CFL Winnipeg Blue Bombers

Bombers come up short in battle against Argos

Published on August 17, 2004 under Canadian Football League (CFL)
Winnipeg Blue Bombers News Release


Toronto, ON– There was a battle on the shores of Lake Ontario and unfortunately the Bombers came out on the short end of the war. The Bombers fell to the Toronto Argonauts 14-6 in front of 24,426 fans at SkyDome in Toronto Tuesday night.

The Bombers had to deal with Argo quarterback Michael Bishop, who was making his first start of the season in place of the injured Damon Allen. Bishop was not only a force in the air but also his running made the Bombers defence tired and weary. Bishop passed for 300 yards and also picked up 96 yards rushing.

"Michael Bishop played a great, well balanced and controlled game," said head coach Jim Daley.

The Bombers also had to deal with horrible field position on offence. On several occasions the Bombers started drives well back in their end and in the end, field position was a big factor in the outcome of the game.

"We had bad field position all night," said rookie wide receiver Derrick Smith.

"Against this Argos defence it is very hard to move the ball all the way down the field," said Smith.

The first quarter was a cat-and-mouse game between the two teams. The quarter featured the two defences making early statements. The Bombers defence made a great play in the quarter, as defensive back Justin Coleman forced Bishop to fumble on the one-yard line to stall an impressive Argo drive. The teams were unable to put any points on the board, as the score was 0-0 after the first quarter.

The two teams continued to battle hard in the second quarter. As a matter of fact the two teams battled so hard that they forced a piece of the SkyDome turf to come apart. The game was delayed about 10 minutes while repairs were made to the field. The delay seemed to help the Argos; Jay R. Soward beat Terry Ray for a 67-yard touchdown that put the Argos ahead 7-0 at halftime.

In the third quarter the Bombers defence came up big once again, as cornerback Raheem Covington knocked the ball out of the hands of Argos receiver Robert Baker and it was recovered in the end zone by Bomber safety Terry Ray. The Argos then expanded their lead. Michael Bishop scored on a one-yard rush to put the Argos ahead 14-0. The Bombers then finally got some decent field position when Keith Stokes ran the ensuing kickoff 56 yards to set up a Troy Westwood 29 yard field goal that made the score 14-3 in Toronto's favor after three quarters.

The Bombers had luck on their side in the fourth quarter; Toronto kicker Noel Prefontaine hit the goal posts on two field goal attempts. Despite the good fortunes, the Bombers could only manage a Troy Westwood field goal that made the final score 14-6 for the Argonauts.

Despite the loss head coach Jim Daley was pleased with the way his team played.

"The players played their hearts out. The effort was there and it was a close, hard-fought game," said Daley.

STATS: Khari Jones finished the game 19-of-36 for 220 yards with no touchdowns. Charles Roberts carried the ball 14 times for 59 yards. On the receiving end, rookie wide receiver Derrick Smith caught five passes for 90 yards and Kamau Peterson caught five passes as well for 54 yards.

On defence, Melvin Bradley led the Bombers with five tackles and rookie standout Tom Canada had two quarterback sacks that now gives him seven sacks on the year and ties him for the league lead.

NOTES: Khari Jones with his 220 yards passing now has 20,121 passing yards as a Blue Bomber. Jones joins hall of famer Dieter Brock as the only two Bomber quarterbacks to accomplish this feat. Troy Westwood with his two field goals now has 2,300 points for his CFL career, which is good for fifth place in the all time CFL scoring category.

INJURIES: Safety Terry Ray was unable to finish the game as he injured his groin in the third quarter.

UP NEXT: The Bombers will take a few days off to rest before they prepare to face the league-leading Montréal Alouettes next Thursday evening at Canad Inns Stadium. Game time is 8:00 p.m.

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Canadian Football League Stories from August 17, 2004


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