Recap: Ottawa 27, Winnipeg 20
THE CANADIAN PRESS
REDBLACKS ground Bombers; claim share of first
Posted: October 24,2015 07:15PM
Updated: October 24,2015 08:26PM
CFL.ca Staff#CFLGameDay | #CFLPink
WINNIPEG -- Once the REDBLACKS' defence got started it just couldn't be stopped, sacking Matt Nichols six times and intercepting him twice on the way to a 27-20 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday afternoon.
Henry Burris scored the game-winning touchdown with 0:45 left while the REDBLACKS shut down a late Bomber surge, as they won their 10th game of the season to move into a first-place tie with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East.
Burris threw for 413 yards and a touchdown, overcoming two interceptions and a rough second half to lead Ottawa to its second straight victory and a two-game sweep of the Bombers. Winnipeg, meanwhile, almost charged back with a late drive led by Nichols, but was shut down in the back of the end zone on the game's final play.
The loss puts the Bombers' season on the brink, as they now sit a game back of both the Montreal Alouettes and BC Lions for the third and final West Division playoff spot -- with only one game remaining in their season.
Nichols threw for 282 yards and two touchdowns
on 17-of-26 passing, but had a hard time overcoming a relentless
REDBLACKS pass rush. Justin Capicciotti had three of Ottawa's six sacks,
giving him a team-high 11 on the season. The REDBLACKS meanwhile moved
into first on the CFL sack list, picking up their 52nd sack of the
season in the fourth quarter.
William Powell played a key role in the REDBLACKS' offence, providing the spark in Ottawa's late game-winning drive that took more than five mintues off the clock and gave Ottawa the lead with under a minute remaining. Filling in for the injured Jeremiah Johnson, Powell rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries to go with four catches for 39 yards.
Chris Williams scored on a 51-yard touchdown catch just before halftime, while Brad Sinopoli had a game-high 120 yards on eight catches. Darvin Adams had 91 yards on three catches with a touchdown for Winnipeg and Nick Moore also scored for the Bombers, who have lost two in a row to Ottawa each by a single score.
Burris hit the 60,000 career passing yards plateau on the first play of the game, a completion to Williams, and threw for more than 300 yards through the first 30 minutes before stalling in the second half.
While Mike O’Shea and the Bombers put an emphasis on starting faster this week, they could not take advantage of an early turnover in their favour when Lin-J Shell picked off Henry Burris but the offence failed to respond with any scoring. Two first downs were followed up by a field goal attempt that Sergio Castillo pulled left, leaving the Bombers empty-handed out of the gate.
From then on it was a turnover parade in the Manitoba capital. It started with the first interception by Nichols, who was picked off by Brandyn Thompson to set up the REDBLACKS near midfield. The quarter finished with Ottawa up 1-0, while the REDBLACKS were able to finish off the possession with a three-pointer from Chris Milo to go up 4-0 following the turnover.
Capicciotti continued to disrupt the rhythm of Nichols, picking up his second sack of the game and giving the REDBLACKS the ball right back – albeit deep in their own end. Burris, facing a second down, continued a productive first half with a 41-yard strike to Sinopoli on the corner route.
But with Ottawa moving in for another score, Powell coughed up the football fighting for extra yards on a second and long. Maurice Leggett recovered for the Bombers who, still down by only four, dodged a bullet and took over control.
Nichols looked to take advantage of the turnover on the very next play but was intercepted again by Thompson, after this time the defender out-battled Clarence Denmark for his second pick of the game. On the next possession Burris was intercepted while looking for his running back Powell, Leggett coming away with his second turnover of the game to once again end the REDBLACKS’ threat of scoring and ending their run of excellent field position.
As though four interceptions and five turnovers weren’t enough, however, the Bombers turned the ball over just a couple of plays later. Da’Rel Scott fumbled on an option play, giving Ottawa the ball right where the REDBLACKS last left off.
This time the REDBLACKS wouldn’t fail to take advantage of the short field, however. On a second down play Burris was flushed from the pocket and escaped containment, finding a wide open Williams in the flat. He hit the sideline and picked up the first down with a 16-yard gain.
After a first-down catch and run by Powell, the first-year REDBLACK finished off the drive himself with a one-yard charge across the goal line for his third CFL touchdown, extending Ottawa’s first-half lead to 10-0.
That seemed to change the complexion of the game. After a pass interference penalty continued the Bombers’ next offensive possession, Nichols found Darvin Adams over the top behind coverage for a 36-yard touchdown, cutting Winnipeg’s deficit to 10-7.
The Bombers got the ball back quickly and scored a field goal to even things up at 10, but with time running out in the first half the REDBLACKS had one more surge.
Williams torched the Bombers’ secondary and Burris hit him on a frozen rope, the two hooking up for a 51-yard touchdown pass to pull Ottawa ahead 16-10. Jamaal Westerman was flagged with a personal foul on the play for a low hit on Burris, while the veteran quarterback was slow to get up before eventually walking off under his own power.
The REDBLACKS, meanwhile, were livid, adding some fired to Ottawa’s 16-10 halftime lead at Investors Group Field.
The Bomber defence slowed down Burris out of the gate in the second half, while at the same time Winnipeg’s offence had liftoff. A Castillo field goal made it a 16-13 Ottawa lead, but it was the next possession that put the REDBLACKS on their heels.
Nichols hit Denmark for a first down, then went deep to Adams who got behind Abdul Kanneh on the stutter-step and hauled in a perfect long ball from the Bomber pivot. After a first-down pickup for Denmark, Nichols turned first and goal into Nick Moore's fourth touchdown catch of the season.
Nichols’ second touchdown pass of the game capped off a six-play, 79-yard scoring drive to give Winnipeg its first lead of the game, 20-17.
The defences truly settled in from that point, the REDBLACKS managing only a single point heading to the midway point of the fourth quarter as the clubs continued to jockey for field position. After Burris’s offensive explosion in the first half, he was held to just 28 second-half passing yards until a mid fourth-quarter drive that set up the game-tying field goal from Milo.
With the game tied and under seven minutes remaining, the Ottawa defence continued to give Nichols a hard time. That unit stopped Troy Stoudermire in the backfield for an eight-yard loss, forcing the Bombers to punt after only two quick plays.
Burris took the field with a chance to restore Ottawa's lead. On
second down he hit a wide open Sinopoli in the flat for the first down,
then after a two-yard loss on first down Burris connected with his
reliable slot man Ellingson, who absorbed a tough hit to make a 20-yard
pickup and put Ottawa inside field goal range.
From then on it was Powell, the REDBLACKS' first-year running back filling in for the injured Johnson. Powell and Burris combined for a first down with their legs, then Powell went right up the gut of the Bomber defence with a 17-yard run. The REDBLACKS moved to the one with 0:48 remaining and faced a tough decision on third down, opting to gamble on getting seven.
Needing the touchdown to take the lead, Burris powered over his centre Jon Gott to give Ottawa its first lead since the third quarter, leaving the Bombers only 45 seconds to respond.
Nichols started the drive with a run up near midfield, then a completion to Moore kept the wheels in motion. The Bomber pivot drew a 10-yard pass interference penalty with time ticking down, but the Bombers' hopes were dashed on the next play when the pocket caved in and Nichols was forced to take a grounding penalty.
A completion to Moore gave the Bombers one last crack from the 24 with four seconds remaining, but Nichols' prayer to the back of the end zone was intercepted and the Bombers' last gasp came up short.
The Bombers are off next weekend but will be scoreboard watching, as they need losses by both Montreal and BC in order to stay in contention in the playoff race. Ottawa meanwhile kicks off a critical two-game set against the Ticats for the East Division crown, one that could come down to total points scored in those two games should the teams split.
WINNIPEG -- Once the REDBLACKS' defence got started it just couldn't be stopped, sacking Matt Nichols six times and intercepting him twice on the way to a 27-20 win over the Winnipeg Blue Bombers on Saturday afternoon.
Henry Burris scored the game-winning touchdown with 0:45 left while the REDBLACKS shut down a late Bomber surge, as they won their 10th game of the season to move into a first-place tie with the Hamilton Tiger-Cats in the East.
Burris threw for 413 yards and a touchdown, overcoming two interceptions and a rough second half to lead Ottawa to its second straight victory and a two-game sweep of the Bombers. Winnipeg, meanwhile, almost charged back with a late drive led by Nichols, but was shut down in the back of the end zone on the game's final play.
The loss puts the Bombers' season on the brink, as they now sit a game back of both the Montreal Alouettes and BC Lions for the third and final West Division playoff spot -- with only one game remaining in their season.
| Related: REDBLACKS at Bombers |
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 » View Game Stats » Images: OTT at WPG» Video: Nichols, Adams connect » Standings/Crossover Standings » Shaw Road to the Grey Cup » Preview: Bombers focus on fast start |
William Powell played a key role in the REDBLACKS' offence, providing the spark in Ottawa's late game-winning drive that took more than five mintues off the clock and gave Ottawa the lead with under a minute remaining. Filling in for the injured Jeremiah Johnson, Powell rushed for 117 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries to go with four catches for 39 yards.
Chris Williams scored on a 51-yard touchdown catch just before halftime, while Brad Sinopoli had a game-high 120 yards on eight catches. Darvin Adams had 91 yards on three catches with a touchdown for Winnipeg and Nick Moore also scored for the Bombers, who have lost two in a row to Ottawa each by a single score.
Burris hit the 60,000 career passing yards plateau on the first play of the game, a completion to Williams, and threw for more than 300 yards through the first 30 minutes before stalling in the second half.
While Mike O’Shea and the Bombers put an emphasis on starting faster this week, they could not take advantage of an early turnover in their favour when Lin-J Shell picked off Henry Burris but the offence failed to respond with any scoring. Two first downs were followed up by a field goal attempt that Sergio Castillo pulled left, leaving the Bombers empty-handed out of the gate.
From then on it was a turnover parade in the Manitoba capital. It started with the first interception by Nichols, who was picked off by Brandyn Thompson to set up the REDBLACKS near midfield. The quarter finished with Ottawa up 1-0, while the REDBLACKS were able to finish off the possession with a three-pointer from Chris Milo to go up 4-0 following the turnover.
Capicciotti continued to disrupt the rhythm of Nichols, picking up his second sack of the game and giving the REDBLACKS the ball right back – albeit deep in their own end. Burris, facing a second down, continued a productive first half with a 41-yard strike to Sinopoli on the corner route.
But with Ottawa moving in for another score, Powell coughed up the football fighting for extra yards on a second and long. Maurice Leggett recovered for the Bombers who, still down by only four, dodged a bullet and took over control.
Nichols looked to take advantage of the turnover on the very next play but was intercepted again by Thompson, after this time the defender out-battled Clarence Denmark for his second pick of the game. On the next possession Burris was intercepted while looking for his running back Powell, Leggett coming away with his second turnover of the game to once again end the REDBLACKS’ threat of scoring and ending their run of excellent field position.
As though four interceptions and five turnovers weren’t enough, however, the Bombers turned the ball over just a couple of plays later. Da’Rel Scott fumbled on an option play, giving Ottawa the ball right where the REDBLACKS last left off.
This time the REDBLACKS wouldn’t fail to take advantage of the short field, however. On a second down play Burris was flushed from the pocket and escaped containment, finding a wide open Williams in the flat. He hit the sideline and picked up the first down with a 16-yard gain.
After a first-down catch and run by Powell, the first-year REDBLACK finished off the drive himself with a one-yard charge across the goal line for his third CFL touchdown, extending Ottawa’s first-half lead to 10-0.
| Leggett leads opportunistic Bombers |
|---|
 Maurice Leggett stood out in a game full of defensive plays, intercepting Henry Burris and also recovering a fumble to lead a strong effort by the Bomber 'D'. Leggett by the Numbers |
That seemed to change the complexion of the game. After a pass interference penalty continued the Bombers’ next offensive possession, Nichols found Darvin Adams over the top behind coverage for a 36-yard touchdown, cutting Winnipeg’s deficit to 10-7.
The Bombers got the ball back quickly and scored a field goal to even things up at 10, but with time running out in the first half the REDBLACKS had one more surge.
Williams torched the Bombers’ secondary and Burris hit him on a frozen rope, the two hooking up for a 51-yard touchdown pass to pull Ottawa ahead 16-10. Jamaal Westerman was flagged with a personal foul on the play for a low hit on Burris, while the veteran quarterback was slow to get up before eventually walking off under his own power.
The REDBLACKS, meanwhile, were livid, adding some fired to Ottawa’s 16-10 halftime lead at Investors Group Field.
The Bomber defence slowed down Burris out of the gate in the second half, while at the same time Winnipeg’s offence had liftoff. A Castillo field goal made it a 16-13 Ottawa lead, but it was the next possession that put the REDBLACKS on their heels.
Nichols hit Denmark for a first down, then went deep to Adams who got behind Abdul Kanneh on the stutter-step and hauled in a perfect long ball from the Bomber pivot. After a first-down pickup for Denmark, Nichols turned first and goal into Nick Moore's fourth touchdown catch of the season.
Nichols’ second touchdown pass of the game capped off a six-play, 79-yard scoring drive to give Winnipeg its first lead of the game, 20-17.
The defences truly settled in from that point, the REDBLACKS managing only a single point heading to the midway point of the fourth quarter as the clubs continued to jockey for field position. After Burris’s offensive explosion in the first half, he was held to just 28 second-half passing yards until a mid fourth-quarter drive that set up the game-tying field goal from Milo.
With the game tied and under seven minutes remaining, the Ottawa defence continued to give Nichols a hard time. That unit stopped Troy Stoudermire in the backfield for an eight-yard loss, forcing the Bombers to punt after only two quick plays.
Video
Nichols Throws TD Bomb
From then on it was Powell, the REDBLACKS' first-year running back filling in for the injured Johnson. Powell and Burris combined for a first down with their legs, then Powell went right up the gut of the Bomber defence with a 17-yard run. The REDBLACKS moved to the one with 0:48 remaining and faced a tough decision on third down, opting to gamble on getting seven.
Needing the touchdown to take the lead, Burris powered over his centre Jon Gott to give Ottawa its first lead since the third quarter, leaving the Bombers only 45 seconds to respond.
Nichols started the drive with a run up near midfield, then a completion to Moore kept the wheels in motion. The Bomber pivot drew a 10-yard pass interference penalty with time ticking down, but the Bombers' hopes were dashed on the next play when the pocket caved in and Nichols was forced to take a grounding penalty.
A completion to Moore gave the Bombers one last crack from the 24 with four seconds remaining, but Nichols' prayer to the back of the end zone was intercepted and the Bombers' last gasp came up short.
The Bombers are off next weekend but will be scoreboard watching, as they need losses by both Montreal and BC in order to stay in contention in the playoff race. Ottawa meanwhile kicks off a critical two-game set against the Ticats for the East Division crown, one that could come down to total points scored in those two games should the teams split.
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