'They made plays, we made mistakes': Riders reflect on performance following 35-33 Labour Day Classic loss

An exhilarating matchup for a sold-out Mosaic Stadium on Sunday ultimately ended with disappointment as the Riders came up just short of taking the 59th Annual Labour Day Classic.

“We didn’t make a couple of plays on offence to stay on the field, they made plays, we made mistakes, and they capitalized,” said Riders’ quarterback, Trevor Harris following the game.

The 35-33 victory saw the Bombers earn their fourth consecutive win to improve their season record to 6-6-0.

The Riders, who are 0-5-1 in their last six games, slipped to 5-6-1.

The Bombers and B.C. Lions are now tied with 12 points at the top of West Division. The Roughriders have 11 points.

“We could have done better. We’ve been preaching that but we didn’t. We got cats stepping up and doing their thing for this team but the standard is the standard and we have to capitalize on our plays and our opportunities,” Head Coach Corey Mace told reporters.

The Riders did their best to stage a comeback late in the fourth quarter.

Bombers’ kicker Sergio Castillo extended Winnipeg’s lead to eight with a 56-yard field goal with less than two minutes on the clock.

The Riders proceeded to march the ball from their 21-yard line deep into Bombers’ territory.

Faced with third-and-six at the blue and gold’s 27-yard line – Harris completed a 26-yard pass to Samuel Emilus. The Riders scored on a one-yard plunge to shorten the lead to just two points.

A failed two-point convert saw Harris’s pass to Kian Schaffer-Baker broken up by Bombers’ lineman Tony Jones.

“I was looking off the free safety to open the lane to the boundary. And if he went to the boundary, I would keep my read to field. But he gave me enough room and I came back and saw the dig lane and I just didn’t locate him. It was just one of the few ones tonight I didn’t see it well,” Harris explained.

"I’ll probably have some times waking up in the middle of the night thinking about that one, it’s frustrating."

• Download the CTV News app to get breaking news alerts sent to your device

The Riders got one more chance after recovering the ensuing onside kick with 12 seconds left on the clock. A pass by Harris was intercepted by Nick Hallett but it didn’t hold after the Bombers were penalized for passer interference.

Brett Lauther attempted to win the game by attempting a 60-yard field goal but came up a few yards short.

“We thought we were a little bit closer than we were. They backed the ball up. Things moved pretty quickly. So they were trying to and talking to each other and I was trying to get an explanation as well,” Mace said.

“But they spotted it and we had to take a rip at it.”

The Riders came out swinging and held a 14-7 lead early in the second quarter. The tone of the game changed following three straight Winnipeg touchdowns.

Collaros absorbed a high hit from Saskatchewan defensive lineman Miles Brown, who was flagged for roughing the passer late in the half.

The Winnipeg training staff attended to Collaros on the field and the veteran quarterback returned to the sideline under his own power.

“I talked to him after game and I’ll leave that between you and I,” Harris said.

“He’s first and foremost a friend of mine and we’re ultra competitors but you never want to see one of the star quarterbacks go down.”

Following halftime, Collaros returned to the sidelines without his helmet, shoulder pads and jersey.

Winnipeg announced early in the quarter that Collaros, who has a history of head injuries, would not return to the game.

Streveler took over as the Bombers quarterback for the second half.

Collaros was not the sole player on the injured list for the blue and gold. The Bombers also lost veteran linebacker Adam Bighill late in the fourth quarter with an injury to his left knee.

He had to be helped off the field by the training staff.

The Riders, who dressed only six offensive linemen for the game, were forced to use defensive lineman Micah Johnson as the right guard midway through the third quarter due to injuries.

“It’s incredible I wish it was easy for people to understand how hard it is for anyone to switch at any position let alone going on the opposite side [of the ball],” Mace said.

“The fact that Micah played the entire second half of the game at right guard that’s credit to him doing whatever he has to do to help his team.”

“Look that O-line stuff is crazy. The D-line is easy,” joked Johnson following the game. “The guys around me made it easy on me. Telling me my job play to play so at that point I knew what I was supposed to do. As a d-lineman I watch so much film on o-lineman and what they do.”

Starting centre Peter Godber left the game in the second quarter and Zack Fry, who moved to centre from his left guard position, was injured in the third quarter. Logan Ferland then moved to centre with Johnson, the CFL's current sack leader, making his second appearance this season on the offensive line.

Streveler had two rushing touchdowns for the Bombers with Castillo adding field goals from 53 and 56 yards.

Collaros had a strong first half, completing 12 of 18 passes for 218 yards with one touchdown and one interception.

Shawn Bane, Dohnta Meyers and KeeSean Johnson had touchdown receptions for Saskatchewan. Lauther chipped in field goals from 55 and 25 yards.

Both sides will meet again on Saturday to continue the home game series in Winnipeg for the Banjo Bowl.

The Labour Day loss continues the six game winless streak for the Riders though but the team remains hopeful for the future.

“Just prove it. Let’s go get results. I wouldn’t want to be with any other group in the league than this group,” Harris stated.

Mace echoed these sentiments, making a direct plea to Rider Nation.

“Stick with us. Bleed green. If you’re about it, you’re about it. Because we’re holding on to each other tight and our fan base is the best fan base in the world and I believe they stick with their team regardless. All I can say if you’ve seen anything about this team, we’ll play our a** off,” he said.

“Being as tight as it is in the West right now, we’ll be having a different conversation in a month.”

--With files from The Canadian Press.