LABOUR DAY CLASSIC HIGHLIGHTS
Here is a look at the eight Labour Day Classic games in which the Bombers sported a much better record than their arch rivals and how it turned out.
SEPT. 6, 2015 Bombers (3-6), Roughriders (0-9) Saskatchewan won 37-19
One week after Corey Chamblin was relieved of his duties, the Green and White gave interim head coach Bob Dyce the team’s first victory of the season. The Bombers took 140 yards in penalties and starting quarterback Brian Brohm produced just 127 yards of net offence before garbage time. “That just goes to show when you’re not taking care of your business you will get beat,” Bombers slotback Nick Moore said.
SEPT. 4, 2011 Bombers (7-1), Roughriders (1-7) Saskatchewan won 27-7
Once again the Riders played hard after their head coach was fired. The Bombers had won five straight, but Saskatchewan, playing for Ken Miller after Greg Marshall was canned, came out with more intensity. Darian Durant hit Chris Getzlaf with two touchdown passes and Weston Dressler with one. “We thought we had the team this year to bust the blueprint for how we usually play out here,” Bombers defensive tackle Doug Brown said, “but we followed it to a T.”
SEPT. 2, 2001 Bombers (6-2), Roughriders (3-5) Winnipeg won 20-18
Saskatchewan was marching for the potential game-winning field goal when Winnipeg defensive back Dave Donaldson came on a blitz and sacked rookie Riders quarterback Kevin Glenn to preserve the victory. The victory was Winnipeg’s fifth of its 12-game winning streak en route to a 14-4 mark.
SEPT. 1, 1996 Bombers (5-4), Roughriders (2-7) Saskatchewan won 41-23
The immortal Kevin Mason threw touchdown passes of 87 and 96 yards to Curtis Mayfield in the first half, and head coach Jim Daley and the Roughriders romped to victory in 30 C temperatures. Interestingly, those were only the third and fourth passing touchdowns of Saskatchewan’s season. Yikes.
SEPT. 1, 1991 Bombers (5-3), Roughriders (2-6) Saskatchewan won 56-23
Kent Austin threw four touchdown passes, ran for another and finished with 461 passing yards as the Roughriders rolled to an easy triumph. “Winning cures a lot of things,” Riders defensive back — and current Bombers defensive co-ordinator — Richie Hall told reporters after the game.
SEPT. 6, 1987 Bombers (6-3), Roughriders (2-6-1) Winnipeg won 29-25
The Bombers were well on their way to losing this one, too, but Tom Clements rallied the Blue and Gold by tossing two touchdown passes in the game’s final 1:21 to pull out the victory. Clements hit James Murphy with a five-yard touchdown toss and then found Perry Tuttle on a 37-yarder to take the lead they wouldn’t relinquish.
SEPT. 2, 1984 Bombers (7-1), Roughriders (1-6-1) Saskatchewan won 30-25
The Riders were fired up at halftime after Bombers linebacker Tyrone Jones punched Roger Aldag late in the second quarter, and they carried that momentum into the second half to snap Winnipeg’s seven-game winning streak. John Hufnagel replaced Clements as Bombers quarterback in the second half, but couldn’t get it done. “We just wanted to win — whatever it took,” Riders quarterback Joe Paopao said.
SEPT. 4, 1983 Bombers (5-2), Roughriders (1-6) Saskatchewan won 32-30
John Hufnagel, playing quarterback for the Riders this time, hit Chris DeFrance with a 37-yard pass in the final minute, and punter Ken Clark booted the game-winning, 41-yard field goal into the wind with 43 seconds remaining. Clark had to kick the field goal because placekicker Dave Ridgway suffered a concussion earlier in the contest.