Bombers get full QB effort in comeback win

CFL.ca Staff

WINNIPEG — Asked to describe the heroics and degree of difficulty that Dru Brown worked with on Friday night, Greg Ellingson didn’t hesitate.

“He’s a baller,” the Bombers’ receiver told CJOB in Winnipeg. “All the guys in that quarterback room showed what they can do.”

The Bombers needed all three of their quarterbacks to pick up their first win of the season, a 19-17 last-second comeback over the visiting Ottawa REDBLACKS at IG Field.

When Zach Collaros was removed from the game by the injury spotter, Brown took to the field with 1:22 to play and his team in desperate need of getting the ball at least into field goal range. Ottawa’s Lewis Ward had just made his third field goal of the night to put the REDBLACKS up 17-16 and Brown, through no fault of his own, had to enter the game at its most crucial moment cold.

Brown completed all three of his passes, including one that got the Bombers out of a first-and-15 situation, then handed off twice to running back Brady Oliveira to get kicker Marc Liegghio into position to connect on his 25-yard game winner. He threw for 51 yards in his spot duty.

“You’re kind of locked in a whole game with talking with Zach,” Brown told CJOB.

“Without playing the whole game, you kind of feel like you know what (Ottawa is) trying to do out there. (The coaches) call a play, I run it, I know my progression. There’s a lot of preparation that goes into things like this but at the end of the day you’re just playing ball. I’m just trying to do my job just like the other 11 guys out there.”

Dakota Prukop found the end zone in short yardage and held on Marc Liegghio’s game-winning field goal (Jason Halstead/CFL.ca)

Prukop was key in short yardage situations, getting into the end zone at 8:43 of the fourth quarter to give the Bombers a temporary lead before Ward made his third and final field goal of the night. Prukop also made a heads up play on a bobbled field goal attempt in the first half. He acted quickly enough to get the Bombers a first down and keep their drive going.

Before he left the game, Collaros was 18-26 for 188 yards with a touchdown. When Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea learned that his starter had to leave the game, he immediately turned to Brown.

“He’s here for a reason. He know how to run this offence,” O’Shea said. “I like that he was efficient at a very critical time. Got us down into position, ran the clock well.”

“I think that’s why we’re here is to make plays and to help the team win,” Brown said.

“Everybody has a role. If my role is sitting on the sideline and encouraging and helping guys understand what they’re doing in the back end or what we’re seeing out there, then that’s my role. If my role is to go in and play and deliver the ball around to our guys then that’s what I’ll do. I just want these guys to trust me with them ball out there because I trust all those guys.”

Friday’s dramatic finish is the perfect setup for next week’s rematch between these two clubs. They meet back in Ottawa at TD Place on Friday, June 17 at 7:30 p.m. ET.

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