The Winnipeg Blue Bombers aren’t wasting any time giving Matt Nichols his first start. He will play Saturday night when Winnipeg hosts the Saskatchewan Roughriders to complete their home-and-home series.
The Bombers acquired Nichols from Edmonton last week but backup Brian Brohm played in their 37-19 road loss Sunday to the Riders.
The loss ended Saskatchewan’s wretched nine-game losing streak to open the 2015 season and gave interim head coach Bob Dyce, a Winnipeg native, a victorious CFL coaching debut.
READ MORE: Roughriders snap losing streak, down Blue Bombers 37-19
Nichols will become the fourth different starter this season for Winnipeg (3-7) following incumbent Drew Willy (knee), Robert Marve (leg) and Brohm. Willy is the club’s offensive catalyst as all of its wins have come with him in the lineup.
Brohm, a 2008 second-round pick of the NFL’s Green Bay Packers, was 21 of 26 passing Sunday for just 184 yards while adding 22 rushing yards on eight carries with a TD. He went to nine different receivers but four had just one reception and Winnipeg’s offence managed less than 250 total yards.
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Nichols, in his sixth CFL season, gives Winnipeg a more experienced option behind Willy. The 28-year-old appeared in 45 games with Edmonton – going 5-7 in 12 career starts – and was 5-2 with the Eskimos this season after incumbent Mike Reilly (knee) was injured.
Nichols has completed 128 of 209 passes (61.2 per cent) for 1,488 yards with eight TDs but also 10 interceptions. Overall, the six-foot-two 215-pound Nichols is 270 of 443 passing (60.9 per cent) for 3,386 yards with 19 touchdowns and 18 interceptions.
He has also run for 138 yards and three TDs.
Willy is expected to miss six-to-eight weeks and Winnipeg is 0-3 without him and 0-4 overall. The Bombers are fourth in the West Division, just two points behind third-place B.C. (4-5) but both teams would miss the playoffs if the fourth-place team in the East finished the season with more points.
Currently, Montreal (4-6) stands fourth in the East, just behind Ottawa (5-4).
Saskatchewan (1-9) certainly faces an uphill battle getting back into playoff contention but Sunday’s win was its 11th straight Labour Day weekend decision over Winnipeg. Rookie quarterback Brett Smith was 19 of 26 passing for 211 yards and a TD and also added 59 yards rushing on seven carries.
But Saskatchewan was anchored by a 161-yard rushing attack, led by Jerome Messam. The six-foot-four 245-pound native of Brampton, Ont., ran for a game-high 73 yards on 17 carries while rookie slotback Nic Demski – a Winnipeg native and former University of Manitoba standout – added a 60-yard punt return TD.
Pick – Saskatchewan.
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