WINNIPEG 32 HAMILTON 25
Quarterback Joey Elliott led the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to just their second win of the season Thursday, making the Hamilton Tiger-Cats pay for their six turnovers in a 32-25 victory.
"I was glad to get the ball," Elliott said of his noticeably stronger second-half performance. "As a quarterback, in the second half, once you kind of figure what they're doing, you kind of know what to get down the field and get in the groove."
It was only Elliott's third start at quarterback since he put on a Bomber uniform three seasons ago.
"He made great decisions," said Winnipeg head coach Paul LaPolice.
"He didn't throw a turnover. He didn't have an interception or a fumble."
He said the win is important in many ways for the Bombers, who now sit at 2-5.
"It allows us to keep pace with everybody else in the league. ... More than anything, it's a lift for our guys."
Rookie running back Will Ford, a recent addition to the Bombers roster, scored the winning touchdown with less than two minutes left in the game.
The Ticats, now 3-4, went into the game hoping to gain ground on their East Division rivals but couldn't overcome the six turnovers.
"The fumbles did it," said dejected Hamilton quarterback Henry Burris. "I had three fumbles on the day, one that should have been a touchdown.
"That was the deciding factor, I've got to protect the ball better."
Hamilton coach George Cortez didn't disagree, although he dismissed any suggestion he would go with someone other than Burris, who the Ticats picked up in a trade with Calgary.
"When you turn the ball over you don't have many chances to win," he said.
"We were not taking care of the ball when we had people around us."
The Bombers started slowly again, putting only a single point on the board in the first quarter. It's something LaPolice said they have to address.
And it was Burris who took command early, scoring a touchdown on his first drive with a 37-yard pass to Chris Williams.
The Bombers' only point in the first quarter came on a single from a missed 49-yard field goal by Justin Palardy.
Williams scored a second touchdown in the second quarter on a punt return but Palardy kept the Bombers in the game with two field goals to end it 14-10 for Hamilton. He added another in the third.
Hamilton's Luca Congi had one field goal, a 43-yarder in the third.
In the third, Elliott led the Bombers on a fourplay 78-yard drive to their first touchdown with a handoff to Chad Simpson, tying the game at 17-17.
Winnipeg took the lead in the fourth when Elliott connected with Chris Matthews for the Bombers' second touchdown.
