CFL.ca
CFL.ca Staff
WINNIPEG – Will Ford’s 98-yard kickoff return touchdown sparked a Bombers squad who took the first Banjo Bowl at Investors Group Field 25-13 over the Saskatchewan Roughriders in front of a sell-out crowd.
Goltz finished a modest 8 for 17 for 129 yards but managed game well and had 56 yards on the ground along with the two touchdowns.
Meanwhile, the Bombers defence was simply dominant as they held Darian Durant and the potent Roughriders offence in check for most of the game, not giving up a touchdown and recording eight quarterback sacks.
After Goltz and the Bombers showed some poise in the first half of last week’s game, the Riders mounted a furious second half to take a 48-25 win on Labour Day.
Their defence, who held Goltz in check that game, picked up where they left off in this one as Weldon Brown jumped a pass intended for Cory Watson and took it back to the Winnipeg 39 yard line.
It set up a 13-yard Chris Milo field goal and an early 3-0 lead.
The lead was short-lived however as on the ensuing kickoff, Will Ford made an already boisterous crowd even louder.
Ford was filling in for Chad Simpson at tailback after the latter suffered a foot injury this week and fielded the kickoff deep in Winnipeg territory. He turned on the jets and with pure speed, ran 98 yards untouched to the end-zone for the touchdown.
Milo added another field goal shortly thereafter but the true story was one of the receptions that set it up.
Veteran receiver Geroy Simon made his 1,007th career reception which moved him ahead of Terry Vaughn for second place on the CFL’s All-Time Receptions list. He sits only behind former Montreal Alouettes slotback Ben Cahoon who has 1,017.
Milo added another field goal midway through the second quarter from 30 yards out to put Riders back in the lead 9-7.
A Tristan Jackson fumble off a punt led to Winnipeg’s next score as Sandro DeAngelis added a 39-yarder before Millo added a 40-yarder before the end of the half.
The Roughriders took a slim 12-10 lead to halftime.
Goltz, who had a rough first half began to find his footing as the third quarter got underway.
The Bombers started to go after the Riders defence with his arm and his legs, putting together an impressive 9-play, 69-yard touchdown drive which he finished off with a 3-yard quarterback keeper to give Winnipeg the lead.
It was all about the Blue Bombers defence for the remainder of the quarter.
Led by DL Bryant Turner, the Bombers held Saskatchewan to just a single point in the frame. With 1:19 left in the quarter, Darian Durant scrambled out of the pocket and went on a run to find a first down. Bombers defender Pierre-Luc Labbe popped the ball loose and cornerback Demond Washington pounced on the fumble.
| Bombers ‘D’ Buzzing |
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The Bombers defence was simply dominant as they held Darian Durant and the potent Roughriders offence in check for most of the game, not giving up a touchdown and recording eight quarterback sacks…View More Stats. |
Goltz got back to work on his best march of the game. He engineered an 8-play, 110-yard drive which he once again capped off with a 3-yard quarterback draw to give Winnipeg their biggest lead of the game, 24-13 early in the fourth.
A few possessions later, Goltz stepped up in the pocket and delivered a 45-yard pass to Aaron Kelly who made a diving grab to set up a 40-yard field goal attempt by DeAngelis. But the veteran place-kicker sailed it wide right and the Bombers had to settle for the single point.
The previous reception was Kelly’s other biggest as the former Hamilton Tiger-Cat’s 28-yarder helped set up the previous Goltz touchdown run.
The defence, which was buzzing all night, would close it out from there.
The continued to pressure Durant and with 2:38 forced him to turn it over on downs after making him toss three incompletions in a row.
Durant was held to just 112 yards passing on 14 of 32 passing with no touchdowns and one interception.
Next week, the Bombers head to Edmonton to take on the Eskimos. Meanwhile, the Roughriders return home to face the first-place Toronto Argonauts.
