Recap: Edmonton 24, Winnipeg 23
THE CANADIAN PRESS
Clutch Kicking: Whyte, Esks win late shocker in Winnipeg
Posted: October 3,2015 07:00PM
Updated: October 3,2015 09:30PM
CFL.ca Staff
#CFLGameDay
WINNIPEG -- Lirim Hajrullahu got his redemption but Sean Whyte was one better, hitting a 53-yard field goal with no time on the clock to give the Esks a 24-23 win over the Bombers.
Hajrullahu hit a go-ahead field goal with just over a minute left from 45 yards out after previously missing four field goal attempts and an extra point try, but Mike Reilly's late-game magic led the Green and Gold just into scoring range.
In a back-and-forth game it was kicking that made all the difference, but both teams chipped in with solid play on both special teams and defence to go with some exciting big plays on offence. Reilly threw for 298 yards and a touchdown in the win, adding 36 yards and a second touchdown on the ground.
Matt Nichols, who spent five years as an Edmonton Eskimo, played well despite facing a persistent Eskimo pass rush, completing 22 of 39 passes for 320 yards and a touchdown witih no interceptions.
Derel Walker finished with a game-high 10 catches for 98 yards for the Eskimos, although eight of those catches came in the first half, while Nick Moore had 86 yards and a touchdown on six catches to lead the Bombers. Chad Simpson powered the Esks' ground game with 65 yards on nine carries.
Kenny Stafford scored on a 55-yard touchdown for his league-leading eighth of the season, while Troy Stoudermire bounced back from an early fumble with a 78-yard punt return touchdown at the end of the first quarter.
With the crowd fired up and the Bombers in need of a win, the afternoon hardly started as planned when Stoudermire fumbled the game’s opening kickoff. Esks special-teamer Anthony Barrett got his mitts on the ball last before going out of bounds, and after a lengthy review the play was confirmed and the Esks took possession.
The Bomber defence rose to the occasion and forced a stop after one Edmonton first down, while Whyte’s 18-yard field goal gave the Esks an early 3-0 lead on the strength of the early turnover.
Two catches by Walker on the Esks’ next possession led to another Whyte field goal in the first, while Nichols struggled to find a groove early against a defence that was eager to get after him.
Yet while the Esks led 6-0 and Nichols started 0-for-7 in the game, a big play on special teams helped the Blue and Gold turn things around quickly.
Stoudermire, his fumble on the opening kickoff still fresh in everyone’s mind, weaved in and out of traffic and then turned on the jets to beat the Esks’ special teams coverage and score on a 78-yard punt return touchdown. That score came on the final play of the first quarter and gave the Bombers a 7-6 lead.
The defences continued to settle in until midway through the second quarter, when the Esks’ offence finally mounted a response. Under the shadow of his own goal post, Reilly hit Walker for a pair of completions to move the sticks, then on a second down play eluded defenders to run for a first down along the right sideline.
On another second down, Reilly’s pass was low and behind Bowman, but last year’s league-leading receiver reached behind him and made a highlight-reel one-handed catch to keep the drive alive. Reilly was sacked on the next first down, but a too many men penalty gave the Esks’ offence another chance.
On the very next play, Reilly rolled out to his left away from the pressure from the interior defensive line and unloaded a missile in the direction of Stafford. The first-year Eskimo beat his man Matt Bucknor and broke the tackle for a 55-yard touchdown, his league-leading eighth of the season to put the Eskimos ahead 13-7.
That score held up until halftime, but in the
third quarter it was like a whole new game. Nichols started to settle
into a groove as he hit Darvin Adams for the first down before calling
his own number and picking up 21 yards on another second-down play.
After Cameron Marshall added close to 10 more, Nichols went to the air on second and inches and found Moore, who beat Pat Watkins along the sideline for a catch on the outside shoulder. The 41-yard pickup set the Bombers up at the five, and on the very next play Nichols went to Moore on the swing pass and the veteran receiver found the end zone to give the Bombers the lead, 14-13.
Reilly answered almost right away, though. Simpson, Watson and Coehoorn each moved the sticks, then Reilly called his own number and sprinted up the heart of the Bomber defence down to the Winnipeg 22.
Walker then settled into space along the sideline and gathered in the pass inside the 10, and after two incompletions and a pass interference penalty against the Bombers, Reilly converted the drive with a one-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion succeeded and the Eskimos took a 21-14 lead.
With just over 11 minutes left, however, the Bombers weren’t about to give up. Nichols escaped pressure from the edge on second-and-six then connected with Clarence Denmark through a tight window for an 18-yard pickup.
Nichols continued to heat up as the second half progressed, hitting Moore for a 22-yard gain once again on second down to keep the drive moving. Michel-Pierre Pontbriand picked up nine yards on a first-down catch, then on another first down Nichols spotted Rory Kohlert, who powered his way down to the goal line with a 14-yard catch.
The Bombers finished the drive with a powerful one-yard surge by Marshall, but with the chance to tie failed to cap it off with the extra point. Hajrullahu, already with three missed field goals next to his name, hit the right upright from the 32 and the Esks maintained their lead, although now only at one point.
Jamaal Westerman’s league-leading 12th sack of the season put the ball right back in the hand of Nichols, and the former Eskimo rewarded his defence with big first-down to Adams to move the Bombers right back into scoring range.
But again, it would come down to Hajrullahu’s leg and again the
third-year kicker was snake-bitten. This time it was the left upright he
hit, and again the Bomber offence left empty-handed on his fourth
missed field goal of the day.
The Eskimos looked to burn the rest of the clock and had a drive extended on a late hit penalty against Reilly, but on Reilly’s next throw he was picked off by Johnny Adams.
Nichols looked to give his kicker another chance to win the game with under two minutes remaining and the ball at his own 30. The Bombers appeared to have the first down on a third-and-three, but the play was overturned after replay showed the ball hit the ground and the pass was incomplete. In a bizarre turn of events, however, Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea challenged pass interference and won, giving the Bombers a fresh set of downs.
The Bomber offence quickly moved down the field and into scoring range, and after stalling it would be Hajrullahu getting a shot at redemption. With the crowd in anticipation and the Bomber kicker's five previous misses still fresh, this time he split the uprights from 45 yards to get the Bombers ahead, 23-21.
Reilly, calm and cool, took the field with just over a minute left looking to get the Eskimos back in front. Completions to Watson and Coehoorn got the momentum rolling, then a 17-yard completion to Bowman put the Eskimos just in close enough range to attempt the go-ahead field goal.
Reilly threw an incompletion on the next play, but Whyte came out and made perfect on his longest field goal attempt as an Edmonton Eskimo.
With their fourth straight win, the Eskimos keep pace with the Stampeders and set up a duel for first in the West with the Stampeders on Saturday, Oct. 10. The Eskimos also clinched a home playoff game with the victory.
The Bombers remain within striking distance of a playoff spot despite the loss, and will play a matchup crucial to their playoff hopes next Saturday in BC.
#CFLGameDay
WINNIPEG -- Lirim Hajrullahu got his redemption but Sean Whyte was one better, hitting a 53-yard field goal with no time on the clock to give the Esks a 24-23 win over the Bombers.
Hajrullahu hit a go-ahead field goal with just over a minute left from 45 yards out after previously missing four field goal attempts and an extra point try, but Mike Reilly's late-game magic led the Green and Gold just into scoring range.
In a back-and-forth game it was kicking that made all the difference, but both teams chipped in with solid play on both special teams and defence to go with some exciting big plays on offence. Reilly threw for 298 yards and a touchdown in the win, adding 36 yards and a second touchdown on the ground.
Matt Nichols, who spent five years as an Edmonton Eskimo, played well despite facing a persistent Eskimo pass rush, completing 22 of 39 passes for 320 yards and a touchdown witih no interceptions.
Derel Walker finished with a game-high 10 catches for 98 yards for the Eskimos, although eight of those catches came in the first half, while Nick Moore had 86 yards and a touchdown on six catches to lead the Bombers. Chad Simpson powered the Esks' ground game with 65 yards on nine carries.
Kenny Stafford scored on a 55-yard touchdown for his league-leading eighth of the season, while Troy Stoudermire bounced back from an early fumble with a 78-yard punt return touchdown at the end of the first quarter.
With the crowd fired up and the Bombers in need of a win, the afternoon hardly started as planned when Stoudermire fumbled the game’s opening kickoff. Esks special-teamer Anthony Barrett got his mitts on the ball last before going out of bounds, and after a lengthy review the play was confirmed and the Esks took possession.
The Bomber defence rose to the occasion and forced a stop after one Edmonton first down, while Whyte’s 18-yard field goal gave the Esks an early 3-0 lead on the strength of the early turnover.
Two catches by Walker on the Esks’ next possession led to another Whyte field goal in the first, while Nichols struggled to find a groove early against a defence that was eager to get after him.
Yet while the Esks led 6-0 and Nichols started 0-for-7 in the game, a big play on special teams helped the Blue and Gold turn things around quickly.
Stoudermire, his fumble on the opening kickoff still fresh in everyone’s mind, weaved in and out of traffic and then turned on the jets to beat the Esks’ special teams coverage and score on a 78-yard punt return touchdown. That score came on the final play of the first quarter and gave the Bombers a 7-6 lead.
The defences continued to settle in until midway through the second quarter, when the Esks’ offence finally mounted a response. Under the shadow of his own goal post, Reilly hit Walker for a pair of completions to move the sticks, then on a second down play eluded defenders to run for a first down along the right sideline.
On another second down, Reilly’s pass was low and behind Bowman, but last year’s league-leading receiver reached behind him and made a highlight-reel one-handed catch to keep the drive alive. Reilly was sacked on the next first down, but a too many men penalty gave the Esks’ offence another chance.
On the very next play, Reilly rolled out to his left away from the pressure from the interior defensive line and unloaded a missile in the direction of Stafford. The first-year Eskimo beat his man Matt Bucknor and broke the tackle for a 55-yard touchdown, his league-leading eighth of the season to put the Eskimos ahead 13-7.
| Stafford takes over the touchdowns lead |
|---|
 Kenny Stafford continued what's been a memorable first year as an Edmonton Eskimo on Saturday afternoon, sneaking behind coverage for a 55-yard touchdown -- his league-leading eighth of the season. View Bio |
After Cameron Marshall added close to 10 more, Nichols went to the air on second and inches and found Moore, who beat Pat Watkins along the sideline for a catch on the outside shoulder. The 41-yard pickup set the Bombers up at the five, and on the very next play Nichols went to Moore on the swing pass and the veteran receiver found the end zone to give the Bombers the lead, 14-13.
Reilly answered almost right away, though. Simpson, Watson and Coehoorn each moved the sticks, then Reilly called his own number and sprinted up the heart of the Bomber defence down to the Winnipeg 22.
Walker then settled into space along the sideline and gathered in the pass inside the 10, and after two incompletions and a pass interference penalty against the Bombers, Reilly converted the drive with a one-yard touchdown. The two-point conversion succeeded and the Eskimos took a 21-14 lead.
With just over 11 minutes left, however, the Bombers weren’t about to give up. Nichols escaped pressure from the edge on second-and-six then connected with Clarence Denmark through a tight window for an 18-yard pickup.
Nichols continued to heat up as the second half progressed, hitting Moore for a 22-yard gain once again on second down to keep the drive moving. Michel-Pierre Pontbriand picked up nine yards on a first-down catch, then on another first down Nichols spotted Rory Kohlert, who powered his way down to the goal line with a 14-yard catch.
The Bombers finished the drive with a powerful one-yard surge by Marshall, but with the chance to tie failed to cap it off with the extra point. Hajrullahu, already with three missed field goals next to his name, hit the right upright from the 32 and the Esks maintained their lead, although now only at one point.
Jamaal Westerman’s league-leading 12th sack of the season put the ball right back in the hand of Nichols, and the former Eskimo rewarded his defence with big first-down to Adams to move the Bombers right back into scoring range.
Video
Whyte 53 Yard Game Winning Field Goal
The Eskimos looked to burn the rest of the clock and had a drive extended on a late hit penalty against Reilly, but on Reilly’s next throw he was picked off by Johnny Adams.
Nichols looked to give his kicker another chance to win the game with under two minutes remaining and the ball at his own 30. The Bombers appeared to have the first down on a third-and-three, but the play was overturned after replay showed the ball hit the ground and the pass was incomplete. In a bizarre turn of events, however, Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea challenged pass interference and won, giving the Bombers a fresh set of downs.
The Bomber offence quickly moved down the field and into scoring range, and after stalling it would be Hajrullahu getting a shot at redemption. With the crowd in anticipation and the Bomber kicker's five previous misses still fresh, this time he split the uprights from 45 yards to get the Bombers ahead, 23-21.
Reilly, calm and cool, took the field with just over a minute left looking to get the Eskimos back in front. Completions to Watson and Coehoorn got the momentum rolling, then a 17-yard completion to Bowman put the Eskimos just in close enough range to attempt the go-ahead field goal.
Reilly threw an incompletion on the next play, but Whyte came out and made perfect on his longest field goal attempt as an Edmonton Eskimo.
With their fourth straight win, the Eskimos keep pace with the Stampeders and set up a duel for first in the West with the Stampeders on Saturday, Oct. 10. The Eskimos also clinched a home playoff game with the victory.
The Bombers remain within striking distance of a playoff spot despite the loss, and will play a matchup crucial to their playoff hopes next Saturday in BC.
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