WINNIPEG 鈥� Brady Oliveira is ready to be in the playoff spotlight.
The Winnipeg Blue Bombers third-year running back will make his first post-season start at that position when the team hosts the B.C. Lions in Sunday鈥檚 CFL West Division final at IG Field.
The opportunity to do that in his hometown in front of family, friends and fans is something he relishes.
鈥淭his is meaningful football and this is when you want to play,鈥� Oliveira said Friday after Winnipeg鈥檚 closed practice.
鈥淚鈥檝e worked extremely hard. Us as a team, we鈥檝e worked extremely hard to earn our right to play in the West final and to keep extending our season and to ultimately play for another championship.
鈥淭he fact that my role this year is a lot larger than it was in the past is a blessing.鈥�
Oliveira was injured in June 2019 and needed ankle surgery that halted his season. The Bombers went on to win the 2019 Grey Cup, ending the club鈥檚 28-season championship drought. The 2020 season was cancelled because of the pandemic.
Last year, it was veteran Andrew Harris carrying the ball in the West final and a second Grey Cup the Bombers claimed. Harris signed with the Toronto Argonauts in the off-season.
Oliveira was given the chance to show his stuff and help the team in its quest for a three-peat. He did that in a big way.
The 25-year-old played all 18 games, rushing for a career-high 1,001 yards off 202 carries with four touchdowns.
Oliveira finished third in league rushing yardage, behind B.C.鈥檚 James Butler (1,060). Calgary鈥檚 Ka鈥橠eem Carey was tops with 1,088.
Those ground games are just one example of Sunday鈥檚 marquee matchups on both sides of the ball.
Winnipeg鈥檚 defence was ranked No. 1 in the league for allowing the fewest offensive points per game (19.2) and fewest offensive TDs (27). B.C.鈥檚 defence was second in offensive points per game (20.7) and third in offensive TDs (36).
Lions head coach Rick Campbell described both teams鈥� defences are 鈥渙pportunistic."
鈥淚 think it鈥檚 going to be one of those games where if either defence can force turnovers or anything like that, it鈥檒l make a big difference,鈥� Campbell said after a practice earlier this week.
On the flipside, the Lions topped the league with 28.3 offensive points per game. Winnipeg was second with 28.2. The Bombers had a league-high 58 offensive TDs while B.C. was second with 56.
The game pits a savvy veteran quarterback versus a young gun with a Canadian birth certificate who wowed fans during the first half of the season.
Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros had the best regular season in his 10-year career and helped the team win a franchise-best 15 games (15-3) and finish first in the division.
He threw for a career-high 4,183 yards and career-best 37 touchdowns. He鈥檚 the West Division鈥檚 nominee for the league鈥檚 most outstanding player, an award he captured last season.
Lions second-year quarterback Nathan Rourke missed eight games because of an August foot injury that required surgery, but the Victoria native still churned out some notable numbers.
He finished the regular season throwing for 3,349 yards in 10 games. His 78.3 per cent completion rate (255-of-324) was the highest in CFL history and his 123.6 passer rating was the all-time second highest.
He also ran 39 times for 304 yards, but wasn鈥檛 his usual mobile self in last weekend鈥檚 West Division 30-16 semifinal win over the Calgary Stampeders, running only once for five yards.
Bombers defensive end Willie Jefferson noticed Rourke didn鈥檛 move around as much.
鈥淲e just want to get to him,鈥� Jefferson said. 鈥淲e want to make it hard for him, make it hard for him to see his reads as quick as he wants them. 鈥� As long as we can get back there and make him move around, get that ankle a little bothered and things like that, we鈥檒l be good.鈥�
The Bombers took the season series 2-1 against the Lions (12-6). Winnipeg won 43-22 in B.C. in July when Rourke was playing, lost in mid-October when Collaros was rested for the road game, and won the teams鈥� regular-season finale in Winnipeg Oct. 28.
Collaros played the first quarter in the finale and Rourke made his return from injury and saw just over a quarter of action.
鈥淚 don't think we鈥檝e played our best football yet, and especially not against Winnipeg,鈥� Rourke said this week.
鈥淲hen we played them in the summer, I don't think I played my best game. Turning the ball over too much against a team like that, you're not going to win any games.鈥�
He doesn鈥檛 want a repeat this weekend.
鈥淚 think that we've got to play our best football, and so I'm looking forward to seeing what that looks like on Sunday, hopefully,鈥� Rourke said.
B.C. LIONS (12-6) AT WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (15-3)
West Division final, Sunday
IG Field
HOME RUNS: The Bombers were 8-1 at IG Field this season. Going back to 2019, they鈥檙e 24-2, including last year鈥檚 21-17 West Division final victory over Saskatchewan.
CLOSE CALLS: The last four West Division finals weren鈥檛 decided until the game鈥檚 final three minutes. None were won by more than eight points.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 11, 2022.
Judy Owen, The Canadian Press
