The Winnipeg Blue Bomber face their toughest test of the season Friday night against the top team in the CFL. The Montreal Alouettes are 9-1 on the season and quarterback Davis Alexander is shredding defences in spectacular fashion. “I think he brings a great deal of confidence to the unit, not just offensively but to the whole team,” Blue Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros told reporters Thursday. “Anytime you can inspire your team, I think it’s a good thing whether that’s the way he carries himself or just his overall talent level.” Meantime, the Blue and Gold are 5-5 after last week’s Jekyl and Hyde performance against the Edmonton Elks. “Just because we did good in the first quarter and the second quarter doesn’t mean that we can take a step back in the third and fourth,” Bombers defensive back Jonathan Moxey told CTV News. “I think we just have to keep that energy, keep that tenacity up.” Winnipeg came out swinging and looked nearly unstoppable in the first half against the Elks, building an early 16-0 lead. But the wheels fell off in the final 30 minutes as the Bombers offence went silent and a walk-off field goal by the Elks sent Winnipeg packing. “Do I feel the frustration along with them? Absolutely, we’re a team, right? We’re all in this together,” Blue Bombers head coach Mike O’Shea said Thursday. “There is going to be frustration, but we screw it back down, get back to work and get after it, and try to have some fun doing it.” Winnipeg running back Brady Oliveira, who rushed for 118 yards against Edmonton, said the Bombers are far from down and out. “I see there’s so much belief in the locker room,” Oliveira told reporters. “The guys are showing up every single day, whether it’s good or bad… knowing there’s ways to improve.” And while the Bombers may be underdogs on paper against the Alouettes, Collaros believes his team has what it takes to pull out a win in front of the Blue and Gold faithful. “You don’t go into a football game thinking that you shouldn’t win the game,” Collaros said. Kickoff from Princess Auto Stadium is slated for 7:30 p.m. Two Royal Canadian Air Force CF-18 Horney fighter jets will conduct flypasts over the stadium prior to kickoff as part of Bombers’ CAF Appreciation Game festivities.
