Skip to content
  1. Home
  2. Roughriders
  3. Game Blog

LIVE BLOG: Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Saskatchewan Roughriders

A moment-by-moment look at the Labour Day Classic clash between two of the Canadian Football League's biggest rivals
Randy Palmer
week-13-riders-winnipeg-live-blog

8:12 p.m.
It's victory formation, and Saskatchewan has the 34-30 victory in the 60th Labour Day Classic!

8:11 p.m.
Onside kick is muffed by Milligan Jr. but Thurman recovers and it's Riders ball with 28 seconds remaining.

8:09 p.m.
HUGE INTERCEPTION! Campbell intercepts the pass and goes all the way down the field for a Riders two point convert and it's 34-30 with 30 seconds remaining. 

8:06 p.m.
Touchdown Winnipeg: Schoen catches a six yard pass and it's 32-30 with the two point convert attempt coming.

8:04 p.m.
Collaros forced to go for it on third down with a deep pass to Demski, who draws a pass interference call to get down to Riders 17 with 58 seconds remaining.

8:02 p.m.
Riders' drive stalls at Winnipeg 31 but Riders go for it on third and six with some trickery with an onside punt by Harris. Ball skips to the goal line, Nichols tries to save the one point and runs out of the end zone before being tackled back into the end zone by Robustelli. That's a rouge for Harris and a 32-24 lead with 1:28 to play.

7:53 p.m.
Ouellette runs for seven yards, and has his helmet straight-up ripped off his head on an absolutely brutal and obvious facemask penalty that was missed. Works out in the end, Ouellette runs for three and Stevens for two for the first down.

7:51 p.m.
Touchdown Winnipeg: Passes to Clercius for 22 and nine yards get Winnipeg down to Riders 33, Collaros hits Wheatfall in the back of the end zone for the major. Six plays, 88 yards, two minutes off the clock, 31-24 Saskatchewan with 3:57 remaining in the game.

7:46 p.m.
Back-to-back incomplete passes and Winnipeg punts. Alford has a nice return going but fumbles, Winnipeg's Kelly recovers and gets ball back on own 46 with 4:58 to play.

7:43 p.m.
Couple of short gains and Riders punt, Winnipeg gets the ball back on own 22.

7:40 p.m.
A short pass and incompletion and Winnipeg punts. Riders get the ball back on their own 44. with 8:31 remaining in the game.

And Ajou's conversion:

Anderson's second touchdown of the game:

7:36 p.m.
TOUCHDOWN ROUGHRIDERS! Anderson scores his second of the game, running into the pile and getting the push the rest of the way for a five-yard major. Ajou hauls in the two-point convert in the back of the end zone. Four plays, 35 yards, two minutes off the clock and it's a 31-17 Saskatchewan lead with 9:45 remaining in the game. That's two drives in a row where the Riders had nothing but positive yardage on their way to a major.

7:32 p.m.
And now the Riders are rollin', rollin', rollin'. Ouellette runs for nine yards, Stevens for eight yards and Ouellette for 13 yards and the Riders are down to the Winnipeg five.

7:31 p.m.
Winnipeg turnover! Allen forces an Oliviera fumble, Thurman recovers and it's Saskatchewan ball at the Winnipeg 35

7:25 p.m.
Mitchell apparently has a 16 yard catch for a first down, but coach Mace successfully challenges a pick pass interference to make it 2nd-and 19, then the crowd gets into it and Collaros takes a time count violation to push them back to second and 17.

Anderson's first-ever CFL touchdown:

7:20 p.m.
Some history on that drive as Harris as moved into 13th all-time in CFL passing yards with 36,043. He passes Kent Austin and is now chasing down Tom Clements.

7:18 p.m.
TOUCHDOWN ROUGHRIDERS! Brilliant catch by Robustelli and another by Meyers gets Riders to 26, Anderson breaks a handful of tackles and goes the rest of the way for his first CFL major. Absolutely surgical drive, seven plays, 4:56 off the clock, 87 yards. Convert is missed left, 23-17 lead for Saskatchewan at the end of the third quarter.

7:13 p.m.
Riders start on their own 23 and four straight plays for positive yardage have them at midfield.

7:07 p.m.
Touchdown Winnipeg. Collaros is flushed out of the pocket and rolls right, Demski beats his man in the back of the end zone, Collaros finds him for a 22-yard touchdown. Five plays, 70 yards, 3:26 and it's all of a sudden tied 17-17 with 5:06 to play in third quarter.

7:02 p.m.
Couple of passes to Demksi get Bombers into Riders territory, Schoen catch over the middle gets to Saskatchewan 22.

Here's Johnson's sack on the previous drive:

6:57 p.m.
Riders get down to Winnipeg 26, but a pair of incomplete passes and it's time for Townes' dad to kick a 34-yard field goal. Right through the middle of the uprights and it's 17-10 with 8:47 to play in the third quarter.

6:50 p.m.
Incomplete pass due to pressure and a five-yard sack by Johnson -- Saskatchewan's fourth of the game -- and Winnipeg is punting. Riders get the ball back on Winnipeg 50 after 18 yard return by Alford. 

6:49 p.m.
Three plays, including a deep ball for Robustelli that he almost hauled in despite great coverage, and the Riders punt. Winnipeg gets the ball back on own 26.

6:45 p.m.
Riders get the ball to start second half, Alford has a 36 yard return to get up to Saskatchewan 41.

Here's another look at Nield's major, because of course y'all want to see it:

Saskatchewan first half stats: Harris 7-for-12 passing for 132 yards and a touchdown. Ouellette eight carries for 32 yards and a touchdown. Nield two catches for 78 yards and a major. Carney with three tackles and two sacks. 155 yards offence after only 41 yards in first quarter.

Winnipeg first half stats: Collaros 14-for-19 passing for 172 yards. Oliviera four carries for 16 yards. Clercius two catches for 54 yards, Demski three catches for 43 yards. Griffin with three tackles. 165 yards total offence.

6:27 p.m.
Seven yard sack by Saad forces Winnipeg into a 50-yard Castillo field goal attempt. It's wide right, Meyers just gets the ball out of the end zone to avoid the single point, Harris kneels and it's 14-10 at halftime. That's Saad's first CFL sack!

6:25 p.m.
Mitchell makes a great leaping catch to get to midfield with 1:09 remaining, short passes to Schoen and Mitchelll get up to Riders 45 with 1:04 remaining

6:19 p.m.
Short run and incomplete pass and Riders punt, Winnipeg gets the ball on own 38 with 1:40 left in half.

6:17 p.m.
Quick two and out by Winnipeg and Riders get the ball back on own 27 with 2:18 to play in the first half.

Tommy's terrific touchdown:

6:13 p.m.
TOUCHDOWN ROUGHRIDERS! Tommy Nield hauls in a pass at the Winnipeg 33, avoids a couple of tackles and goes all the way for a 69-yard major! Four plays, 102 yards, 1:56 off the clock. 14-10 Saskatchewan with 2:36 remaining in the first half.

6:06 p.m.
Winnipeg gets up to own 36, but an incomplete pass and short catch that's immediately shut down and they're punting. Riders get the ball back on own nine after an illegal block penalty.

And the touchdown:

The huge turnover:

6:01 p.m.
TOUCHDOWN ROUGHRIDERS! Ouellette has all the space and time in the world and goes in untouched from seven yards out. One play, seven yards, 52 seconds, 10-7 Winnipeg lead. Now that's what you call a fortunate turn of events!

5:59 p.m.
Huge turnover! Oliviera is stuffed on a run, and Carney gets in for the sack and strip on the next play, Carney recovers and the Riders are in business on the Winnipeg 7!

5:49 p.m.
Short run and an incomplete pass and Riders punt, Winnipeg gets the ball back on own 18.

5:48 p.m.
Ajou Ajou makes his first catch, taking a swing pass and gaining five yards. Nothing doing on a pass over the middle on the next play, and Riders are punting yet again. Jefferson jumps offside, though, and the five-yard penalty gives Sask the first down.

5:46 p.m.
Defence gets the job done, stuffing Oliveira and Streveler on runs, Castillo kicks a 10-yard field goal and it's good. 10-0 Winnipeg with 11:54 to play in second quarter.

5:43 p.m.
Riders get the ball on own 19 after holding penalty, Harris is sacked for an 11 yard loss and stripped of the ball by Larson, Bombers' Jones recovers and Winnipeg has the ball on the Riders five. A rather unfortunate turn of events.

5:42 p.m.
Touchdown Winnipeg. Oliveira punches it in from five yards out. Five plays, 93 yards, 2:30 off the clock, 7-0 Winnipeg with 14:28 to play in second quarter.

Here's Carney's sack from a couple drives ago:

5:37 p.m.
Collaros finds Demski for a 33 yard catch and they're up to their own 51, and one play later Clercius makes a fantastic diving 51 yard catch to get down to Riders 11 despite solid coverage by Sayles. Bombers are in the red zone to close out a defensive-minded first quarter.

5:32 p.m.
Couple of catches by Johnson get Riders to own 48, but Ouellette run stuffed for three yard loss. Riders punt, Winnipeg gets the ball back on own 18.

5:28 p.m.
Two short passes but no first down and the Bombers punt again. Riders get the ball on own 25.

5:25 p.m.
Ouellette runs for seven yards but a pass to the sideline is batted down by Wilson and the Riders punt. Winnipeg gets the ball back on their own 37 with 7:35 left in the first quarter.

5:20 p.m.
Collaros is sacked by Carney for a six-yard loss on second down. The Riders are already getting a ton of pressure on the Bombers' first two possessions. Winnipeg punts, Riders get the ball back on own 36.

5:18 p.m.
Riders get a catch from Nield for a first down and a couple short runs by Oullette, but end up punting from their own 44 yard line. Winnipeg gets the ball back on their own 35 with 10:04 to play in first quarter.

5:11 p.m.
Schoen makes a nice catch to get to own 47, but Carney gets to Olivera for two yard loss and a short pass completion isn't enough for the first down, Winnipeg is punting, Riders get he ball on their 31.

5:09 p.m.
Winnipeg gets the ball on their own 26 to start the game.

5:06 p.m.
Riders win the coin toss and have deferred, Winnipeg gets the ball to start the game, Saskatchewan defending the south end. Kick off is moments away!

4:42 p.m.
Defensive back Marcus Sayles was a game-time decision, and the news is good, he's getting the start. Had suffered a hip injury in Week 11 and was a late scratch against Calgary last week.

4:38 p.m.
Riders are 4.5 point favourites, and while Luc thinks it could be a close game, he's going with Saskatchewan to take the win and cover the spread!

3:48 p.m.
If you're looking for news and insights on the team in the lead-up to the game, the Riders Broadcast Network has you covered. Teagan Witko, Justin Dunk and Wes Cates have the pre-game show right now, with Dave Thomas and Luc Mullinder taking over with the game call at 5 p.m.

3:45 p.m.
Hey, congrats to Riders kicker Brett Lauther, who welcomed his first child - Townes Mary Ann Lauther - on Thursday of this week!

3:44 p.m.
The sold-out and largest crowd in Mosaic Stadium history will be treated to a warm night at the park, with the temperature of 29 C at kick-off under partly cloudy skies. It'll be a bit breezy with winds out of the south south west at 28 km/h, gusting to 40 km/h. There's also a 30 per cent chance of rain.

3:36 p.m.
It’s the most anticipated regular season game of the season in Regina, it’s 60th annual Labour Day Classic, it’s the Saskatchewan Roughriders taking on the Winnipeg Blue Bombers at Mosaic Stadium!

Saskatchewan comes into the game with an 8-2 record and in first place both in the West Division and overall in the Canadian Football League. Winnipeg has a 6-4 record and sits in third place in the West, two points back of the Calgary Stampeders.

The Roughriders are coming off a 32-15 loss to the Stampeders in Calgary last weekend, while the Bombers defeated the Montreal Alouettes 26-13 in Week 12.

roughriders-depth-chart-ldc

The Roughriders depth chart: The biggest news is the surprise and sudden return of receiver Ajou Ajou, who was released by the Indianapolis Colts early this week, re-signed with Saskatchewan on Thursday and immediately jumped into the line-up for today’s game. He backs up Tommy Nield at slotback. 

Kick returns standout Mario Alford also makes his return after recovering from a hip injury.

Trevor Harris gets the start at quarterback and has completed 197 of 264 passes for 2,695 yards -- fourth best in the league -- with 18 touchdowns and seven interceptions. His 118.5 quarterback efficiency remains tops in the CFL.

Running back A.J. Ouellette is third in league rushing with 140 carries for 713 yards and three touchdowns. KeeSean Johnson leads the team in receiving with 55 catches for 794 yards, Dohnte Meyers is not far behind with 41 catches for 673 yards.

Middle linebacker Jameer Thurman tops the Riders with 56 tackles and is sixth in the league, defensive linemen Micah Johnson and Shane Ray each have five sacks. Rolan Milligan Jr. leads with four interceptions.

blue-bombers-depth-chart-ldc

The Blue Bombers’ depth chart: Zach Collaros starts at pivot and has completed 162 of 215 passing attempts for 1,806 yards, 10 touchdowns and 10 interceptions.

Dual-threat Brady Oliveira will be the player to watch on offence as he tops the team with 98 carries for 550 yards and two touchdowns while also having 36 catches for 350 yards. Former Rider Nic Demski is Winnipeg’s top receiver with 45 catches for 665 yards, Kerric Wheatfall has 35 catches for 527 yards.

Linebacker Tony Jones leads the Riders with 69 tackles, including three sacks. Defensive lineman James Vaughters also has three sacks, defensive back Evan Holm leads with four interception.