Pre-Game Breakdown: Ticats at Bombers

In their second game of the 2015 regular season, the Hamilton Tiger-Cats will head to Investors Group Field in Winnipeg to take on the Blue Bombers.
Hamilton rolls into Week Two with an 0-1 record after kicking off their season with a one-point loss to the Stampeders. The outcome was unfavourable, but the Ticats played a strong game in their first contest of 2015. The defence allowed a very respectable 5.4 yards per play to the league’s second-best offence from last year, while the team found scoring from the offence, defence and special teams.
The Bombers enter the game with a first-week win under their belt, after knocking off the Saskatchewan Roughriders with a strong, balanced offensive performance. The team produced 452 yards of offence last week an equally split pass-run ratio (25-25), while their defence was the epitome of bend but don’t break, allowing 497 yards of offence but just 26 points.

The Week two showdown will kick off tonight at Investors Group Field at 8:30 p.m. ET (TSN / 1150 CKOC). 

TIGER-CATS HISTORY AGAINST WINNIPEG

KEYS TO THE GAME:

Get off the field on second down: The Bombers did not relinquish a single two-and-out in Week One against the Riders and converted 75% of their second down attempts. In total, Winnipeg moved the chains a league-high 28 times in their victory. The Ticats held the Stamps to a 47.8% second down conversion rate last week, and they’ll have to continue to that success if they hope to slow down the Bombers’ offence this week.

Continue to win the turnover battle: The Ticats dominated the turnover battle in Week One, finishing the week with a CFL-leading +4 turnover ratio. Three of the turnovers created were in huge spots, with an end-zone interception and a goal-line stand preventing touchdowns, while Johnny Sears’ pick six ended a drive that seemed destined to score. The Bombers did not turn the ball over once against the Riders, and winning that battle once again could be a huge factor.

Limit the big plays: The Bombers offence produced 16 plays of 10+ yards in their season-opener, including seven that went for 20 or more yards; nearly 70% of their offensive output came on plays of 10 or more yards. This week, the Ticats must cut the big plays, and force the Bombers offence to move the ball in smaller increments.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Ted Laurent: Canadian defensive tackle Ted Laurent had a big game last week, getting to the quarterback for a sack and generating some significant push on two third-down stops. Laurent will be going up against rookie guard Sukh Chungh in Winnipeg, so there is the potential for a big day from him.

Adrian Tracy: Adrian Tracy made quite the name for himself in training camp, wrapping up opposing quarterbacks for four sacks in two preseason contests. Tracy was a standout in training camp practices as well, and with Eric Norwood out with injury, look for Tracy to step up and perform.

Zach Collaros: Collaros is 6-6 on the road after last week’s narrow loss, but expect him to right the ship in that regard this week. Last week, Collaros showed off his ability to create time in the pocket for himself, while completing 27-of-38 passes for 281 passing yards. The Bombers gave up a league-high 497 yards of offence in Week One and did not record a single QB sack. This game has all the makings of one that could kick-start the Ticats’ offence and their starting quarterback.

Tiquan Underwood/Terrence Toliver: Underwood and Toliver are two new receivers who give the Ticats the ability to stretch the field, and the Bombers allowed two passing touchdowns of 35+ yards last week. One of these rookie receivers should step up and show off in Week Two.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME:

Tiger-Cats linebackers vs. Blue Bombers running backs
This week’s most crucial matchup will take place between the Ticats’ linebacking core and the Bombers’ running backs. In Week One, the Bombers running backs ran rampant, amassing a total of 191 yards and two touchdowns. The duo of Paris Cotton and Cameron Marshall also combined for 68 receiving yards, 50 of which came after the catch. A large amount of the yardage gained by the two backs, and Cotton in particular, came on extended plays where he made multiple tacklers miss.
The linebacking core of the Ticats, including Simoni Lawrence, Taylor Reed, and Eric Harris will be tasked with managing the Bombers running backs in coverage, and tracking them out of the backfield to cut off run plays. Tackling is a team effort, but the linebackers will play a large part in stifling the ability of the Bombers’ running backs to create by closing running lanes and limiting space in the open field.

TEAM CONNECTIONS:

Johnny Sears Jr. and Brandon Stewart spent four seasons together in the Bombers secondary, and have been reunited on the Ticats’ roster. Nic Grigsby (14 games) and Anthony Woodson (5 games) also spent time with the Bombers earlier in their CFL careers.

Meanwhile, there are five former Ticats on the opposition’s roster: Matt Bucknor, Chad Rempel, Greg Peach, Ivan Brown and Louie Richardson have all spent time on past Hamilton rosters.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK:

Defensive back Johnny Sears Jr. on what his former Winnipeg teammates should expect come game-time: 

“They better keep their head on a swivel, because they know what I bring, and they might want to stay out of the area of #3 because there’s bad things that are happening right now.”

Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea on making it tough for opposing teams in Winnipeg:

“We need to do a better job this year of not only capitalizing on how tough it is to play here, but also rewarding it. We need to win more games at home so we put ourselves in a better position to make the playoffs.”

Winnipeg head coach Mike O’Shea on what the Ticats do well:

“They’re well-coached. Offensively, Zach Collaros runs their offence well, and he adds the dimension of being very, very slippery out there, so he can buy more time on each individual play. As that happens, defences tend to break down…Defensively, they are very good at disguising their coverage. They are very multiple, they have a lot of different coverages, they bring a lot of different pressures, different angles, different looks.”