Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - July 19, 2015, Winnipeg, Manitoba C M Y K PAGE B2 THE FIFTH QUARTER B 2 WINNIPEG FREE PRESS, SUNDAY, JULY 19, 2015 winnipegfreepress. com THREE PHASES �� OFFENCE After failing to score an offensive touchdown in a Week 3 win over the Montreal Alouettes, the Bombers struck quickly for two TDs in the first quarter - and three TDs overall. Clarence Denmark had a 75- yard first- quarter catch and run for a TD, while Darvin Adams had a 79- yard catch and run for a TD in the third quarter. By night's end, Bombers QB Drew Willy was a cool 22- for- 27 for 289 yards, two TDs and one interception. The Bombers running game never did get going, however, generating just 76 yards - 29 of which came on one Paris Cotton run in the first quarter that helped set up Winnipeg's second TD. �� DEFENCE The Bombers defence held Calgary to just 99 yards offence in the first half and looked like it was going to play a decisive role on this night. But a withering 107- yard Calgary TD drive in the third quarter took 11 plays and some of the sting out of the Bombers defence. By night's end, Calgary RB Jon Cornish had 120 yards on 15 carries and his biggest game in what had otherwise been a disappointing season. �� SPECIAL TEAMS Two Bombers special teams turnovers - one on a punt return, the other on a punt - led to 14 Calgary points. And Bombers kicker Lirim Hajrullahu had a miserable night, going just 1- for- 3 on field goals and just 2- for- 3 on converts. THE HERO: As Jon Cornish goes, so go the Stamps, who are almost unbeatable when Cornish rushes for over 100 yards. A big second half saw Cornish finish the night with 120 yards rushing and an 8.0 yards per carry average. THE GOAT: The Bombers special teams wear the horns for this loss, coughing up the ball twice in the first half and gift- wrapping Calgary 14 points. The first special teams turnover was made by Bombers returner Troy Stoudermire, who fumbled a punt return in the first quarter that led to Calgary's first TD ( and two- point conversion). And then in the second quarter, Calgary special teamer Adam Berger blocked a punt by Hajrullahu and Stamps teammate Adam Thibault returned it 10 yards for another Calgary touchdown ( the convert was no good). Throw in two missed field goals and a missed convert by Hajrullahu and that was the ball game. EXTRA POINTS Three kickoffs went for singles, two by Winnipeg and one by Calgary... At halftime, Willy was 9- for- 12 for 138 yards and one TD... Bombers running back Paris Cotton finished with 10 carries for 56 yards... Darvin Adams led the Bombers receivers with five catches for 121 yards. NOTE BOOK The Bombers come home before returning to Alberta later this week to play the Edmonton Eskimos Saturday. Some CFL teams in recent years have used back- to- back road dates in Alberta and elsewhere to simply stay on the road, saving on airfare and using the time together for some team- building exercises. The Bombers considered that option, but decided spending seven days between games in Calgary and Edmonton didn't make economic sense. - Wiecek JEFF MCINTOSH / THE CANADIAN PRESS Winnipeg QB Drew Willy hands the ball off to Paris Cotton during first- quarter action in Calgary Saturday night. Cotton finished the game with 56 yards on 10 carries. GREEN BAY, Wis. - Brett Favre headed up the Lambeau Field tunnel, a path that he had walked dozens of times. He turned left at the end, and then walked through a set of double doors. The Green Bay Packers' locker- room was just down the hall on the right. And that's when it finally it him. He was back at his football home. The three- time MVP quarterback was being inducted into the Packers Hall of Fame on Saturday night, a ceremony inside Lambeau Field that was to also include the retirement of his No. 4 jersey. It was the first time in the franchise's storied history that a player was to receive both honours at the same time. " It was like I never left. It was a great feeling. It was kind of weird because I had been here for a couple of hours and just walked off of Lambeau," Favre said before the ceremony. " It's kind of funny how things are triggered. And then it was kind of a sigh of relief almost." It was a moment that some Packers fans thought would never come, not after the " will he- or- won't he retire" drama that marked the end of his 16- year tenure in Titletown. He was traded to the New York Jets in 2008, then played two more seasons with division rival Minnesota starting in 2009 before calling it quits for good. " I'd much rather go out that tunnel right there," Favre told frenzied fans on the field before the ceremony, pointing to the home tunnel. He played two games at Lambeau as a visitor with Minnesota. Now a reconciliation that has been years in the making is finally complete. Fans, many of them wearing No. 4 jerseys, welcomed Favre back as if he never left. He signed autographs, and caught up with old friends. Tailgaters milled around parking lots as if they were getting ready for a Bears game. More than 67,000 people were expected to watch the ceremony on video boards inside the stadium bowl. Favre said he would try not to get emotional on Saturday night. He was fightixng back tears by the time he was addressing fans on the field by microphone on a sticky afternoon. Chants of " MVP! MVP! MVP!" ringed the stadium. " One more year," yelled some in the crowd. " All I can say is, ' Wow.' This is absolutely amazing," Favre said. - The Associated Press MIKE ROEMER / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS Former Packers great Brett Favre waves to fans as he walks onto Lambeau Field. By Genaro C. Armas Pack faithful welcomes Favre home C ALGARY - It will be small consolation to fans, stinging as they are from what many will regard as the win that got away Saturday night at Mc- Mahon Stadium. But for what it's worth, Winnipeg Blue Bombers kicker Lirim Hajrullahu - who wore the horns in a 26- 25 loss to the Calgary Stampeders - saved perhaps his best performance for after the game. Hajrullahu - who missed two fieldgoal attempts and a convert - made sure he was the first one available to face the media when the Bombers opened their locker- room. And instead of making excuses, Hajrullahu took full responsibility for his team's loss on a night a missed convert - his league- leading fourth missed convert this young season - represented the margin of defeat. " I'm trying to do my best out there and I, obviously, fell short today," said Hajrullahu, adding he shares fans' bewilderment with why he's been having so much trouble with the pointafter- touchdown converts that are now being kicked from the 32- yard line this season, even while kicking field goals from 49 yards ( Saturday) and 50 yards ( last week). " I'm asking myself the same question," said Hajrullahu. " I think it's just the mental challenge and I have to get over it." While Hajrullahu wore the biggest target, there were other Blue Bombers players who made key errors that led to this loss. A bone- headed fumble on a punt return by Troy Stoudermire, for instance, came with Winnipeg up 16- 0 and sparked what was ultimately a 23- point Calgary run. " I made a huge mistake in the first quarter, and it cost my team big," said Stoudermire. " I take full blame for it. I should have had more ball protection on it. I wish I could have that play back." And with the Bombers trailing 26- 25 late in the fourth quarter, the Winnipeg offence had the ball secondand- four on the Calgary 45- yard line when quarterback Drew Willy took a horrendous time- count penalty that cost the Bombers a down and forced them to attempt a 52- yard field goal on the next play. Hajrullahu missed the long field- goal attempt and Willy took full responsibility for putting his kicker in a bad position. " I had enough time to get ( the play) off - that's on me," said Willy. " I saw them in a cover- zero ( defence) and I was just trying to communicate to the receivers what we wanted to do and just didn't get it off." But no sooner had Willy taken responsibility for the time- count violation than Bombers head coach Mike O'Shea stepped forward to say the blame rested with him. " When I realize the ball's not being snapped, I've got to call a timeout at that point," said O'Shea. " We were in a position to get another first down and kick a field goal with no time left on the clock." O'Shea, who's normally upbeat even in the most disappointing of losses, was more blunt than usual with his words after a road game Saturday - by universal acclamation - the Bombers felt they should have won. " It's sickening," said O'Shea. " We had a team like Calgary on the ropes and we let them off the hook. We're not smart enough. We need to play smarter football. And they all know it. " The positive out of it is these guys all expect way more out of themselves. The sense, compared to last year, is different - it's really different. They expect to win this game - they really do." paul. wiecek@ freepress. mb. ca Twitter: @ PaulWiecek Lirim Hajrullahu Hajrullahu takes the heat Team By Paul Wiecek not living up to own expectations, O'Shea says B_ 02_ Jul- 19- 15_ FP_ 01. indd B2 7/ 18/ 15 11: 13: 00 PM ;