Justin Medlock kicked seven field goals, including a game-winning boot from 43 yards, to give the Winnipeg Blue Bombers a thrilling 28-25 victory over the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday.
Saskatchewan’s Kendial Lawrence returned a punt 86 yards for a touchdown to tie the game 25-25 less than a minute before Medlock’s kick. The Riders needed a convert from Tyler Crapigna for the victory, but the second-year kicker missed his attempt and set the stage for his counterpart on the opposing sideline.
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Crapigna struggled with accuracy all game, missing two field goal attempts (43 and 45 yards) and the last-minute convert.
Winnipeg (6-4) won its fifth in a row and snapped an 11-game losing streak to the Roughriders on Labour Day weekend. Saskatchewan (1-9) has lost five in a row and is 4-24 in its last 28 games since the beginning of 2015.
Winnipeg jumped out to an early 10-0 lead in the first quarter thanks to a field goal from Medlock and an 82-yard touchdown reception from Matt Nichols to Quincy McDuffie. The Blue Bombers led 16-3 at halftime.
Saskatchewan rallied in the second half with Darian Durant leading the charge. The Roughriders quarterback hooked up with Caleb Holley for a four-yard touchdown pass, with Holley hauling in a two-point convert to make it 19-11 after three quarters.
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A four-yard touchdown run by Durant, followed by another Durant rush for a two-point convert knotted the score at 19-19 on Saskatchewan’s next drive early in the fourth quarter.
An incident occurred post-game with an unidentified Blue Bombers coach reportedly collapsing. The team tweeted that “precautionary measure were taken post-game to ensure a coach’s health – everything is fine.”
Note: Both teams will meet again on Saturday in Winnipeg for the Banjo Bowl. … The Roughriders were 0-9 heading into Labour Day last year.