The Bombers (10-1) became the first team in CFL history to record 400 home wins (Calgary is at 399). They did it in front of 30,062 fans at IG Field, who also received some highlights from the Stampeders. “I would say it’s probably not a classic as far as when the coaches watch it, but for CFL fans, I don’t think they care about that,” the Bombers head coach said. “It was a hell of a game for the crowd.” Calgary (6-4) receiver Malik Henry caught a trio of touchdowns from second-year quarterback Jake Maier, who was making his first start in place of healthy veteran Bo Levi Mitchell. Henry, who missed the previous two games with an injury, finished with seven catches for 122 yards. Meyer threw an incomplete pass on his first possession of the game, but then went on to complete 15 straight passes. He was 15-of-16 for 194 yards and two touchdowns in the first half, and finished 23-of-28 for 294 yards without an interception. Meyer said the offense played well through three quarters, but didn’t do enough in the fourth quarter when Winnipeg’s defense stepped up its push. “I feel like we didn’t finish well enough and it starts with me,” he said. “The second or third last drive of the game, he got a bad sack, missed a shot, dropped some balls. “I have to be better in those moments and we will.” Winnipeg won all three games against Calgary this season, giving them a season series sweep for the first time since 1987. The other wins were also close by scores of 26-19 and 35-28. Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros, who was intercepted twice in the end zone by Stampeders defensive back Brad Muhammad, was 19-of-26 passing for 294 yards and two touchdowns. “Two great organizations. Two great teams,” Kolaros said. “I thought we showed great resilience. “I put us in two bad spots and the whole team picked me up, picked up the offense.” Winnipeg got catches from receivers Greg McCrae, Nic Demski and Rasheed Bailey. Backup quarterback Dakota Prukop recorded another TD on a two-yard sneak and threw the 10-yard TD strike to Bailey. Marc Liegghio kicked a 32-yard field goal and was good for four conversions. Calgary’s Rene Paredes connected on field goals of 47 and 31 yards and had three conversions. The Stampeders also got two singles when Winnipeg gave up punts. The Bombers led 14-8 after the first quarter. Calgary had an 18-17 halftime lead and a 25-24 lead in the fourth quarter. Stampeders head coach Dave Dickenson acknowledged that Maier faced a lot of pressure. “I thought we did a pretty good job of staying balanced, working things back and forth,” Dickenson said. “Right (after halftime), we had two plays where we could have made big plays and we didn’t.” He also agreed with O’Shea that the game was a treat for the fans. “Battle again, back and forth, good entertainment but not our end,” Dickenson said. “We’re still coming off a loss and that hurts.” Winnipeg had a pair of touchdowns in the first quarter, but also two injuries to defensive backs. After Collaros threw a 41-yard TD pass to McCrae at 12:17 on Winnipeg’s opening possession, Calgary answered with Henry’s 61-yard TD at the 8:30 mark. Henry’s run to the end zone was aided by an injury to Bombers cornerback Demerio Houston. As Houston ran to cover Henry, he stood up and fell to the turf. He limped off the field and never returned. Then Bombers backup Patrice Rene was injured while covering Calgary’s opening game. He was carted off the field. Starting running back Brady Oliveira was on the sideline with his helmet on in the second half, but O’Shea had no updates on the injured trio. Oliveira was replaced by Johnny Augustin, who had four carries for 20 yards on Winnipeg’s final drive of the game that ate up more than two minutes and sealed the win. This report by The Canadian Press was first published on August 25, 2022.
