Winnipeg Blue Bombers Brady Oliveira (20) reaches out for the end zone but is short of the touchdown against the Edmonton Elks during first half CFL action in Winnipeg Thursday, July 20, 2023.THE CANADIAN PRESS/John Woods
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros finally solved the Edmonton Elks’ defence in the second half of a 28-14 win Thursday.
Collaros completed 20 of 24 passes for 308 yards and two touchdowns in front of 28,512 fans at IG Field.
The Blue Bombers, who were upset by the Ottawa Redblacks last week, improved to 5-2 in the CFL’s West Division.
Winnipeg hasn’t lost two regular-season games in a row since the end of 2021.
The desperate Elks extended their losing steak to seven straight.
The two clubs tied 6-6 at halftime, Collaros hit pay dirt with a 70-yard touchdown pass to slotback Nic Demski.
Winnipeg still had work to do holding off Edmonton in the second half, but sealed the victory midway through the fourth quarter.
After stopping an Elks drive, the Blue Bombers marched 89 yards from their own 21.
Winnipeg capped the drive with Collaros’s six-yard touchdown throw to Rasheed Bailey, followed by a Sergio Castillo convert.
Demski finished with 114 yards on four catches.
Castillo upped his team’s lead to 21-14 with a 21-yard field goal near the end of the third quarter.
Winnipeg took an 18-14 lead when Edmonton quarterback Taylor Cornelius was called for intentional grounding in his own end zone, surrendering a safety touch.
With the Bombers leading 16-7, Cornelius connected with wide-open wide receiver Dillon Mitchell for an 80-yard touchdown.
That capped off a three-play, 96-yard drive. Dean Faithfull’s convert pulled the Elks to within two points.
After Elks punter Jake Julien scored a 54-yard single, Collaros found a wide-open Demski for a pivotal 70-yard touchdown throw.
Winnipeg took a 9-6 lead on Castillo’s 46-yard field goal at 4:38 of the third quarter.
Edmonton’s defence stopped the Blue Bombers on a third-down gamble twice in the first half.
Faithfull’s 30-yard field-goal knotted the scored 6-6 at halftime.
Castillo missed a 45-yard attempt late in the first half after Faithfull’s 28-yarder midway through the second quarter.
Winnipeg scored the first touchdown of the game late in the first quarter after defensive end Cameron Lawson intercepted a Cornelius pass.
The Bombers marched the ball downfield 99 yards on 12 plays with backup quarterback Dakota Prukop scoring on a two-yard carry. Castillo missed the convert.
STREAK SNAPPED
Castillo missing a 45-yard field-goal attempt late in the first half snapped his streak of 13 made this season, and 23 going back to last season.
He also missed a convert attempt.
UP NEXT
Winnipeg head into a bye week before hosting the B.C. Lions on Aug. 3. The Elks are at home to the Lions on July 29.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 20, 2023.
