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JOHN WOODS \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros needs just six passing yards to move past Khari Jones for second place on the Bombers\u2019 all-time passing list.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n
He\u2019s posted a perfect quarterback rating (158.3) in each of his last two outings, and if he does it again Sunday, he\u2019ll join Warren Moon as the only quarterbacks in CFL history to accomplish the feat in three consecutive games.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s uncanny where he can throw blind passes and get completions to guys that you just don\u2019t think he can even see,\u201d said head coach Mike O\u2019Shea. \u201cHis vision is pretty exceptional.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mitchell has a completion rate of 84 per cent while averaging 10.9 yards per attempt. The 36-year-old has thrown for 879 yards and eight touchdowns with just one interception.<\/p>\n
The Bombers had no answer for him last month, with Mitchell passing for 287 yards and three first-half touchdowns.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I look back at the game we played against him and the way he\u2019s playing right now, my first thought is we have to do everything better on defence,\u201d said Bombers safety Redha Kramdi.<\/p>\n
\u201cHis completion rate is amazing, so, you\u2019ve got to be perfect to beat him. We\u2019ve got to aim for that and do our best.\u201d<\/p>\n
LAWLER\u2019S DUE<\/p>\n
Kenny Lawler may be the best receiver in the CFL, but the Bombers have largely kept their former teammate in check since he signed with Hamilton last year.<\/p>\n
In three games against Winnipeg, Lawler has yet to find the end zone and is averaging 3.6 catches for 49.3 yards.<\/p>\n
After hauling in 86 receptions for 1,443 yards and 14 touchdowns last season, the 32-year-old has gotten off to a modest start in 2026 with 10 catches for 156 yards and one touchdown.<\/p>\n
Lawler was limited to just 17 receiving yards in Week 2, although he did draw a 28-yard pass interference penalty. Fellow former Bombers Keric Wheatfall and Myron Mitchell combined for 10 catches and 152 yards in their return to Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
After the game, Wheatfall was interviewed by TSN and put his own spin on Willie Jefferson\u2019s famous catchphrase, saying, \u201cCome on down to Hamilton!\u201d with a laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cI definitely saw it. I laughed at it,\u201d said Demski. \u201cWheat\u2019s a funny dude. So, it\u2019s all good \u2014 it\u2019s all part of it. We just got to go out there and steal a win over there.\u201d<\/p>\n
Sunday will also mark the first trip back to Hamilton for a pair of Bombers who signed with Winnipeg in the off-season: receiver Tim White and corner Jonathan Moxey.<\/p>\n
\u201cWhen I score, I\u2019ll be pretty turnt up,\u201d said White, who has two receiving touchdowns this season.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019ll definitely be an exciting time. I\u2019m just ready to step out there with the team.\u201d<\/p>\n
RUNNIN\u2019 WILD<\/p>\n
Opposing running backs have gashed the Bombers this season.<\/p>\n
Winnipeg has surrendered a league-high 154.3 rushing yards per game through three contests \u2014 a significant drop from last year, when it allowed just 94.1.<\/p>\n
Against Montreal in Week 1 and B.C. in Week 3, Hamilton running back Larry Rountree II managed just 85 rushing yards on 26 carries, averaging an underwhelming 3.2 yards per attempt.<\/p>\n
Against the Bombers in Week 2, however, the CFL newcomer tormented the Blue and Gold for 124 yards on 23 carries.<\/p>\n
Fortunately for Bomberland, Winnipeg took a step in the right direction last week by limiting Edmonton to just 23 rushing yards in the second half. Elks star Justin Rankin rushed for 95 yards before halftime but finished the night with 106.<\/p>\n
The Bombers have also run the ball effectively, averaging 96.3 rushing yards per game to rank third in the CFL. Brady Oliveira sits fourth in the league with 222 rushing yards.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe have to beat our block instead of worrying about the running back so much. You gotta do one thing at a time,\u201d said corner Major Williams.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think a couple times we\u2019re out of place and trying to do something that we\u2019re not supposed to be doing at that time.\u201d<\/p>\n
COLLAROS SET TO MAKE HISTORY<\/p>\n
Zach Collaros (20,169) needs just six passing yards to move past Khari Jones (20,175) for second place on the Bombers\u2019 all-time passing list.<\/p>\n
Dieter Brock remains the franchise leader with 29,623 yards.<\/p>\n
Collaros owns a 56-24 record in 80 starts over seven seasons in Winnipeg.<\/p>\n
\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t JOHN WOODS \/ THE CANADIAN PRESS FILES<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell has posted a perfect quarterback rating in each of his last two outings, and if he does it again Sunday, the pivot will join Warren Moon as the only quarterbacks in CFL history to accomplish the feat in three straight games.<\/p>\n<\/p>\n Reaching the milestone, however, would mean a lot more in a winning effort.<\/p>\n For that to happen, Collaros and company will need to take better care of the football.<\/p>\n He threw interceptions in each of the Bombers\u2019 first two games and was one of three players to lose a fumble against Edmonton, although he was blindsided on the play and had little chance to avoid it.<\/p>\n Winnipeg enters the week with a minus-two turnover differential, tied with Saskatchewan for sixth in the CFL.<\/p>\n Winning the turnover battle has been the name of the game in the CFL this season. Through 14 games, only once has the team that committed more turnovers still won \u2014 Saskatchewan\u2019s 40-37 overtime victory over Calgary in Week 3.<\/p>\n MORE POINTS NEEDED<\/p>\n The Ticats are red-hot on offence, turning 39 per cent of their possessions into touchdowns \u2014 a rate never before seen in league history.<\/p>\n They don\u2019t waste any time getting the job done as they\u2019re third in scoring at 35.0 points per game despite averaging a league-low 50.3 offensive plays.<\/p>\n Then there\u2019s the Bombers, who are last in scoring at 25.0 points per game and fifth in net offence at 395.7 yards. Improving those numbers won\u2019t be easy against a Hamilton defence that ranks second in the league by allowing just 28.0 points per contest.<\/p>\n The Bombers might not want this one to turn into a shootout.<\/p>\n \u201cWe\u2019ve got to score more touchdowns,\u201d said Demski. \u201cWe\u2019ve put good drives together, we\u2019ve stayed on the field, but at the end of the day, how you win is about putting points on the scoreboard and we\u2019ve got to do a better job at ending drives with touchdowns and we all know that as a group collectively.\u201d<\/p>\n winnipegfreepress.com\/taylorallen<\/p>\n \t\t\t\t Taylor Allen Taylor Allen is a sports reporter for the Winnipeg Free Press. Taylor was the Vince Leah intern in the Free Press newsroom twice while earning his joint communications degree\/diploma at the University of Winnipeg and Red River College Polytechnic. He signed on full-time in 2019 and mainly covers the Blue Bombers, curling, and basketball. Read more about Taylor<\/a>.<\/p>\n Every piece of reporting Taylor produces is reviewed by an editing team before it is posted online or published in print \u2014 part of the Free Press\u2018s tradition, since 1872, of producing reliable independent journalism. Read more about Free Press\u2019s history and mandate<\/a>, and learn how our newsroom operates<\/a>.<\/p>\n
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