By Canadian Press

Roughriders work overtime to trip rival Blue Bombers 32-30 in a thriller

Sep 3, 2023 | 7:27 PM

REGINA — The Saskatchewan Roughriders recorded a 32-30 overtime victory over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Sunday before a sellout Labour Day Classic crowd of 33,350 at Mosaic Stadium.

The Riders opened overtime with Antonio Pipkin scoring his second touchdown of the game on a one-yard sneak. Jake Dolegala followed up with a completion to Shawn Bane Jr. on the ensuing two-point convert to give the Riders a 32-24 lead.

On Winnipeg’s first offensive play in overtime, Zach Collaros connected with Kenny Lawler on a 35-yard touchdown pass. The Riders got the victory when rookie safety Jaxson Ford deflected Collaros’s pass on the two-point convert attempt.

The Riders forced overtime when Brett Lauther connected on his fifth field goal of the game, an 18-yarder, with 31 seconds left in the fourth quarter

The Riders, who are third in the CFL’s West Division, improved to 6-5 with the victory, while the Bombers, who occupy top spot in the West Division, slipped to 9-3. Winnipeg could have clinched a playoff berth with a victory.

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Winnipeg overcame a 13-7 halftime deficit with Brady Oliveira’s second rushing major of the game, coming with 3:50 left in the fourth quarter, giving Winnipeg a 24-20 lead.

The Riders appeared to have held the Bombers to a game-tying field goal when Collaros threw an incompletion on second-and-goal from the Saskatchewan five-yard line. However, Riders defensive lineman Pete Robertson took a 15-yard roughing penalty at the end of the play when he head-butted Collaros.

On the ensuing play, Oliveira took the ball untouched into the end zone. Oliveira also scored on a three-yard run late in the third quarter.

The teams struggled offensively in the first quarter but quarterbacks Dolegala and Collaros found their respective strides in the second quarter.

Midway through the quarter Dolegala led the Riders on an eight-play, 102-yard drive that culminated with backup Pipkin scoring on a one-yard run. The drive, which gave the Riders a 10-0 lead, included a 64-yard reception by Tevin Jones and a 37-yard catch by Mitchell Picton.

Collaros, who began the game 0-for-4 passing with an interception, helped the Bombers respond following Pipkin’s touchdown. Starting from the Winnipeg 10-yard line, Collaros hit three consecutive passes — 20 yards to Dalton Schoen, 46 yards to Nik Demski and 34 yards to Drew Wolitarsky to give the Bombers their first major of the day.

Wolitarsky’s diving catch in the end zone pulled the Bombers to within 10-7 with 3:34 left in the second quarter.

The Riders took a 13-7 lead into halftime when Lauther connected on his second field goal of the game with 1:33 left in the second quarter.

Earlier in the day, the Riders, Bombers, CFL and CFLPA were monitoring the air quality with in-stadium instruments to ensure safe conditions for players, coaches, staff and fans.

Smoke from ongoing wildfires in British Columbia’s Interior had drifted east, impacting the air quality in Saskatchewan. The Riders released a statement 40 minutes before kickoff that with the help of strong south winds, levels decreased steadily throughout the afternoon and were below the acceptable level for the game to go forward.

UP NEXT

The Roughriders and Blue Bombers will play each other next Saturday in the Manitoba capital.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 3, 2023.

Jeff DeDekker, The Canadian Press