HAMILTON – Brady Oliveira ran for a season-high 147 yards and a touchdown to power the Winnipeg Blue Bombers past the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 31-10 on Friday night.
Winnipeg (10-6) earned an eighth straight win to open a five-point lead over second-place Saskatchewan (7-7-1) in the West Division.
The Bombers cemented a home playoff game with the win and will secure first — and home field for the conference final Nov. 9 — if the Roughriders lose or tie Saturday night against the Edmonton Elks (5-10).
Oliveira pushed his CFL-leading rushing total to 1,254 yards. The league’s top Canadian last year also registered his league-leading sixth 100-yard performance on the ground.
Terry Wilson’s one-yard TD run — his second of the game — at 6:51 of the fourth cemented the win for Winnipeg before a Tim Hortons Field crowd of 22,241.
Hamilton (6-10) suffered its first loss in five games to deal its precarious playoff hopes a severe blow. The Ticats remain four points behind idle Toronto (8-7) in the race for third in the East Division but the Argonauts have a game in hand.
Hamilton’s loss earned idle Ottawa (8-6-1) a playoff berth, its first since losing the 2018 Grey Cup to Calgary.
Winnipeg starter Zach Collaros finished 13-of-19 passing for 201 yards and a touchdown. He threw for 432 yards and a career-high six TDs in last week’s 55-27 win over Edmonton.
Bombers’ cornerback Tyrell Ford registered his seventh interception to tie Saskatchewan’s Rolan Milligan Jr. for the CFL lead.
Hamilton’s Bo Levi Mitchell was 15-of-27 for 217 yards with two interceptions before giving way to Taylor Powell in the fourth quarter.
Kevens Clercius had Winnipeg’s other touchdown. Sergio Castillo added four converts and a field goal.
James Butler scored Hamilton’s touchdown. Marc Liegghio kicked the convert and a field goal.
Oliveira’s four-yard TD run at 13:54 of the third pushed Winnipeg’s lead to 24-10.
Liegghio’s 15-yard field goal to end the second quarter cut Winnipeg’s halftime lead to 17-10. It came after Mitchell’s pass to Tim White at the goal line that was called complete but deemed incomplete upon review.
Mitchell’s 71-yard completion to Brendan O’Leary-Orange put the Ticats at the Winnipeg three-yard line. Earlier in the quarter, an open White couldn’t squeeze Mitchell’s 54-yard TD pass that would’ve erased Hamilton’s 10-7 deficit.
O’Leary-Orange’s grab came after Wilson’s one-yard run at 14:13 put Winnipeg ahead 17-7. It capped a five-play, 76-yard march that was highlighted by Collaros’s 55-yard completion to Kenny Lawler.
Castillo’s 22-yard field goal to end the first put Winnipeg up 10-7.
Clercius opened the scoring with a 25-yard TD grab _ his first in the CFL _ at 6:41. Hamilton countered with Butler’s 18-yard touchdown run at 10:04.
UP NEXT —Hamilton: Bye week.
Winnipeg: Hosts Toronto (8-7) on Friday night.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 4, 2024.
