WINNIPEG -- The Winnipeg Blue Bombers won their first game at a sold out Investors Group Field on Sunday with a 25-13 defensive upset of the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
Will Ford and quarterback Justin Goltz, with two, scored touchdowns for the Bombers, while Sandro DeAngelis added a field goal and picked up a single on a miss.
It was a complete reversal of last week's 48-25 loss in Regina.
The Riders didn't manage a touchdown with Chris Milo kicking four field goals and Saskatchewan picking up only a single in the entire second half.
It wasn't pretty at times, with fumbles, interceptions and costly penalties on both sides, but the hometown crowd of 33,500 finally had a reason not to leave early.
The Winnipeg offence struggled at first and a stingy defence and special teams kept the Bombers (2-8) alive in the opening quarters, despite a slew of penalties.
In the first half alone, Winnipeg took eight for 61 yards, while the Riders had only two for 10.
Goltz threw his first pick at just 1:35 and managed only two complete passes out of seven tries and 12 yards in the entire first half.
Riders quarterback Darian Durant was more effective in the half with nine of 17 and 61 yards for Saskatchewan (8-2), although he also threw his second interception of the season. But he still couldn't get over the goal-line and he was intercepted more than once.
The Bomber defence sacked him at least six times during the game, eight if you count a couple wiped out by penalties.
The loss leaves the Riders tied with the Calgary Stampeders for the lead in the West Division and the CFL.
Milo scored first for Saskatchewan.
The only touchdown of the first half came on a 98-yard kickoff return by Ford, making his debut as a starter at tailback for an injured Chad Simpson, just over six minutes into the first quarter.
The Bombers had possession of the ball for only about three minutes of the first quarter but still emerged with a 7-3 lead after Ford's touchdown.
Milo's next two field goals gave the Riders a 9-7 lead until Bombers defensive back Marty Markett recovered a fumbled punt return.
Goltz connected with a diving Clarence Denmark in the end zone but the ball hit the ground first and it was ruled incomplete.
Winnipeg had to settle for a field goal and a brief 10-9 lead but Milo's fourth put the Riders back on top 12-10 as the half ended.
In the third quarter, Saskatchewan took a couple of costly penalties that killed an interception and set up Winnipeg's second touchdown of the game on a three-yard run by Goltz to make it 17-12.
Saskatchewan picked up a single on a punt but then a Durant fumble at the end of the third quarter set up Goltz's second touchdown of the game at the opening of the fourth to make it 24-13.
It capped a six-play 62-yard drive that was Winnipeg's most solid of the game to that point but the offence looked a lot sharper in the final quarter.
DeAngelis missed at 40 yards and settled for a single to finish the scoring.
Goltz went down hard late in the fourth quarter but walked off under his own steam.
