Mitchell three – Bo Levi Mitchell used last season’s 40-3 Winnipeg trip as fuel, switched up his routine for Hamilton’s Blue Bombers home opener, and powered the Tiger-Cats to a 37-27 win with three touchdown passes in a game of heavy downpours and tense late drama.
For Bo Levi Mitchell, it started with a score he hasn’t forgotten.
Last season’s trip to Winnipeg in September ended with an embarrassing 40-3 loss. On Thursday night. in the Blue Bombers’ home opener. the Hamilton Tiger-Cats quarterback came in with a plan that was as much about routine as it was about playcalling. It showed—at least in the way he carried himself early. and the way his offence responded when the weather made everything more difficult.
“I could see it the entire week of practice, I could see it on the travel — things were different, guys were locked in,” Mitchell said.
It wasn’t just confidence talk. Mitchell described switching “literally everything” about what he does, down to the superstitions he’s leaned on for more than a decade.
“I switched up literally everything that I do, like my routine I’ve done it for 14, 15 years. Superstition-wise, I’m like I’m changing everything.”
That meant no casino on game day. Instead, he went to a steakhouse and paid the bill for a number of his teammates. And while some of his group might have headed to Princess Auto Stadium with a ride share, Mitchell jumped on the team bus.
“Just trying to change things up, change up the juju,” Mitchell said.
When the opening moments settled, Winnipeg faced a quarterback performance that fit the moment. Mitchell went 19 of 24 through the air for 287 yards and three touchdowns—two touchdown throws to Kiondre Smith, with no interceptions. He also kept a drive alive with a 15-yard run. one that eventually ended with a touchdown pass to Max Mang.
“Got five yards in and my legs gave out,” Mitchell joked. “I would have loved to throw the ball for a touchdown, but it feels good on a second-and-long any time you can get a first down as a quarterback, especially as a 36-year-old guy, it felt good to help the team there.”
Hamilton came in off an overtime loss to Montreal and improved to 1-1, avoiding the kind of start that has only happened twice for this franchise in recent memory—the Ticats hadn’t opened a season 0-2 since 2019.
The game, meanwhile, didn’t exactly make things easy. Winnipeg played in front of a 15th consecutive capacity crowd of 32,343, and the atmosphere lived alongside on-and-off downpours that turned possessions into tests of execution.
Despite that, the Tiger-Cats built control. Winnipeg led 10-7 after the first quarter, but Hamilton owned a 24-10 lead at halftime and then entered the fourth up 24-13.
Hamilton’s scoring didn’t rely only on the passing game. The Ticats added a touchdown off a quarterback sneak from backup Jake Dolegala. Marc Liegghio was accurate on field goals from 53, 46 and 23 yards, and he also hit four converts.
Ticats head coach Scott Milanovich singled out Mitchell’s handling of the conditions.
“I thought Bo was amazing under the conditions, against a really good defence,” Milanovich said. “The big run on second-and-14, I think ended with a touchdown if I remember correctly. We needed every point we could get tonight, so I thought Bo played a hell of a game.”
Still, Winnipeg didn’t go away. The Bombers cut the game to 34-27 with 2:12 left when Zach Collaros engineered a late push. Collaros finished 28-of-35 passing for 421 yards, two touchdowns and one interception.
“You know what. offensively we just left points on the field. ” Collaros said of the effort that produced massive yardage without the result. “Obviously, it starts with me turning the football over there in the second quarter, going into halftime. You can’t do that. That’s at least three points for us.”.
Even with the score tightened, Hamilton answered. The Ticats brought in backup quarterback Tre Ford for the first snap, and he broke free for a 23-yard run. From there, Mitchell guided the offence to a decisive field goal from Liegghio—a 23-yarder that sealed it with 35 seconds left.
For Winnipeg, Nic Demski and Ontaria Wilson scored touchdowns, and backup quarterback Bryce Perkins also plunged over the goal line. Sergio Castillo added field goals from 19 and 45 yards, but missed from 43 yards out, while also making three converts. Tommy Nield led all Winnipeg receivers with eight catches for 126 yards.
On the ground, Winnipeg’s defensive statement came through after Hamilton’s running attack found seams. Hamilton rookie American running back Larry Rountree III carried 23 times for 124 yards. Brady Oliveira, the Bombers’ veteran star, was limited to eight runs for 32 yards.
Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea addressed how Rountree got his work done.
“I don’t think he took us by surprise,” O’Shea said of Rountree. “There’s no play design in defensive football that says we’re going to leave two gaps uncovered. So if it happens, if there’s a big space there, somebody’s not in the right gap. And then you compound it by missing a tackle, and those big yards are made.”.
There was also a serious moment early for Hamilton. Defensive back Jamal Peters was taken off the field on a stretcher almost nine minutes into the first quarter. Peters was tackling Nield and his helmet hit Nield’s knee. Hamilton later announced on social media that Peters was conscious and in good spirits on the way to hospital. Milanovich said he didn’t have an update.
By the final whistle, Mitchell’s version of a “change the juju” week had done what it was meant to do: it turned a painful memory into a win, and on a night when the downpours wouldn’t stop, the Ticats found enough clean execution to hold off the late surge.
Bo Levi Mitchell Hamilton Tiger-Cats Winnipeg Blue Bombers 37-27 Kiondre Smith Max Mang Marc Liegghio Zach Collaros Larry Rountree III Tre Ford Princess Auto Stadium