The life of a coach isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Just ask Winnipeg Blue Bombers bench boss Mike O’Shea after his decision to play for overtime on Sunday night went awry, when the Saskatchewan Roughriders earned a 32-26 win in the extra period to take a two-game lead on Winnipeg and BC for second place in the West.
The Blue Bombers will try to earn a split of the teams’ home-and-home series on Saturday in Winnipeg.
O’Shea had a decision to make after Dorian Singer caught a 5-yard touchdown pass with time expired to make it 26-25. Kick the PAT with Sergio Castillo or try for a game-winning two-point conversion?
O’Shea opted for the sure thing and overtime. But Saskatchewan scored on its OT possession and the Bombers didn’t, dropping Winnipeg to 6-6 and putting more importance on the instant rematch.
“When it doesn’t work, you wish you did it a different way,” O’Shea said. “We drive down and score, and there is momentum. And there’s also the other side of me that generally thinks, ‘Let’s just keep on extending it, let’s get more opportunities,’ rather than a one-shot deal.”
While Winnipeg has more wiggle room because the West is likely to have a crossover team into the East playoffs, it still leads last-place Calgary by just a game.
Meanwhile, the Roughriders (8-4) stayed within a game of first-place Edmonton by pulling out a second straight tight win at home. Trevor Harris threw for 362 yards and a touchdown, passing Doug Flutie for 10th all-time on the CFL’s passing yardage list.
“It’s really neat when you start hearing names like that,” Harris said of jumping over Flutie. “The guy’s an absolute legend. Just to be mentioned in the same breath with guys like that is awesome.”
Part of the reason Harris continues to climb the CFL ladder is teammates like KeeSean Johnson, who went over 1,000 receiving yards for the year on Sunday night. His 1,022 yards in 12 games are fourth in the league.
For Winnipeg, Zach Collaros threw for 279 yards and two touchdowns in the first Saskatchewan showdown.
–Field Level Media
