The Tiger-Cats (3-2) will play in front of another sell-out crowd at Tim Hortons Field on Sunday night, as the visiting Winnipeg Blue Bombers (3-3) come to town for the teams’ second meeting of the season.
Last week saw the Ticats triumph over the division-rival Toronto Argonauts, taking the home opener by a score of 34-18. Zach Collaros and Bakari Grant showed off top-notch chemistry in the game, connecting on two touchdown passes. Collaros added another touchdown strike to Terrence Toliver, while the special teams unit continued to produce points, kicking off the game with a first-quarter touchdown on an onside punt. The defence was the epitome of bend but don’t break last week, allowing 431 yards to the Argos offence, but digging in their heels when it mattered, forcing three turnovers on downs in third-and-short situations in the game.
The Bombers come into this week’s game on a winning note as well, topping the BC Lions 23-13 in a home win. Drew Willy had a career-high 72 yards rushing in the victory over the Lions, while playing a very efficient game from the pocket as well. Willy has proven his value to the team this season; with him, the team has outscored opponents 113-102, while being outscored 70-19 without their starting quarterback. The Bombers enter the game sporting a league-low 323 yards of offence per game, and they’re running into one of the league’s top defences this week at Tim Hortons Field.
Tonight’s home game against the Bombers will kick off at 5:00 p.m. ET. To catch all the action from home, tune into TSN or 1150 CKOC and be sure to tune into the GameDay Live stream on Ticats.ca for the most in-depth coverage of the game. Pre-game streaming on Ticats.ca will begin at 4:00 p.m. ET.
TIGER-CATS HISTORY AGAINST WINNIPEG
| WINS | LOSSES | TIES | PTS FOR | PTS AGAINST | |
| ALL-TIME | 52 | 60 | 0 | 2666 | 2814 |
| LAST 10 (TOTAL) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 295 | 207 |
| LAST 10 (vs. WPG at home) | 6 | 4 | 0 | 259 | 216 |
| IN 2014: | 1 | 1 | 0 | 42 | 38 |
KEYS TO THE GAME:
Get to Drew Willy: The Bombers live and die with their quarterback’s success, as evidenced by the disparity between their play with and without him. If the Tiger-Cats are able to get pressure on Willy and make him uncomfortable, it will go a long way in shutting down the Bombers offence. Pressure alone is not the only key against Willy, who can get out of the pocket and move the ball with his legs. On top of sheer pressure, the Ticats defence must contain the Bombers quarterback and make sure they bring him down before he breaks free of the pocket.
Maintain second down success: The Ticats have the best second down conversion rate in the league, converting nearly 60% of their opportunities. No team since 2011 has converted at a 50% or higher rate for more than five games in a row, something that Hamilton has the opportunity to accomplish in tonight’s game. Just one team has allowed a higher conversion rate this season than the Bombers at 51.2%, so the opportunity to extend the streak should be there for the Ticats in tonight’s game.
Capitalize on mistakes: The Tiger-Cats have been opportunists in 2015, capitalizing on opponents’ turnovers for 19 points through five games. On the other side of the field, the Bombers have allowed a league-high 58 points to opponents when they turn the ball over. Last week, the Ticats took the wind out of the Argos sails early in the third quarter, forcing a turnover on downs and turning it into a score in the other direction. Creating turnovers and converting them into points could be a big game-changer in tonight’s game.
PLAYERS TO WATCH:
Bakari Grant: Grant has been the team’s top receiver in 2015, leading the team in both yards (312) and touchdowns (3). His two touchdowns last week were integral to the team’s win, and that success at Tim Hortons Field is nothing new. Last season, Grant hauled in the team’s first home touchdown at the new stadium, adding another one later in the season against the REDBLACKS. When he’s not on the receiving end of Zach Collaros’ passes, Grant is one of the best skilled position players in the league at blocking for his teammates, so you can look for him to impact tonight’s game in one way or another.
Eric Norwood: The Ticats defensive end made a massive impact in his return to the field last week, recording eight tackles, a sack and a forced fumble in his 2015 debut. Norwood missed the Ticats last game against the Bombers, but he’ll be ready to go tonight against the team who’s allowed the most sacks in the CFL (16) this season.
Luke Tasker: Tasker was another player who stepped up in his return to the lineup last week, reeling in seven receptions for 73 yards. The veteran receiver’s return to the offence has added importance this week, with Andy Fantuz out of the lineup. With the Canadian receiver on the six-game injured list, Tasker could soon assume his position atop the Ticats receptions leaderboard.
Mike Daly: Ticats starting safety Craig Butler will miss tonight’s game with an injury, but his replacement is more than capable of filling in. Daly recorded an interception in his only other start at safety this season, in the road game against the Bombers. Butler is a leader on the defence, and filling in for him is no small task, but Daly has done well filling in before, and he should be up to the task again.
MATCHUP OF THE GAME:
Ticats defensive backs vs. Bombers receivers
Last time the Ticats and Bombers met, Hamilton scored two interception touchdowns, with the secondary clearly winning this battle.
That being said, the Bombers receivers, and particularly Darvin Adams, have been on fire as of late. Adams has recorded two 120+ yard receiving performances over the last three weeks, averaging a league-high 18.8 yards per reception on the season.
Veteran receiver Clarence Denmark has been relatively quiet over that stretch of games, recording just six receptions for 23 yards in the last two games. Denmark remains a threat, though, especially in the deep passing game, having already brought down four catches of 30+ yards this season.
The Ticats secondary has been strong themselves this season, limiting opponents to a 64% completion percentage through five games. Missing Craig Butler at safety, the secondary will have somewhat of a different look to it; however, it remains loaded with talent like mainstays Rico Murray, Courtney Stephen and Emanuel Davis, along with newcomer Donald Washington, who’s stepped up admirably in the past three weeks.
Facing a strong receiving unit and quarterback, it will be integral for the Ticats secondary to stay true to their assignments and communicate in the absence of their starting safety. This matchup will be of utmost importance as the Ticats and Bombers square off tonight.
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.
