreboard even if no one had won the battle of aesthetics. FINAL: British Columbia 16, Winnipeg 10.
Contribution to the Facebook co-op replay . . .
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| Jevon Cottoy (4 catches, 60 yards) scores the only major of the game |
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