HAMILTON — With Canadian quarterback Taylor Elgersma under centre, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on FanDuel Canada Day Weekend.
Elgersma took over the controls after Zach Collaros left the game with an upper body injury and led the Bombers to a 14-13 come-from-behind victory. After trailing 13-4 at the half, Elgersma helped Winnipeg complete the comeback at Hamilton Stadium.
The Bombers rookie pivot threw a touchdown in the third quarter to Ontaria Wilson and led the game-winning drive that was capped by a Sergio Castillo 23-yard field goal. Elgersma finished his night completing 11 of 15 passes for 86 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions.
Hamilton’s quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell also left the game on Sunday night, suffering a lower body injury that required him to be taken off the field in an ambulance.
Hamilton’s defence started the game with a bang, as defensive back Destin Talbert picked off Zach Collaros‘ very first pass attempt of the contest. It took just three plays for the Ticats to make the Bombers pay for the turnover, with Kenny Lawler hauling in a sensational catch in the back of the end zone, snatching it away from defensive back Jonathan Moxey, who was in tight coverage.
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The teams traded punts on their next few possessions, until two and a half minutes left in the first quarter when Sergio Castillo scored the first points for the visitors, a 46-yard field goal, cutting Hamilton’s lead to 7-3. Hamilton matched with a field goal of their own on their opening possession of the second quarter. Marc Liegghio connected on his 10-yard attempt, extending Hamilton’s lead to 10-3.
The Blue Bombers announced during halftime on social media that Collaros would not return to the contest as he deals with an upper body injury. The Bombers pivot’s last play was during the second quarter where he was sacked by Reggie Stubblefield.
Inside the three-minute warning, Mitchell and the Tiger-Cats found themselves inside the red zone once again. But just like they did earlier in the second quarter, Winnipeg’s defence held strong, keeping them from scoring six. Liegghio was good on his 20-yard field goal attempt, increasing his team’s lead to 13-3. As the final seconds ticked off the clock in the first half, Castillo attempted a 56-yard field goal, but slipped on the play and missed. Isaiah Wooden took a knee in the end zone for the single (13-4).
To start the second half, Mitchell was sacked by Jake Ceresna and suffered a lower body injury that required him to be taken off on a stretcher and in an ambulance. Canadian Tre Ford and Jake Dolegala both saw action under centre for the Ticats in place of Mitchell.
Winnipeg scored their first touchdown of the contest on the very first play after a brief delay while waiting for an ambulance to return to Hamilton Stadium. Elgersma found Ontaria Wilson for a 31-yard, catch-and-run strike to cut into Hamilton’s lead (13-11) for the Canadian’s first CFL major score.
As the three minute warning approached, Ford threw an interception to Major Williams, bringing Elgersma and co. back on the field, trailing by two and looking to put together a game-winning drive. Winnipeg decided to run the ball to move the sticks, with Brady Oliveira taking seven-straight handoffs. Castillo capped the drive with a 23-yard field goal, giving Winnipeg a 14-13 lead with 21 seconds left on the clock.
That would be enough for the Bombers to leave Hamilton Stadium with the victory.
SCORING PLAYS
- Bo Levi Mitchell 19-yard touchdown pass to Kenny Lawler (Q1, 13:08) | HAM 7, WPG 0
- Sergio Castillo 46-yard field goal (Q1, 2:29) | HAM 7, WPG 3
- Marc Liegghio 10-yard field goal (Q2, 8:33) | HAM 10, WPG 3
- Marc Liegghio 20-yard field goal (Q2, 2:44) | HAM 13, WPG 3
- Sergio Castillo 56-yard missed field goal single (Q2, 0:45) | HAM 13, WPG 4
- Taylor Elgersma 31-yard touchdown pass to Ontaria Wilson (Q3, 10:56) | HAM 13, WPG 11
- Sergio Castillo 23-yard field goal (Q4, 0:22) | WPG 14, HAM 13
NEXT UP
The Blue Bombers now head home to Princess Auto Stadium to host the Toronto Argonauts (2-2), who are coming off a loss to the Calgary Stampeders on Thursday night, on Friday, July 10.
Hamilton, on the other hand, will take a trip west to Mosaic Stadium for a battle against the defending Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday, July 12. The Riders defeated the Ottawa REDBLACKS on Canada Day Weekend and sit at 3-1 on the season.
