Harris runs roughshod over the Roughriders
Winnipeg running back piles up 153 yards to eliminate Collaros-less Saskatchewan
A game usually swings on a handful of plays and it’s always decided by the players on the field regardless of who watches from the sidelines.
But it might be difficult convincing dejected fans of the Saskatchewan Roughriders of that old truism today as they bemoan a 23-18 loss Sunday to Winnipeg that ends their season and sends the hated Blue Bombers to Calgary for the West Final next weekend.
And from there, who knows? Perhaps the Grey Cup in Edmonton Nov. 25 if their hot streak continues. This was the Bombers’ sixth win in seven games and with running back Andrew Harris carrying an entire team, perhaps an entire province, toward the finish line, anything is possible.
He was brilliant Sunday, lugging the football 19 times for 153 yards, chewing up the clock, scoring the game-winning touchdown and sending 30,609 Mosaic Stadium fans home unhappy.
It was the end these fans surely dreaded as soon as they heard the news the team’s starting quarterback would not be in uniform.
Zach Collaros was unable to shake off the effects of a high hit from B.C.’s Odell Willis two weeks ago and everyone in this football-mad city and province will be what-iffing the last game of the year, the most important one played without him.
Everyone but Riders head coach Chris Jones, who doesn’t have time for hypotheticals. He ran misdirection plays on the media all week long, refusing to name his starter after he had already decided to give the ball to Brandon Bridge. Collaros had told him he wasn’t feeling quite right.
“He was cleared and all that, so on paper he could go. He didn’t say it was a concussion. He just said he didn’t feel 100 (per cent). Brandon did a real nice job standing in for him. You know, they pressured a lot. Who is to say that either guy would have done any better?”
Bridge is a better runner than Collaros and he legged out 86 yards on just five runs. But he doesn’t throw a great deep ball, so the Riders offence changed to a run-heavy unit. It’s not onedimensional, but it was close enough to give the Bombers defence a leg up.
When Bridge didn’t run it, he gave the ball to Cameron Marshall or threw it short or medium distances. He was good on 12 of 22 passes for 100 yards. But on the play that turned the game in favour of Winnipeg he threw it deep to Kevin Fogg, who just happens to be a Winnipeg defensive back and returner.
Bridge was under pressure in the backfield from the persistent Adam Bighill, Winnipeg ’s middle linebacker, who is their most outstanding player nominee and heart and soul of their defence. Bighill made a desperate grab and ripped off a strip of Bridge’s jersey, but the elusive pivot got away. He would have been wise to throw the ball away. Instead, he threw up a lame duck, loosely intended for K.D. Cannon.
Fogg had all kinds of time to settle under it unimpeded. With plenty of room to manoeuvre, he rambled 51 yards the other way to Saskatchewan’s 43.
Just four plays later, Matt Nichols pump-faked Saskatchewan defender Mike Edem into submission, then threw a rainbow for receiver Drew Wolitarsky, who hauled it in to the dismay of the Mosaic Stadium faithful.
“They got the turnover and ended up turning that into points. That was really the turning point of the game,” said Jones.
It was still early, but Harris took over the game in the second half.
“We didn’t tackle very well,” said Jones. “We had him at the line of scrimmage or close to the line of scrimmage two or three times and we just did not tackle very well in the second half. There was a lot of things we could have done better as a football team. You can’t taking anything away from what they’ve done in Winnipeg.”