For anybody questioning if the Bombers reign of dominance in the CFL was coming to an end, the Blue and Gold had an emphatic message for the doubters Thursday night.
The Bombers blitzed the B.C. Lions 50-14 in front of 30,874 fans at IG Field.
The game was a complete reversal from the June 23 meeting between the two teams when the Lions won 30-6 and sacked Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros seven times.
This time, Collaros threw for 369 yards and three touchdowns and was not sacked at all.
After being held out of the endzone in their last meeting against BC, the Bombers needed just two plays to score in this one as Collaros threw a bomb to Dalton Schoen for a 71-yard touchdown.
On the next drive, Collaros went long again, finding Kenny Lawler for a 57-yard major and the Bombers took control early and never looked back.
Lawler (200 yards) and Schoen (137 yards) both had monster nights receiving as the offence looked like the powerhouse it was hyped up to be heading into the season.
Brady Oliveira also rushed for a touchdown in the first half and the Bombers built up a 27-4 halftime lead. The running back added another touchdown later in the game, and finished with 67 yards on just nine carries.
Nic Demski also found the endzone, catching a 30-yard touchdown pass from Collaros in the third quarter and Schoen added another major in the fourth quarter on a pass from backup quarterback Dru Brown, who came in the game once the rout was on.
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The Lions could never get anything going on offence as quarterback Dane Evans was picked off twice and threw for just 113 yards and eventually left the game early. He was intercepted by Demerio Houston, his CFL-leading sixth pick, and Brandon Alexander.
BC’s defence didn’t fare much better as they came into the game having allowed 94 points in seven games. The Bombers put up more than half that total on Thursday night.
The two teams are now tied at the top of the West Division with a 6-2 record and will meet for the third and final time in the regular season on October 6 in BC.
Winnipeg is now 12-1 coming off a bye week since 2017.
Next up for the Bombers is a date with the 0-8 Edmonton Elks on Thursday, August 10 with kickoff scheduled for just after 8 p.m.
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