Bob Irving
CFL.ca
There really are no moral victories in professional sport.
But if there were, The Winnipeg Blue bombers would have scored one on Saturday night in Calgary. The Blue Bombers began the most challenging segment of their schedule, a stretch of 5 games with 4 of them on the road, by battling the Stampeders right to the bitter end before grudgingly accepting a 23-20 loss.
The Bombers trailed throughout the game, and were behind 23-18 with just under two minutes to play when Steven Jyles put together a drive that looked like it might result in the Bombers recording their first win in McMahon Stadium since 2002.
A 43-yard pass to Terrence Edwards put the ball on the Calgary 30-yard line with roughly a minute still on the clock. But, three incomplete passes later, Winnipeg’s last hope was dashed.
It was a gutsy performance by the Bombers, particularly by their defence which held Henry Burris and the Stampeders to just six points in the second half. Burris threw two touchdown passes but Calgary had to settle for three Rob Maver field goals as Winnipeg’s defensive front made life miserable for the 35-year old Calgary quarterback, sacking him three times.
Defensive ends Philip Hunt and O’Dell Willis were the defensive leaders. Willis had two sacks against his former team while Hunt was sensational, recording six tackles and one sack, giving him a CFL leading six sacks in five games.
The 24-year old Hunt was the 2008 All-Conference USA defensive player of the year with the University of Houston. He joined the Bombers for the final 7 games of the 2009 season and based on his play in the early stages of this season, he is a candidate for CFL defensive player of the year honors.
In addition, the Bomber defence held Joffrey Reynolds to just 30 yards on nine carries.
Winnipeg’s offence was erratic, managing only 15 first downs and only 316 yards of offence. Still, Jyles, in just his third professional start, completed a respectable 17 of 30 passes for 227 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions. His favorite target was Edwards, who caught six passes for 162 yards. Edwards is enjoying a spectacular season with 25 catches for 545 yards and four touchdowns in five games.
For a team that is still feeling its way along with a new coaching staff and a bunch of new players, a team that was using its second string quarterback for a second straight game, and a team that had lost seven consecutive games in Calgary, Saturday night’s effort was encouraging to say the least. B
omber head coach Paul Lapolice said it’s hard to feel good about a game when you lose, but he did agree that his team played with resolve and with passion, and if that trend continues they will win their share of games.
It doesn’t get any easier for the 2-3 Bombers. Next up is a home and home series with Hamilton, and then it’s two more on the road, in Montreal and in Regina.
The status of quarterback Buck Pierce for Saturday’s visit to Hamilton is uncertain. Pierce has missed the last two games with a sprained knee but is hoping he can return to practice when the Bombers begin preparations for their game with the Ticats on Tuesday. LaPolice has said he won’t put Pierce back in the lineup until he is completely recovered.
