Riders soundly defeated 51-6 at 2023 Banjo Bowl

It was a tough loss for the Riders in Winnipeg as the green and white were pummelled 51-6 by the Winnipeg Blue Bombers.

The Riders did draw first blood – recording a 27 yard field goal by Brett Lauther three minutes into play.

What followed was a constant barrage of touchdowns by the blue and gold – recording six in the first half – three of which were brought in by wide receiver Dalton Schoen.

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The Riders only other act of resistance would be in the form of an additional 39 yard field goal from Lauther in the second quarter.

At halftime the Bombers held the commanding lead of 42-6

No other majors would be scored, with the bombers adding three field goals throughout the half. Ending the game 51-6.

Riders Head Coach Craig Dickenson spoke frankly following the game – sharing the team’s disappointment.

“We knew what we were in for from the very get go and we didn’t match their energy,” he told reporters.

“We couldn’t stop them, couldn’t sustain drives. But the men in that locker room know were better than that and we need to play better than that going forward.”

Riders QB Jake Dolegala noted that the same approach as Labour Day just didn’t work this time around.

“It was the same philosophy as last week – trying to take what was given. They did a really good job we got to give props to them. They did really good on the back end,” he said.

“Some of the stuff we had last week just wasn’t there ... we just have to play better, go back to the drawing board and stay focused.”

On the defensive side – linebacker Larry Dean said the team is taking stock and will be looking back at their performance with a “fine tooth comb.”

“When they’re driving and scoring points, you want to stop the bleeding and somebody has to make a play,” he explained.

“Like I said, I didn’t do a good job today and I’m one of the leaders that we have in that locker room and I self assess myself and I have no problem saying I didn’t get it done today.”

Dickenson was sure to note the one of the few positives from the disappointing loss.

“I think the one thing that was good is that we got a feel for what the atmosphere is like here in a big game,” he explained.

“If we play them again it will be a playoff scenario and it will be the same sort of atmosphere. So I told the guys we need to learn from that. In the back of our minds if we get the chance to come back here – which I hope we do – we got to come out and match their intensity right from the get go.”

With the loss – the Riders return to 0.500 with a record of 6-6 while the Bombers improve to 10-3.

The Riders will face off against the Edmonton Elks on Sept. 15 at Mosaic Stadium.

Kick off is set for 7:30 p.m. CST.