The Winnipeg Blue Bombers were not happy with Rider Pete Robertson's late hit of QB Zach Collaros, the punishment handed out by the league for the hit, nor the loss the Riders handed them at the annual Labour Day Classic. And it showed at this weekend's Banjo Bowl rematch in Winnipeg.
The Riders opened the scoring with a field goal on their first drive of the game, but the Bombers answered with touchdowns on their first six drives of the game, building up a 42-6 lead by halftime.
Winnipeg put up 603 yards of net offence (263 rushing, 340 passing) compared to 204 yards of net offence by the Riders. The Bombers scored each of their first nine possessions and only punted once on their final drive of the game with 30 seconds left.
“We knew what we were in for from the very get-go and we just didn’t match their energy,” said Riders’ head coach Craig Dickenson. “Couldn’t stop them and couldn’t sustain drives.
“The men in that locker room know we’re better than that and we need to play better than that moving forward.”
With the 51-6 loss, Saskatchewan’s record dropped to 6-6, while the Bombers improved to 10-3. Winnipeg also clinched a playoff spot with the victory, along with the season series between the two teams.
