Six takeaways and performances of note from the Ticats’ season opener in Calgary.
Johnny Sears Jr. means business
Calgary’s first drive of the game looked like it was destined to put points on the board for the opposition, but Johnny Sears Jr. erased those thoughts quickly. Sears jumped on an overthrown pass by Bo Levi Mitchell, reeling the ball in and returning it 75 yards for the early score.
Sears was not done there, picking off Mitchell for a second time midway through the fourth quarter, stopping another Stampeders drive at midfield.
On top of his impact as a ballhawk, Sears caused disruption in the backfield, bringing down Mitchell for a sack in the first half, while forcing an incomplete pass on another quarterback pressure. One thing is for sure, the Stampeders know where the veteran defensive back signed in the off-season.
Craig Butler leads on defence
Butler was another Ticats defender who stood out in Friday night’s game. The 26-year old safety took down the Stampeders quarterback in the first half, and added a second-half interception to that as well, making his mark on the game.
Butler added three tackles to his strong defensive effort, kicking off another season as a leader of the Ticats secondary.
Training camp focus on turnovers paying off
The Ticats defence focused heavily on creating turnovers in training camp, aiming to reach a daily quota of four. The team surpassed that all-important number in Friday night’s game, intercepting three Mitchell passes and forcing two turnovers on downs, one of which was a big goal-line stand to prevent a touchdown.
The Ticats won the turnover battle 5-1 on Friday night, beginning the season strong in the all-important category.
Defensive line wins battle in the trenches
Two of the turnovers created by the Ticats on the night came on third-down stops that were won in the trenches. The big guys came to play on opening night, holding running back Jon Cornish to 70 rushing yards, while defensive tackle Ted Laurent also managed to bring down Stamps quarterback Mitchell for a sack.
The line rallied for two consecutive goal-line stops in the fourth quarter, preventing Cornish and then Drew Tate from finding the end-zone on back-to-back plays.
In a game of inches, the Ticats line proved to be up to the task, showing that they are prepared to win the important battles early on.
Andy “Mr. Reliable” Fantuz
Andy Fantuz played the role of old reliable on Friday night, making nine catches for 86 receiving yards against the Stampeders.
The sheer volume of receptions was significant, but not as significant as the nature of those receptions. Fantuz was a consistent target for quarterback Zach Collaros, who found his veteran receiver on a number of broken-down plays.
Fantuz made a number of high-impact receptions for the Ticats, extending multiple drives and continuing the preseason connection he shared with Collaros.
Speedy B is still Speedy B
After spending the off-season as a constant topic of conversation, Brandon Banks wasted no time letting his play speak for itself on Friday night.
On his second touch of the season, the shifty returner took a punt 67 yards to the house, giving the Ticats a 13-7 lead in the first quarter.
Banks proved right away that the new CFL rules were created with the punt return in mind, and made it clear that the rules should allow him to do what he does best, even better.
