Call it 58 minutes and 22 seconds of pure frustration and of worry and concern for two injured comrades – coupled with offensive struggles – which was ultimately topped by a final 98 seconds of absolute ecstasy.
And, given the trials and tribulations of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers through the first chunk of the 2024 Canadian Football League season, perhaps none of us should be the least bit surprised with what unfolded on another pristine summer night in front of a sold-out crowd of 32,343 at Princess Auto Stadium.
The Blue Bombers fought and clawed and overcame some critical errors – plus injuries to left tackle Stanley Bryant and guard Gabe Wallace – to eke out a 26-23 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats, with the game-winning Zach-Collaros-to-Kenny-Lawler touchdown coming with just 19 seconds remaining.
As a result, the club has improved to 5-6 and within one point of the first place in the West Division, currently held by the 5-5-1 Saskatchewan Roughriders, and with the 5-5 B.C. Lions in action Saturday against the Ottawa RedBlacks.
“It basically came down to who wanted it more and what’s in your heart and what you’re made of,” said Lawler, who capped a 11-play, 72-yard drive inside the final 1:38 with the game-winning 10-yard score. “Our guys, we said if we get the ball for the last drive, we know what it is – we’ve got to go down and put it in the end zone and that’s what it’s going to take.
“We had some time left and it took everybody. You saw a lot of guys making catches, the O-line blocking… it was just one of those things. We had to go out there and put our hard hat on and pull it out and that’s what happened.”
“We showed some resilience and there was lots of opportunity to be resilient tonight, a lot of things going on,” added head coach Mike O’Shea. “Everybody wants resilience to be instant in the first opportunity you get to stand and deliver and would like it to be instantaneous. But as long as it shows up before the end of the game, so be it. We learned.”
The Blue Bombers have now won three straight and after an 0-4 start, are 5-2 since to climb back into contention.
More on the club’s dramatic win from our view in the press box…
HOGS HIT HARD:
The game was five plays old when the Blue Bombers offensive line lost a man, as veteran left tackle Stanley Bryant – a future hall of famer and the most-decorated lineman in CFL history – took a knee before being tended to by the training staff, then the team doctors and finally paramedics.
Bryant left the field on a stretcher after a 16-minute delay and was taken to hospital. Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea provided this update after the game:
“I don’t normally talk about this stuff. It looks not good, but Stan is feeling a lot better. I don’t normally do this, but because of what people see on TV I just want everybody to know he called and said he’s feeling a lot better.
“It was a combination, I think, of the heat and being sick – he was sick all week, in a short week, and it just all added up to him not feeling good for a second.”
Stanley Bryant is alert and is currently undergoing further evaluation at the hospital. He is stable and with team medical personnel.
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) August 24, 2024
That moment, clearly, can be unnerving for teammates.
“It’s worrying, especially when that stretcher comes out,” said centre Chris Kolankowski. “I’m not sure what it is, but we hear he’s doing alright. It’s about dealing with the emotions in the moment and then once he’s off the field we’ve just got to do what we do and play how we play and make him proud, the way Stan would want to see. That’s what we were saying, ‘Let’s do what would make Stan proud if he was able to watch the game.’
“That was tough. I’ve never experienced that as a player, and I’ve played a lot of football. Luckily that’s the first time that’s happened, so it’s tough. It’s about breathing, thinking about it, looking at the guys around you and rallying.”
To make matters worse, before halftime the Blue Bombers lost another O-lineman, as promising rookie Gabe Wallace – the club’s second selection in the 2024 CFL Draft – had to be carted off the field after suffering an apparent knee injury.
The resulting shuffle saw Kendall Randolph move from right guard to Byrant’s spot at left tackle with Tui Eli finishing the game at guard. It also meant that veteran defensive tackle Jake Thomas switched numbers from #95 to #62 at halftime to be available as the reserve O-lineman. And with veteran guard Pat Neufeld on the six-game injured list, the reserves are thin right now with rookie import Micah Vanterpool the only available option on the practice roster.
Still, when it mattered most the remaining five – Kolankowski, Randolph and Eric Lofton at tackles and Liam Dobson and Eli at guard – were there grinding to help the team punch in the game-winning score.
O WOES… AND MAGIC:
Losing two OL in the first half certainly impacts offensive plans but, that said, the Blue Bombers offence struggled to get into the end zone after seemingly finding some traction in the win over the B.C. Lions last Sunday with two scores.
That is, until it really mattered.
The Blue Bombers got four field goals from Sergio Castillo and a special teams touchdown from Michael Ayers after he scooped up a fumble caused by a hellacious hit from Tony Jones while the attack struggled, hearing boo birds at one point in the fourth quarter.
THAT’S HOW YOU DO IT TONY JONES
13-3 Bombers #ForTheW pic.twitter.com/FJ8oHgg6Dl
— Winnipeg Blue Bombers (@Wpg_BlueBombers) August 24, 2024
Collaros finished the night 18-of-36 for 177 yards and had been picked off three times before leading the team down the field on the game-winning drive.
“He’s as competitive as there is and he’s so hard on himself,” said O’Shea of his QB1. “I mean, we’ve been around long enough (to see it), he’s just freakin’ awesome. He’s just awesome.”
Collaros shouldered the blame for the offensive struggles post-game and then said this when asked about finding some magic at the end:
“You’ve just got to keep going, that’s the name of the game. I mean, what are you going to do? Quit? You’ve got to have belief in what you’re doing, and the guys did a great job of digging deep there against a good defence all night long and making plays when they needed to be made.”
KEY MOMENT
Not rocket science here: when the game-winning TD is scored with 19 seconds remaining, it obviously stands out. The Collaros-to-Lawler score came on a sensational drive inside the final 1:38 and included, in order, a completion to Lawler, a pass to Pokey Wilson, two runs by Collaros, two runs by Brady Oliveira, a pass to Nik Demski, another run by Oliveira before the winner to #89.
KEY STAT:24%
Could pick a handful of numbers here, but the Blue Bombers defence limited the Ticats to just 24 percent on second-down conversions (4-of-17), including four stops in the fourth quarter, to even give the offence a shot at late glory.
NEXT: Buckle up, Bomber Nation, because up next is the Labour Day Classic followed by the Banjo Bowl. Winnipeg is in Regina on Sunday, September 1st with a 6 p.m. CDT start.