Eskimos QB James Franklin shone in a solid half of work and the QB platoon of the Blue Bombers combined for four touchdowns, but it was two backups who were the story of Thursday’s pre-season matchup. QB Zach Kline led the Eskimos on a furious comeback and RB Marion Grice scored two touchdowns and a two-point conversion in the fourth as the Bombers and Eskimos tied 38-38 in their final action of the 2017 pre-season.
It was the tale of two lineups on Thursday; while the Eskimos opted to rest many of their starters, especially on offence, Winnipeg’s starting line-up looked like one you’d expect to see in week one of the regular season.
But it was Edmonton who seized momentum early. Getting the nod for the Eskimos under centre was QB James Franklin, who wasted no time marching the offence down the field before finding WR D’haquille Williams in the end zone to open the game’s scoring.
Franklin continued his strong play from last week’s matchup with the Stampeders, cementing his position in Edmonton’s QB depth chart.
Bombers QB Matt Nichols and RB Andrew Harris showed some strong chemistry on the Bombers’ ensuing drive, hooking up for a couple completions including a 33-yard downfield strike. The Blue Bombers would end the drive with a field goal, but leaving the game in the process was rookie receiver TJ Thorpe, cutting short his CFL debut. The severity of Thorpe’s injury is unclear, but he did not return.
The Eskimos’ offensive attack continued following the field goal, as rookie RB Ladarius Perkins gashed a hole right up the middle of the Bombers defence for a 49-yard score, doubling Edmonton’s lead.
Facing a 14-point deficit, the Bombers’ first-team offence shook off a slow start to rally in the second quarter. First Nichols found SB Clarence Denmark alone in the end zone to cut the Eskimos lead to 7. After a stop by the Winnipeg defence Nichols again went to the air, this time going way deep for SB Darvin Adams and a 40-yard touchdown.
After a thrilling second quarter the Eskimos and Bombers headed to halftime tied at 17, with the two sides combining for over 400 total yards of offence in the half.
The third quarter saw both teams shift gears to their secondary offensive units, as QBs Dominique Davis and Danny O’Brien got their reps in. After both sides struggled to find any offensive consistency on their first few drives, it was Winnipeg who first found success.
QB Dominique Davis tore off yardage in chunks, first finding Timothy Flanders for a 35-yard hookup and then going deep to L’Damian Washington to bring the Bombers inside the Esks 10-yard line. After his first incompletion of the drive, Davis opted to take it himself on second down, scampering seven yards for the touchdown and Winnipeg’s first lead of the game.
After a quick stop of the Eskimos offence, the Bombers were back on the prowl for points. After a 38-yard pass interference call, Winnipeg found themselves within the Edmonton 10 once again, and QB Dan LeFevour mirrored Davis as he scrambled three yards to the end zone.
Eskimos QB Zach Kline got the Eskimos moving once again, as a long drive ended with a 2-yard touchdown run from RB Marion Grice.
But the Bombers continued to find paydirt. This time it was a running back’s turn, as Timothy Flanders darted 46 yards for Winnipeg’s third rushing touchdown of the half.
With the Bombers moving into a holding pattern, the Eskimos were able to chip away at the Winnipeg lead, with Grice finding the end zone for the second time in the quarter. Against all odds, the Esks recovered the onside kick down by 8, with one last shot at a tie. After a pass interference against the defence, Kline found SB John Harris for a touchdown. Fourth quarter hero Grice hammered home the two-point conversion after a penalty, and the game ended in a 38-38 tie.
Next week the Eskimos will visit the west coast as they take on the BC Lions in week one action.