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Perhaps it is apropos public school started this week, as the Bombers certainly learned a lesson or five.

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In last week’s Labour Day Classic, the Bombers allowed five sacks in the 34-30 loss to the Saskatchewan Roughriders in Regina.

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“Saskatchewan has got a good defensive front,” Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said. “I don’t know that you are going to shut them out. That would be a goal all the time, the offensive always wants to pitch a shutout in terms of pressure and sacks. They get after it pretty darn good. It is fair to say they are a good front.”

The Bombers have now allowed five sacks in a game twice this campaign, the other one coming in the 40-31 victory over the Toronto Argos in Week 9 action.

The Roughriders currently lead the league in sacks with 33 heading into league action this weekend.

Quarterback Zach Collaros took it upon himself to fall on the collective sword for the abundance of sacks.

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“We have to do a better job of controlling the line of scrimmage, whether it is the run game or the pass game,” he said. “There are a lot of ways to do it. To me, the scheme should be able to take care of that, but I have to get the ball out of my hands.”

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O’Shea wasn’t cool on letting his QB take the blame. Just like wins in hockey, sacks are a team stat.

“People try to pin a sack on something, and they always look at the offensive line first but with 12 offensive players out there, There are enough corrections to go around in making sure we are cleaner,” O’Shea said. “Something as simple as route depth or route width can lead to (a quarterback) hanging on to the ball. It has always been that way, and I think it is hard for people to understand that sometimes. There are so many factors that go into the timing of a play and the delivery of a football.”

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Part of the success of the Saskatchewan pass rush comes from an embarrassment of riches.

“They are two deep in the defensive line, and they all rotate and play well together,” Bombers right guard Pat Neufeld said. “We felt we had a good game plan, but they are great athletes and paid professionals too. It is not that we had mental breakdowns or anything like that, as assignment wise, we were clean.”

“When Mike Rose is the fourth name I say, they are talented guys,” Collaros added. “Rose has been a problem for a long time in this league. Sometimes you win your one on one, and sometimes you lose them. They did a better job in those moments.”

Rose is in his eighth year in the CFL. He has four sacks this season and 40 for his career.

Neufeld described the noise on the field as ‘deafening,’ but refused to blame the sound for a lack of performance.

In the end, protection for the QB comes down to bread-and-butter plays, the main staples of winning offensive football.

“They beat us on plays and that happens,” Neufeld said. “It is unfortunate, and things get heightened when it is a game like that with big ramifications.”

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