{"id":837563,"date":"2026-07-31T06:11:10","date_gmt":"2026-07-31T06:11:10","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/837563\/"},"modified":"2026-07-31T06:11:10","modified_gmt":"2026-07-31T06:11:10","slug":"zander-horvaths-three-touchdowns-carry-lions-to-35-19-win-over-blue-bombers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/ca\/837563\/","title":{"rendered":"Zander Horvath’s three touchdowns carry Lions to 35-19 win over Blue Bombers"},"content":{"rendered":"

Zander Horvath ran for a trio of touchdowns to help rookie B.C. Lions quarterback Kaidon Salter record a 35-19 victory over the\u00a0Winnipeg\u00a0Blue Bombers in his first CFL start on Thursday.<\/p>\n

Horvath scored on a one-yard run in the second quarter, but then burst through for 58- and 35-yard scores in the final three minutes of the fourth quarter. The Indiana product out of Purdue finished with 17 carries for 191 yards.<\/p>\n

Salter showed his mobility more than his arm as the Lions (2-5) picked up their second win of the season in front of a crowd of 31,509 fans at Princess Auto Stadium.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Salter was 7-of-15 passing for 96 yards and one TD, but the Texas native ran 10 times for 160 yards.<\/p>\n

Receiver Jermaine Jackson caught a 24-yard pass from Salter and Keon Hatcher hung on to the ball for a two-point convert. Sean Whyte made field goals from 43 and 42 yards, but missed a 52-yard attempt. He connected on three converts.<\/p>\n

Quarterback Dru Brown was 18-of-21 passing for 180 yards, one touchdown and no interceptions as the Blue Bombers (4-4) fell to 1-4 at home. Brown left the game with 9:22 remaining in the fourth quarter after he ran with the ball but didn\u2019t slide and was hit. He was replaced by Taylor Elgersma.<\/p>\n

Tim White caught a two-yard TD pass from Brown. Kicker Sergio Castillo was good on four field goals from 16, 12, 33, 49 yards and one convert.<\/p>\n

Running back Brady Oliveira rushed 19 times for 107 yards.<\/p>\n

Winnipeg\u00a0led 6-0 after the first quarter, B.C. went ahead 7-6 at halftime and the Bombers were in front 16-10 heading into the fourth quarter.<\/p>\n

B.C.\u2019s opening possession ended with the ball hitting the crossbar on Whyte\u2019s 52-yard field-goal attempt.<\/p>\n

Winnipeg\u00a0had a touchdown catch by White wiped out by a holding call and settled for Castillo\u2019s 16-yard field goal.<\/p>\n

The Lions then turned the ball over in an odd way.<\/p>\n

As the ball was snapped, it hit receiver Nick Cenacle as he was running across in front of Salter. Bombers linebacker Jaylen Smith recovered it at B.C.\u2019s 34-yard line, but the gift only resulted in a Castillo 12-yard field goal for the 6-0 lead with 1:24 left in the first quarter.<\/p>\n

Salter was the key to the Lions\u2019 eight-play, 64-yard touchdown drive that ended with Horvath going over the goal line for a one-yard score as time expired.<\/p>\n

The quarterback ran three times for 40 yards during the series, including what looked like a designed play that gained 17 yards.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Castillo regained Winnipeg\u2019s lead with a 33-yard field goal at 6:09 of the third quarter.<\/p>\n

Salter replied by dashing for 40 yards to get to Winnipeg\u2019s 30-yard line, but Willie Jefferson pulled him down on his next pass attempt. Whyte ended up booting a 43-yard field goal to go ahead 10-9. Jefferson is on a four-game sack streak.<\/p>\n

Ontaria Wilson\u2019s 37-yard reception helped set up Winnipeg\u2019s first TD of the game, a Brown toss to White in the corner of the end zone for a two-yard score as time expired on the quarter.<\/p>\n

After Whyte\u2019s 42-yarder made it 16-13, Brown was injured and replaced by Elgersma. He guided the Bombers to a 49-yard Castillo field goal at 8:42.<\/p>\n

An 11-yard run by Salter and 35-yard burst from Horvath led to Salter\u2019s 25-yard TD toss to Jackson at 10:09 and 20-19 lead.<\/p>\n

That was followed up by Horvath\u2019s 58-yard TD run and Hatcher\u2019s two-point convert catch with 2:46 remaining. Hatcher recorded his 35-yard TD after an Elgersma fumble at 12:51.<\/p>\n

UP NEXT<\/p>\n

Bombers: Go on a bye week.<\/p>\n

Lions: Host the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Aug. 8.<\/p>\n

This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 30, 2026.<\/p>\n

\t\tKeep it Factual<\/p>\n

Add CityNews Winnipeg as a trusted source on Google to see more local stories from us.<\/p>\n

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