Hallelujah, the CFL preseason is officially in the rear-view mirror. Let the real games begin.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers and Saskatchewan Roughriders faced off in the final game of the exhibition season, with the prairie rivals playing in front of a crowd of 24,654 at IG Field Friday night. The Bombers would try to make it a game as the night wore on but failed to mount a late comeback as the Roughriders rolled to a 28-16 victory.
The Bombers wrap up the preseason with a 1-1 record, having defeated the Edmonton Elks, 25-23, on the road last Saturday. The Roughriders won both their preseason games, including a 30-27 home triumph over the B.C. Lions.
JESSICA LEE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS Matt Cole was impressive returning kicks Friday night in the Bombers’ presason game against the Saskatchewan Roughriders at IG Field.
Winnipeg will begin the regular season next Friday (June 9) against the visiting Hamilton Tiger-Cats. Before we look too far ahead, let’s take a look at Friday’s loss, with some news, notes and analysis from the game.
1 The Bombers opted to dress several projected starters in last week’s preseason game against the Elks, resulting in a significantly more inexperienced lineup against the Roughriders. Among the veterans on offence were receivers Rasheed Bailey and Drew Wolitarsky and offensive lineman Geoff Gray, while defensive end Willie Jefferson, defensive tackle Jake Thomas, linebacker Malik Clements and defensive backs Brandon Alexander and Demerio Houston suited up for the defence.
2 No. 2 quarterback Dru Brown started and played the entire first half, finishing 8-for-15 passing for 69 yards, while rushing once for 11 yards. Brown didn’t throw for a touchdown over three quarters in the preseason, but also didn’t toss an interception. He was sacked twice against the Roughriders while playing behind an inexperienced O-line. His best drive came late in the first quarter and into the early stages of the second, with Brown leading the Bombers to the Roughriders’ 15. But a couple passing attempts to the end zone were unsuccessful and Winnipeg settled for a 28-yard field goal by Sergio Castillo.
3 Facing a lot of Saskatchewan’s starters on defence, the Bombers offence struggled in the first half, mustering just three points and 91 yards of net offence. Meanwhile, the Roughriders put up 15 points and 186 yards of net offence. Brown has shown enough during his time in Winnipeg to have the trust of the coaching staff, but you would have wanted to see more from the skilled pivot, especially since he was given enough game time to find his groove.
4 The Roughriders opened the scoring midway through the first quarter, with Trevor Harris connecting with Derel Walker for a five-yard touchdown. That came on the visitors’ second series of the game, which marked the end for Harris, who went 4-for-4 passing for 72 yards and the TD. Mason Fine would take over from there and last into the third quarter. Fine, who was 9-for-13 passing for 86 yards, would orchestrate four scoring drives, including a touchdown — a five-yard pass to Kalija Lipscomb — and three Brett Lauther Field goals.
5 The Bombers would finally show some life in the second half, thanks to another impressive outing by QB Tyrrell Pigrome. Indeed, the Pigrome Show was in full effect. The 25-year-old dazzled against Edmonton with a pair of rushing touchdowns, including a 45-yarder that showed off his incredible speed. Against the Roughriders, Pigrome let his arm and legs do the talking. He led the Bombers to touchdowns on both of his drives, finding Amare Jones with a five-yard pass, with the second capped off on a four-yard rushing touchdown by Jordan Salima to cut Saskatchewan’s lead to 21-16. Pigrome, who completed five of his six passes for 65 yards and had a game-high 43 rushing yards on five carries, solidified his spot as the No. 3, short-yardage QB.
6 On that note, you have to feel for Bombers QB Josh Jones. Jones was battling Pigrome for the No. 3 spot and didn’t get much of an opportunity to show his stuff. He entered last week’s game in the final minutes and did the same again Friday, taking over with 4:51 remaining, immediately after the Roughriders made it 28-16 with a drive that lasted nearly eight minutes. Jones finished 3-for-4 for 23 yards.
7 Salima definitely stood out in this one. The 25-year-old used all of his 5-10, 205-pound frame to fight and claw for yards, finishing with seven carries for 34 yards. He also caught two of three balls thrown his way for another 23 yards. The Bombers are in good hands with Brady Oliveira in the backfield, but perhaps Salima could earn a slot on the practice roster.
8 It was a fairly rough day at the office for the defence. The Bombers surrendered 357 yards of net offence, compared to putting up 249, with the Roughriders scoring TDs on three of four trips to the red zone. Part of that inconsistency had to do with so many newcomers on the roster, with the veterans limited to just one quarter per player.
9 It wasn’t all bad on D. Caleb Thomas had another good showing, registering a sack for the second straight week. Cam Lawson also looked sturdy on the interior of the D-line and should provide some quality depth behind Thomas. Barrington Wade, in a battle for the weakside linebacker, also made some plays, finishing with four tackles.
10 Janarion Grant was taken off the suspended list earlier this week and the dynamic returner is expected to be ready to go for the regular season. If they’re looking for a backup option, Matt Cole looks like a solid choice. Cole returned a punt 49 yards, but it was negated owing to a holding penalty. Later, following a missed field goal, he took the ball other way for 64 yards, and would have reached pay dirt if not for kicker Lauther tackling him.
11 Castillo, who had just the one field-goal attempt, is undoubtedly the Bombers place kicker this year. Chandler Staton, who was perfect last week, nailing a 34-yard field goal and all three of his converts, missed a convert Friday and you wonder if that’s enough to lose a potential PR spot. As for punters, it seems like Bombers will go with one of the global players in Jamieson Sheahan and Karl Schmitz. Nothing against Marc Liegghio, who punted well against the Roughriders, but he’s more expensive and after last year, still considered expendable.
12 Mike O’Shea and his staff will spend much of today going over the roster and making their final decisions on who to keep. Final cuts need to be made, practice team spots determined, and the roster submitted to the league by 10 p.m.
Twitter: @jeffkhamilton
Jeff Hamilton
Multimedia producer
After a slew of injuries playing hockey that included breaks to the wrist, arm, and collar bone; a tear of the medial collateral ligament in both knees; as well as a collapsed lung, Jeff figured it was a good idea to take his interest in sports off the ice and in to the classroom.
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