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Superb second half leads to Stampeders' 36-8 stomping of Bombers

Superb second half leads to Stampeders' 36-8 stomping of Bombers

The Calgary Stampeders came away with a 36-8 demolition of the Winnipeg Blue Bombers Saturday, but the game's outcome wasn't always certain. Calgary only led 8-3 at the half, and it looked like it might come down to the wire. The Stampeders' defence continued to hold the Bombers' offence in check after the break, though, and the Calgary offence finally broke through themselves, outscoring Winnipeg 15-3 in the third quarter and 13-2 the rest of the way. That created the lopsided final score and improved the Stampeders to 7-2, further bolstering their position as one of the best teams in the league, while dropping the Bombers to 3-6 and raising significant questions about where they go from here.

The tale of two halves was perhaps best exemplified by Calgary quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell, who started with some early struggles but made up for them with strong second-half play. Mitchell tossed an early interception and only led a single touchdown drive (which took just one play, a seven-yard toss to running back Tory Harrison following a Keon Raymond interception) before the half. He finished the day with 314 passing yards and two touchdowns, though, and set up a further rushing touchdown (from backup quarterback Bryant Moniz) and two field goals from Rene Paredes. Mitchell was reasonably efficient on the day, too, completing 19 of his 26 passing attempts (73.1 per cent). He told TSN's Sara Orlesky afterwards that the Bombers' defence had his number early on, though.

"You've got to give Winnipeg credit," Mitchell said.

He said it was a focus on accurate mechanics and taking his time that helped him turn things around after the break.

"I made sure I kept setting my feet in that pocket, making throws and trusting my receivers."

Those receivers deserved a lot of credit of their own, though, especially wide receiver Eric Rogers. Rogers led the CFL with 660 receiving yards coming into this week before being briefly passed by Montreal's S.J. Green after the Alouettes' game Thursday, and he'll be back on top after posting a remarkable 152 yards on seven catches Saturday. He's been a huge part of Calgary's success this year. Jeff Fuller (four catches for 56 yards and a touchdown) Lemar Durant (two for 44) and Greg Wilson (four for 35) also did well, and four other players caught passes as well, diversifying the Stampeders' attack and making them difficult to defend.

For everything Calgary did well, though, this result was also about Winnipeg's struggles. Their quarterbacks couldn't get anything going through the air, with starter Robert Marve completing just 12 of 20 passes for 94 yards with two interceptions and backup Brian Brohm connecting on just one of his five attempts. The Bombers' ground game wasn't effective either; starter Cameron Marshall picked up just 17 rushing yards on nine carries. The Winnipeg defence was a bit better, especially in that first half, but they fell off afterwards when the offence couldn't get anything going. Unless the offensive production turns around, this team doesn't seem to be going anywhere, and their high hopes of making it to this year's Grey Cup at home don't seem all that realistic for now.