HAMILTON – Bakari Grant hauled in a pair of touchdown passes and the Hamilton defence forced five turnovers as the Tiger-Cats closed out the Toronto Argonauts 34-18 Monday night at Tim Hortons Field.
Grant hauled in 47 of Zach Collaros’ 229 yards passing in a ‘Cats win that saw them remain unbeaten at Tim Hortons Field dating back to last season’s Labour Day opener.
The story heading in surrounded a pair of pivots who once sat in the shadows of future Hall of Fame Argos quarterback Ricky Ray and now earning headlines in command of two Southern Ontario offences.
Both Trevor Harris and Collaros backed up Ray starting in 2012 when the Argonauts won the Grey Cup but two years and a Ray injury later, and the two former roommates were facing off in the first installment of the rivalry for 2015.
A Holiday Monday game that featured two of the league’s premier offences led by Harris and Collaros, it was the Hamilton special teams that put the first points up on the board in rather unorthodox fashion.
Following the Ticats’ first possession, Hamilton sent a 32-yard punt which landed in front of Argos returner CB AJ Jefferson who waited for the ball to settle before picking it up. Tiger-Cats defensive back Brandon Stewart lined up behind the punter on the play and by rule was onside. He snatched up the ball and sped 23 yards untouched for the Hamilton touchdown.
The teams traded a pair of stalled drives each before the injury bug once again bit star Hamilton running back CJ Gable. The Ticats tailback was seen reeling in pain after sustaining a hit from Toronto linebacker Cory Greenwood and was taken to the locker room. He did not return.
It has been a rough two seasons for Gable after a standout 2013 where he took over in the Hamilton backfield. Gable missed the second half of last season and the first five weeks of this season before returning last week against Saskatchewan where he rushed for 135 yards.
Former Argo RB AnthonY Woodson entered at tailback and he and Collaros helped the Ticats lead their first touchdown march of the game. Collaros completed four passes on as many attempts before finding a wide open Bakari Grant in the back of the endzone who calmly let a 16-yard touchdown pass fall into his grasp.
Almost as quickly as the Ticats padded their lead, the Argos cut it in half.
Harris threw a strike to Vidal Hazelton on a small slant pattern but the newcomer found a whole in the Ticats defence and turned it up field for a 41-yard gain. Harris then completed passes to Tori Gurley and Brandon Gillanders before hitting Gurley for 17 yards on an out for the touchdown.
The 5-play, 75-yard drive cut the Ticats lead to 14-7 before the rain started to fall at Tim Hortons Field.
The slippery weather made an impact almost immediately as the ensuing Ticats drive saw Luke Tasker haul in a pass before having the ball stripped and recovered by Argos linebacker Brandon Isaac.
The Argonauts couldn’t capitalize however and the Ticats promptly restored their 14-point lead.
Collaros handed off twice to Woodson, found Tasker for a first down and then thread the needle on a 40-yard touchdown pass to Terrence Toliver on a post who needed to break one arm tackle before jaunting into the endzone.
Following the major, the officials sent the teams to the locker room with 5:38 left in the half due to lightning. The clubs returned 25 minutes later and resumed with Hamilton up 21-7.
When they did return, the Argos sustained a solid drive and punted to pin the ‘Cats deep. Doing so, forced Hamilton to concede a safety to help earn some of the field position back before the teams headed into halftime.
The Argos started the third quarter with possession but a big stop put more points on the board for the Tiger-Cats. The Argos went for it on third-and-one from their own 43 yard line but Harris’ short yardage plunge was inches short of the first down.
The turnover then put Collaros at the controls as he went 5-for-5 and found Grant for his second touchdown of the game on a 3-yard post to the corner of the endzone.
The Argonauts cut the lead to 28-12 with a chip shot field goal from Ronnie Pfeffer on the ensuing possession but the Ticats promptly answered back with a 34-yarder from Justin Medlock.
As for Harris, he was able to move the ball effectively between the 20s but the Ticats secondary played shutdown once the Double Blue got into the redzone. No more evident than the third down gamble from the Hamilton 11-yard line but a pass sailed over the head of the intended target.
Another third down stop by the Tiger-Cats and a 40-yard field goal by Medlock with 2:44 remaining put the game out of reach.
A late Argos major from backup QB Mitchell Gale to Hazelton in mop up time counted for the other Argos score.
The Tiger-Cats stay at home to host Drew Willy and the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and the Argos make their return to Toronto, playing in their home opener against the Saskatchewan Roughriders.
