WINNIPEG — The Winnipeg Blue Bombers overcame injuries and a resilient Hamilton Tiger-Cats squad to capture a 26-23 win on Friday Night Football.

Trailing 23-19 with under two minutes to go, pivot Zach Collaros led the team on a game-winning drive capped by a touchdown pass to receiver Kenny Lawler for the final lead of the game.

Winnipeg led 16-3 at halftime, but the Tiger-Cats rallied to take the lead late in the third quarter on a night where the Bombers had to deal with injuries and a rare three-interception performance by Collaros.

Ultimately though the pivot was able to lift his team to a late win with an 11-play, 72-yard drive to move the Blue and Gold to a 5-6 record. Running back Brady Oliveira rushed for 120 yards and left briefly with an injury before returning for the final drive of the night.

Hamilton put up a fight but fell short after being unable to stop Winnipeg’s final drive of the night.

Running back Greg Bell scored a couple of majors and Jamal Peters, Richard Leonard and Kyle Wilson came down with the interceptions of a 2-8 Black and Gold squad

The game started with a scare when offensive lineman Stanley Bryant had to leave the game after feeling ill on the first drive of the night. After the game restarted, the Bombers finished their first possession with a 43-yard field goal by Sergio Castillo to go up 3-0.

Castillo added three more early in the second half after a promising drive by Winnipeg stalled in the red zone.

Quarterback Bo Levi Mitchell moved the Ticats close enough on their next possession to position Hamilton for their first three points with kicker Marc Liegghio .

The following drive featured Hamilton’s defence making a big play. The Bombers marched all the way to the Tabbies’ 15-yard line before Peters jumped a pass from Collaros to shut the door down on Winnipeg and regain possession for the visitors.

Receiver Tim White then got the Ticats going with a 31-yard end around to flip field position, but a second-down sack by Nick Hallett forced Hamilton to punt the ball once more.

The Black and Gold returned the favour with a sack on Collaros by Nick Usher on their next possession that made it second-and-27 and essentially forced the Blue and Gold to kick it back.

The defensive stalemate was broken by a special teams play. Hamilton’s returner Jordan Byrd fumbled the ball on a tackle by Tony Jones that was scooped up by Ayers for the score.

The offensive line situation for Winnipeg got worse when rookie Gabe Wallace went down in the second quarter. Wallace replaced starter Kendall Randolph at right guard, after the veteran was forced to shift to left tackle with the departure of Bryant.

Castillo pushed the Bombers lead to 16-3 just before halftime.

The Ticats started the second half with an encouraging drive. Mitchell spread the ball around to his receivers – including converting a third-and-two – to move the ball across midfield before completing a pass to White who beat Deatrick Nichols one-on-one for a big gain and a first-and-goal. Bell then finished things off with a touchdown run to make it 16-10 with the point after.

Hamilton’s momentum continued with the next possession when Leonard picked off Collaros, the second pick by the Ticats defence on the night. Kicker Marc Legghio then hit a season high 50-yard field goal to put the visitors within three points halfway through the third quarter.

The Bombers then turned to Oliveira in an attempt to right the course and the running back delivered a couple of big runs to put his team in position for another Castillo field goal and a 19-13 lead.

The Tabbies were determined to not let the game get away from them, putting together another scoring drive late in the third quarter. Mitchell completed a deep pass to Brendan O’Leary-Orange and Bell broke the plane of goal once again to give Hamilton their first lead of the game to open the fourth quarter.

Liegghio missed a field goal that would’ve extended Hamilton’s lead with under five minutes left. The defence then stepped up to force a third interception on Collaros, this time by Wilson on a tipped ball. The turnover gave Liegghio another opportunity and the veteran scored to push the lead to 23-19.

The Bombers drove the length of the field with under two minutes to go looking for a comeback of their own and were able to finish the game with a touchdown pass from Collaros to Lawler with under 20 seconds left.

The Bombers announced that Bryant is alert and currently undergoing further evaluation at the hospital. The offensive lineman is stable and with team medical personnel.

Both teams now prepare to face their rivals on OK Tire Labour Day Weekend. The Bombers travel to Regina to face the Saskatchewan Roughriders on Sunday, September 1, while the Ticats host the Toronto Argonauts on Monday, September 2.