WINNIPEG 鈥� The fire inside Brady Oliveira is burning a bit hotter this week, which could spell trouble for the Toronto Argonauts.
The Blue Bombers star running back said he and the offence are ready to take on the CFL鈥檚 best run defence at a sold-out Princess Auto Stadium on Friday, especially with the stakes so high.
A Winnipeg victory would earn the team (10-6) a ninth consecutive win and clinch first place in the CFL West Division with the reward of hosting the final on Nov. 9.
鈥淓very week I鈥檓 going to run hard, I鈥檓 going to run tough, but maybe in the magnitude of this game, understanding what鈥檚 on the line for us, I think that鈥檚 all that has to do it for myself,鈥� Oliveira said after Thursday鈥檚 walk-through practice.
鈥淭he team needs my best, obviously every single week, but especially in this game. And if we鈥檝e got to put it on our backs, we鈥檒l do so.鈥�
Oliveira leads the league in rushing with 1,254 yards off 216 carries, good for a league-high 83.6-yard average per game.
He鈥檚 coming off a season-high 147 yards with one touchdown in last week鈥檚 31-10 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
Friday鈥檚 match pits him against an Argonaut defence that has only allowed an average of 75.5 yards per game.
A tie against Toronto (8-7) would also give the Bombers their fourth straight division title. If they lose, they could still capture first place if the Saskatchewan Roughriders lose or tie at home against the B.C. Lions on Saturday.
The Argonauts also have a playoff goal within reach.
A win or tie against the Blue Bombers would give Toronto an East Division playoff spot and eliminate Hamilton from post-season play. If the Argos lose, the Ticats (6-10) remain in the hunt and have already swept Toronto 3-0 in their season series.
The Argonauts handed the Bombers their last loss on July 27, a 16-14 victory that put Winnipeg鈥檚 record at 2-6 after a 0-4 start.
Toronto head coach Ryan Dinwiddie said he鈥檚 not surprised by Winnipeg鈥檚 turnaround since that game.
鈥淚 think they got healthy and they got on a streak and their defence is playing really good right now,鈥� he said.
One main change since that victory is Toronto鈥檚 starting quarterback.
Chad Kelly was serving a nine-game league suspension at the time and is making his first career start against Winnipeg.
He鈥檚 3-3 since his return and has struggled to engineer touchdown drives, passing for 1,917 yards with six TDs and eight interceptions.
鈥淚鈥檓 still trying to get back into the groove, the rhythm,鈥� Kelly said. 鈥淚t鈥檚 about timing, really. Just being on the same page with everybody.鈥�
Veteran defensive tackle Jake Thomas said Winnipeg鈥檚 defence knows Kelly can break out at any time.
鈥淔or the most part, he can do it all,鈥� Thomas said. 鈥淓ven when he鈥檚 corralled and it looks like he鈥檚 going to be taken down for a sack, there鈥檚 been two or three plays this year where he kind of pitches it out last second.
鈥淗e鈥檚 a pretty good improviser. He does well extending plays. When he does escape the pocket, that鈥檚 really when I think he shows off that big arm strength. I think the best thing we can do is try to corral him and keep him in the pocket.鈥�
The Bombers are also aware of Toronto鈥檚 solid run game, which tops the league with an average of 126.1 yards per game. Winnipeg is third at 115 yards.
Ka鈥橠eem Carey has carried most of the load for the Argos and is 34 yards shy of reaching 1,000 on the season.
Winnipeg鈥檚 defence is ranked sixth against the run, allowing an average of 104.4 yards per game.
Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros said Toronto鈥檚 defence is good at disguising coverages and has a strong front seven.
鈥淭hey don鈥檛 do as many things as some of the teams that we鈥檝e gone against recently, but what they do, they really have belief in their system and they do it really well,鈥� Collaros said. 鈥淭hey do a great job at taking the ball away and they鈥檙e really opportunistic.鈥�
TORONTO ARGONAUTS (8-7) AT WINNIPEG BLUE BOMBERS (10-6)
Friday, Princess Auto Stadium.
REST PAYS OFF: The Argonauts are coming off a bye week and sport a 7-0 record since 2022 when returning after a break.
HOME SWEET HOME: Friday鈥檚 game marks Winnipeg鈥檚 fourth straight sellout of 32,343, keeping the club as the league leader in attendance for a third consecutive year. The Bombers鈥� total home attendance this season will finish at 280,497 fans, an average of 31,166 per game. Both marks are single-season franchise records.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 10, 2024.
Judy Owen, The Canadian Press
