By Jim Bender
Not many teams can overcome six turnovers in a playoff game and still emerge victorious.
Meet the Winnipeg Blue Bombers. While six giveaways would have deflated most teams, this is no ordinary outfit. The heavily-favoured Big Blue still managed to eke out a 21-17 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in the CFL West Final before 31,160 shivering fans at IG Field on Sunday.
The Bombers rode on the shoulders of running back Andrew Harris – a game-time decision to play due to a knee injury that kept him sidelined for about three weeks — to carry them to the come-from-behind triumph.
Harris rushed for 136 yards, including a three-yard touchdown, on 23 carried.
“I’ve been in this league for a long time and played a lot of snaps,” Harris said. “I know that it’s win-or-go-home in these situations. There’s a certain attitude, a certain stigma, a certain feeling that you get in playoff time. I never want to go home in these situations. I want to give it all that I have. That energy, that enthusiasm, that fire in your belly just elevates and your play kind of comes out after that.
“It’s a team game. Our O-line was prepared today. No matter who was running the ball, we would have had success today. All five, or seven, guys that were in at O-line were amazing and it really starts with them. You just want to be there and make sure that you’re making the right cuts and keeping that energy up. They did great.”
Despite five turnovers in the first half, the Bombers did not panic.
“It means that we’re resilient and we’ve got thick skin,” Harris said. “There’s no quit in our team. We didn’t give up, we didn’t falter. We came in at halftime and really just looked around and said ‘Hey, what are we doing here, guys?’ We were just making small mistakes, little things. We definitely secured our emotions and came out in the second half with a different attitude.”
It helped that they were only down 10-7 at the half.
But did Harris give one of his emotional speeches to stir up his teammates?
“I didn’t need to,” he said. “Everyone else knew what was going on. We had a player on the other team doing dirty shit at the end of the first half, poking guys in the eyes and everyone just said, ‘If that’s what they need to do to get under our skin, that’s all they’ve got.’ We didn’t really need to say much at halftime.”
Riders receiver Duke Williams poked safety Brandon Alexander in the eye at the end of the half, Harris said.
The Bombers will head to Hamilton to play the Tiger-Cats in the Grey Cup Game next Sunday. The Ticats had beaten the Toronto Argonauts 27-19 in the East Final.
Winnipeg quarterback Zach Collaros completed an 11-yard TD toss to Rasheed Bailey and backup quarterback Sean Maguire scored on a one-yard sneak. Plackicker Sergio Castillo converted all three.
Running back William Powell scored a one-yard touchdown and quarterback Cody Fajardo completed a 67-yard touchdown pass to Williams for Saskatchewan. Placekicker Brett Lauther converted both and kicked a 16-yard field goal.
Collaros completed 17 of 21 passes for 229 yards and the one TD, with three interceptions. He seemed relieved that the Bombers overcame six turnovers.
“It says that this is a special group, a group that is going to do whatever it takes to have each other’s backs,” he said. “It was unfortunate the way we started the game off, especially offensively. I feel like we could have had a pretty substantial lead there. Our defence kept us in it all night long, and our special teams. And we were able to come in at halftime and regroup a bit and understand that the plays are there to be made. Special group of people. I can’t say enough about those guys in there and I don’t think I’ve ever been in a locker room like this.”
Fajardo completed 19 of 27 passes for 265 yards and the TD, with no picks, but was frustrated that the Bombers had beaten the Riders in a second straight West Final.
“Tough one again,” he said. “Nobody thought we’d have a chance in this game and here we are with the ball with a chance to go down the field and win the game. So, I thought we played a really good game, just not enough.”
That drive ended when Bombers defensive back Nick Taylor knocked down a Fajardo pass attempt on a third-and-four play in Winnipeg territory late in the game.
‘KNUCKLES’ HONOURED
CJOB’s popular Bob (Knuckles) Irving – The Voice of the Bombers – was honoured with an induction into the team’s Ring of Honour in a brief ceremony before the game. Congrats, Knuckles!
