Blue Bombers 49 Tiger-Cats 29
WINNIPEG — Buck Pierce threw a pair of touchdown passes to Terrence Edwards and ran one in himself as the Winnipeg Blue Bombers defeated the Hamilton Tiger-Cats 49-29 in their CFL season opener Friday night.
The new Bomber quarterback, who has a reputation for being injury prone, ran six times for 89 yards and completed 17-of-24 pass attempts for 291 yards with the two TDs and no interceptions in front of 26,302 fans at Canad Inns Stadium.
The first victory for Winnipeg rookie head coach Paul LaPolice was also sweet for last season’s Bomber players.
Hamilton had defeated the Bombers 39-17 in Winnipeg in the final regular-season game of 2009, a victory that kept the Bombers out of the playoffs.
Edwards’ pair of TDs came off catches of 90 and 27 yards and Bomber linebacker Pierre-Luc Labbe scored on a fumble recovery in the end zone after a blocked punt.
Back-up Winnipeg QB Steven Jyles came into the fourth quarter for a one-yard TD plunge and Pierce scored his TD on a 13-yard run at 11:27 of the fourth.
Bomber kicker Alexis Serna connected on field goals from 26, 12 and 36 yards and added singles off a kickoff and a missed 32-yard field-goal attempt.
Winnipeg punter Mike Renaud had a 79-yard punt single and Hamilton punter Justin Palardy conceded a safety to add to Winnipeg’s total.
Ticat back-up running back Marcus Thigpen had a rare night, returning a kickoff 93 yards for a TD and then a missed field goal 118 yards for a TD.
New Hamilton placekicker Sandro DeAngelis booted field goals from 42 and 22 yards and he and Palardy also had singles.
Hamilton QB Kevin Glenn was 15-of-29 for 197 yards, no TDs, one interception and one fumble.
The game started on a sour note for Winnipeg, but 18 straight points in the second quarter gave them a 24-9 lead at halftime.
On the first play of the game, Thigpen took Serna’s kickoff back for the TD.
Pierce soon showed he’s not shy to run.
When a play broke down, Pierce ran 30 yards to get into Hamilton territory. The drive ended with Serna’s 26-yarder.
After Palardy scored a single on a 72-yard punt, Pierce moved his feet again.
A 22-yard scramble by Pierce got his team to Hamilton’s 12-yard line, but the effort only produced a 12-yard field goal by Serna.
A 9-8 Hamilton advantage stood at the end of the first quarter.
Winnipeg took control in the second quarter, outscoring Hamilton 18-0.
The Ticats couldn’t capitalize on running back Fred Reid’s second-quarter fumble and the Bombers’ offence responded.
Pierce found Edwards behind coverage and threw the long bomb to him, which he turned into the 90-yard TD and 13-9 lead at 7:32.
Winnipeg then got the chance to use a Hamilton turnover and make it count for points.
Bomber linebacker Courtney Smith intercepted a Glenn pass and took it to the Ticat’s 30-yard line. Serna kicked his 36-yarder and upped Winnipeg’s lead 16-9 with four minutes left in the first half.
Serna missed a 32-yard field-goal attempt for a single and then Winnipeg ended the first half with a blocked punt for a TD.
Winnipeg defensive back Brady Browne blocked Palardy’s punt from deep in Hamilton territory and the ball bounced into the end zone until Labbe fell on it for the TD and 24-9 lead.
Edwards’ 27-yard TD catch and a pair of DeAngelis field goals made up the third-quarter scoring and 31-15 Winnipeg lead.
When Serna missed a 49-yard field-goal attempt after a bad snap by rookie long-snapper Adam Bestard, Thigpen ran it out for the TD. Glenn connected with receiver Chris Bauman for a successful two-point convert and narrowed the score 31-23.
A 50-yard run by Reid and a pass interference call on Hamilton set the stage for Jyles to enter the game and score on a one-yard plunge.
Serna also had an 81-yard single on a kickoff.
Hamilton made the score 39-29 when Glenn’s pass to Marquay McDaniel on third and eight was good. A two-point convert pass attempt to Marquay was incomplete.
A safety, Pierce’s rushing TD and Renaud’s single rounded out the scoring.