WINNIPEG 鈥� Zach Collaros heard from Pete Robertson this week and doesn鈥檛 have any hard feelings toward him.聽
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers quarterback was head-butted to the turf by Robertson after a play in what ended up being a Saskatchewan Roughriders鈥� 32-30 home overtime victory last Sunday.
The defensive lineman was suspended for one game on Monday by the CFL and will miss Saturday afternoon鈥檚 sold-out Banjo Bowl rematch.
鈥淲e spoke and it was good,鈥� Collaros said of Robertson after his team鈥檚 Friday walk-through. 鈥淐leaned it up real fast.
鈥淟ike I said earlier in the week, I don鈥檛 think Pete鈥檚 a dirty player. He just apologized and said, 鈥業 kind of just blacked out in that moment there.鈥欌��
The league鈥檚 back-to-back most outstanding player, who has a history of concussions, had to sit out three plays after the hit. The command centre assessed an unnecessary roughness penalty on Robertson.
Earlier in the week, Roughriders head coach Craig Dickenson told reporters he didn鈥檛 condone what Robertson did and he was glad Collaros wasn鈥檛 hurt.
鈥淲e鈥檙e disappointed that he got suspended, but we鈥檙e more disappointed that he did what he did,鈥� Dickenson said. 鈥淭hat鈥檚 something we don鈥檛 approve of and we certainly don鈥檛 want that to be part of the game and not part of what we do either.鈥�
Dickenson predicted IG Field will be 鈥渃razy hostile鈥� with 32,343 fans and the West Division-leading Blue Bombers (9-3) will be amped up for the rematch.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to be highly motivated,鈥� Dickenson said. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e going to make corrections on stuff that they need to make corrections on.
鈥淭hey鈥檒l come out really loaded for bear and ready for us.鈥�
Saskatchewan (6-5) is riding a two-game win streak, with victories over Winnipeg and the B.C. Lions.
The season series between the Roughriders and Bombers is tied one game apiece. Winnipeg won the first game 45-27 in Regina.
The Bombers, who could clinch a playoff spot with a win, say they鈥檙e not looking for payback after Robertson鈥檚 hit and last week鈥檚 narrow loss.
鈥淚 don鈥檛 think any of us are really thinking of it as a revenge game at all necessarily,鈥� Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira said.
鈥淥bviously, we know that we didn鈥檛 play our best. They made more plays than us. We do know we鈥檙e the better football team, though, and when we do play our best we show that.鈥�
Oliveira leads the league in rushing and could reach a milestone in the game.
The Winnipeg-born tailback is 10 yards away from rushing for 1,000 yards for a second consecutive season.
鈥淭he fact that I鈥檓 10 yards away and can hit it at home here in front of a sold-out crowd for the Banjo Bowl, it鈥檚 going to be special,鈥� said Oliveira, who has six touchdowns along the ground and two TD catches.
鈥淚 never thought in a million years that I would hit it in 13 games so I鈥檓 blessed. I鈥檝e got an amazing offensive line that has helped me along the way tremendously so credit to them.鈥�
Oliveira rushed for 1,001 yards in 18 games last season, his first as the team鈥檚 starter.
The team record for fewest games to reach 1,000 rushing yards is 10 games, held by Willard Reaves and Robert Mimbs.
Quarterback Jake Dolegala will make his third start of the season for Saskatchewan and knows the crowd will try to get him off his game. He鈥檚 OK with that.
鈥淪uper excited,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e get another shot at them so it鈥檚 going to be fun.
鈥淚 know the crowd is going to be crazy again. It鈥檚 going to be loud and that鈥檚 obviously going to be a challenge, but we鈥檙e looking forward to the challenge.鈥�
Dolegala hasn鈥檛 thrown an interception in his past two games, a span of 68 passes.
Bombers cornerback Demerio Houston would like to change that.
Houston leads the league with seven interceptions but doesn鈥檛 have any in his last two outings.
鈥淚 look at it, but I don鈥檛,鈥� Houston said. 鈥淚 kind of missed out on a lot of opportunities last week that I鈥檓 planning on taking advantage of (Saturday).鈥�
SASKATCHEWAN ROUGHRIDERS (6-5) AT WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (9-3)
Saturday, IG FIELD
GOOD TUNES: The Bombers are 11-7 in Banjo Bowl games, including winning six of the past seven.
RARE OCCURRENCE: Winnipeg hasn鈥檛 lost two consecutive games since the end of the 2021 season, when they rested some regulars for the playoffs. They last lost two straight in midseason in September 2019.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Sept. 8, 2023.
Judy Owen, The Canadian Press
