Rasheed Bailey’s nine-yard touchdown catch after a Calgary Stampeders’ turnover broke a third-quarter tie and helped boost the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to a 24-11 victory on Friday.
With the game tied 11-11 late in the third quarter, Winnipeg defensive back Demerio Houston intercepted Calgary quarterback Jake Maier to register his third pick of the season.
Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros then engineered a seven-play, 54-yard drive capped by Bailey’s touchdown with 1:37 remaining in the third to give the team its first lead of the game.
Winnipeg then capitalized on Calgary kicker Rene Paredes’s missed 47-yard field goal attempt early in the fourth. Bombers returner Greg McCrae returned the ball 102 yards, leading to Sergio Castillo’s 17-yard field goal and a 21-11 lead.
The victory in front of 30,561 fans at IG Field bumped up Winnipeg’s record to 4-1. Calgary fell to 1-3.
Castillo was also good on field goals from 47 and 12 yards out, keeping him a perfect 11-for-11 this season. It extended his active streak to 21 consecutive field goals from last Sept. 16.
McCrae recorded a 68-yard catch-and-run touchdown and Jamieson Sheahan added a punt single.
Calgary got a touchdown off a three-yard run by Dedrick Mills, who finished with 14 carries for 97 yards.
Paredes made one field goal from 30 yards. Winnipeg conceded a single on a punt by Cody Grace.
Collaros completed 20 of his 28 pass attempts for 231 yards with two touchdowns.
Maier was 14-of-25 passing for 122 yards with one interception.
Calgary led 10-1 after the first quarter, the score was tied 11-11 at halftime and Winnipeg led 18-11 after the third.
Parades put the first points on the board with his 30-yarder 4:09 into the first quarter.
Winnipeg appeared to force a turnover when Bombers defensive back Evan Holm knocked down a pass in the end zone on third and two that was intended for Stampeders receiver Rysen John. However, Winnipeg was called for illegal contact.
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Calgary continued from Winnipeg’s 11-yard line and Mills finished the drive with his three-yard TD run at 11:42 to go up 10-0. He had seven carries for 74 yards in the opening quarter.
Winnipeg got a point as time expired when Sheahan’s punt hit the goal line pylon for a single.
The Bombers then gave the visitors a point by conceding a punt single four minutes into the second quarter for the 11-1 score.
The energy in the stadium improved after Castillo connected on his 47-yarder at 11:40, then McCrae got behind coverage and scored his touchdown with a minute and a half to go in the half.
After both teams traded punts and couldn’t find the red zone, Houston intercepted Maier.
Winnipeg ensured its victory with a 15-play, 99-yard drive that used up almost 10 minutes on the clock and ended with Castillo’s 12-yarder at 13:03.
The Stampeders have now lost their last seven games in Winnipeg. Calgary’s last win at IG Field — a 29-10 victory — was on July 7, 2017.
The Bombers travel to Ottawa to take on the Redblacks in a July 15 afternoon game. The Stampeders are in Saskatchewan to face the Roughriders the same night.
© 2023 The Canadian Press
