Winnipeg Blue Bombers 49 Hamilton Tiger-Cats 29
New Bomber quarterback Buck Pierce completed 17 of 25 passes for 291 yards and two touchdowns to Terrence Edwards; Pierce also ran the ball six times for 89 yards, finding the end zone once as he led his new football club to a 49-29 win over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats.
The 26,302 at Canad Inns Stadium witnessed rookie head coach Paul LaPolice get his first victory in the CFL.
Backup quarterback Steven Jyles also scored on a one-yard touchdown run in the 4th quarter.
Winnipeg linebacker Pierre-Luc Labbe scored after recovering a fumble in the end zone following a blocked punt. Bomber punter Mike Renaud added a 79-yard punt single.
Hamilton’s Kevin Glenn went 15-of-30 passing for 197 yards and one touchdown strike to Marquay McDaniel, who caught seven passes for 108 yards. Backup running back Marcus Thigpen returned the opening kickoff 93 yards for a touchdown; Thigpen also returned a missed field goal 118 yards for a touchdown.
Newly acquired Hamilton placekicker Sandro DeAngelis converted on both of his field goal attempts from 22 and 42 yards out; he and punter Justin Palardy each had a single in the first quarter.
Winnipeg’s Alexis Serna went 3-of-6 on field goals, connecting from distances of 26, 12, and 36 yards. Serna also added singles off a kickoff and a missed 32-yard field goal.
