WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers are coming off of perhaps the most impressive performance of their season after coming out of Edmonton with a 30-3 win last week over the Eskimos.

Now it’s time for the second meeting with the Ottawa REDBLACKS, a team that defeated the Bombers back in Week 10 with a 44-21 pounding. Trevor Harris threw for 361 yards in that game, while William Powell rushed for over 100 yards on the ground as well.

“If you don’t play well you get beat,” Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea said of the mid-August game.” But we’ve learned that a few times this year. You’d hope you’d learn it sooner.”

The meeting brings together the league’s two top rushers in Powell and Winnipeg’s Andrew Harris, while also bringing together two quarterbacks who have faced their moments of criticism this season in Trevor Harris and Matt Nichols.

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Despite the loss back in August, the Blue Bombers have been using that game film as a source of reflection in order to go over what mistakes were made, and what could be fixed ahead of their Friday’s tilt in the nation’s capital.

“We’ve been watching it all week so it was like going back to the crime scene,” said defensive back, Chris Randle.

“The first episode of ‘Winnipeg vs. Ottawa’ didn’t end so well, so I’m not really going for an encore,” said Randle on Wednesday. “Just reviewing those guys, seeing what they’re about. That was the last game in our eyes where we weren’t as good as we are today, so it’s a good challenge for us. It’s important for us to stay focused.”

Playing against Edmonton, the Bombers managed to rush Mike Reilly often, which, in turn, caused a lot of chaos in the backfield for the Eskimos. Winnipeg finished the game having wrapped up Edmonton’s quarterback four times. Although the Bombers found success in applying pressure, the REDBLACKS offer a much different look on offence.

“Not every week, I think you’ve got to go with your matchup, with the system, with the style of play,” Randle said on whether Winnipeg could rush Ottawa the same way they did against Edmonton. “With Trevor Harris and the run-pass options they have, the running game they have, just the way they attack us is way different. It’s not as vertical.”

Randle expressed the importance of Winnipeg’s defence remaining focused and understanding their game plan well in advance of Friday’s game against the REDBLACKS.

“Their system is hard, honestly,” he says. “If your eyes are misplaced or you’re not as focused on what the situation is if you think it’s just going to be a run, or you think it’s just going to be a quick pass, that’s when they hit you over the head. That’s when 85 comes into the game and he’s going over the top, or 88 is sneaking out for a deeper pass.”

Their Week 10 loss to Ottawa served as a wake-up call and starting a journey that eventually led to everything coming full-circle last week against the Eskimos.

“After the first time we played them we were coming off of a three-game win streak, so ever since then, our routine, how we prepare is way different,” said Randle.

Returning to practice this week after missing the game against Edmonton, Nic Demski offered up some analysis on Ottawa’s defensive scheme, appearing to have a firm understanding of what to expect on Friday.

“They’re physical, they’re fast, they like to travel and swarm the ball, so we just have to out-physical them, be faster than them and just make our plays when they come because they do let you have some plays in their defence,” Demski said. “We just have to take advantage of that and I think we’re going to be okay.”

Physicality was a common theme in how Demski addressed how the Bombers offence needs to prepare, especially when facing a team with a potent offence like Ottawa.

“You just have to make the catch,” said Demski on how he as a receiver can play physical. “No matter what, even if you’re getting hit. We have to finish our blocks, obviously, we’ve got a good run game going this year. We just have to be physical, man. We can’t let them dictate the game, we’ve got to dictate our own game.”

Win or lose on Saturday, the game against the REDBLACKS will mark their final meeting with an East Division opponent until a potential crossover in the playoffs, but as Demski says, the final stretch of the season becomes very much like a playoff scenario in needing to win each and every week.

“You just have to take it week-by-week, team-by-team, and at the end of the day, the wins will come.”

With files from BlueBombers.com