Ed Tait’s Five Things You Should Know for Friday’s Blue Bomber Game in Ottawa

Listen to the game here: bluebombers.leanplayer.com/

For the second consecutive week, the Winnipeg Blue Bombers will face a 2-0 opponent when they take on the East Division co-leading Ottawa RedBlacks on Friday Night at TD Place.

The broadcast on 680 CJOB with Bob Irving and Ed Tait gets underway at 4 p.m. with the pregame show, leading into the play-by-play at 6:30 p.m.

And before he settles in for the six-hour broadcast with “Knuckles” – the director of digital content for Bluebombers.com shares his nuggets of knowledge to get you properly prepared for this week’s match-up.

FIVE THINGS YOU SHOULD KNOW

1. The Bombers are 2-0 for the first time since 2014, which was Mike O’Shea’s first year as head coach. That was also the last time the club started a season 3-0, but the team finished just 7-11 that year and out of the playoffs.

2. This week’s match-up in Ottawa against the RedBlacks, also unbeaten at 2-0, will feature some familiar faces in former Bombers quarterback Dom Davis, along with cornerback Chris Randle and receiver/returner Ryan Lankford. Ottawa’s lineup also features former Bomber receiver Julian Feoli-Gudino and defensive lineman Ettore Lattanzio, a Winnipeg draft pick in 2015.

3. The Bombers have won their last three visits to Ottawa, including last year’s 40-32 overtime thriller in which Adam Bighill forced a fumble in extra time that Winnipeg recovered for the victory. And chew on these numbers: in those three wins in Ottawa, Matt Nichols has completed 70.4 per cent of his passes for 883 yards with seven touchdowns against just one interception.

4. Bombers receiver Lucky Whitehead will look to build on his work in last week’s home-opener, a game in which he had two sensational touchdowns — a 75-yard bomb from Nichols and the second on a short swing pass he took 41 yards for another score. He now leads all Bombers receivers with eight catches for 158 yards.

5. Winnipeg’s defence has been steady through two games, allowing just one touchdown through eight quarters. The Bombers have also forced six turnovers through their first two games and are +3 in the turnover ratio.
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Next: After Friday’s visit to Ottawa the Bombers will be home for two straight Friday nights: July 12th vs. the Toronto Argonauts and July 19th vs. the RedBlacks.

FYI: Fans seeking tickets should call 204-784-7448 or visit bluebombers.com/tickets.

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