(Hamilton) Brady Oliveira rushed for a season-high 147 yards and a touchdown to power the Winnipeg Blue Bombers to a 31-10 victory over the Hamilton Tiger-Cats on Friday night.
The Bombers (10-6) collected their eighth straight victory to take a five-point lead over the Saskatchewan Roughriders (7-7-1), second in the West Division.
The Manitoba team also cemented its first home playoff game with this victory and will secure first place – and home field advantage for the sectional final on November 9 – if the Roughriders lose or tie Saturday night against the Edmonton Elks (5-10).
Oliveira increased his rushing yardage total to 1,254, a CFL high this season. The league’s top Canadian last year also recorded his league-high sixth performance of 100 or more yards on the ground.
Terry Wilson’s one-yard rushing touchdown run – his second of the game – at 6:51 of the fourth quarter cemented the Blue Bombers’ victory in front of a crowd of 22,241 at Tim Hortons Field.
The Tiger-Cats (6-10) suffered their first loss in five games, dealing a blow to their precarious playoff hopes.
The Tiger-Cats remain four points behind the Toronto Argonauts (8-7) in the race for third place in the East Division, but the Argonauts have a game in hand.
The defeat of the Hamilton club earned the Ottawa Redblacks (8-6-1) a presence in the playoffs, their first since their defeat in the 2018 Gray Cup against the Calgary Stampeders.
Bombers quarterback Zach Collaros finished the game with 13 of 19 completions for 201 yards and a touchdown.
Ticats quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell completed just 15 of his 27 passes for 217 yards and two interceptions.