Emanuel Davis continues strong season
Emanuel Davis continued his excellent start to 2015 with another great game on Sunday night. Davis, who led the team in tackles heading into the game (20), kicked off the game’s scoring with a 65-yard interception return touchdown in the first quarter. As if that wasn’t enough, Davis capped off the game with another pick-six, this time, a 53-yard return. The two interception TDs were his second and third of the season, all three of which have come against the Blue Bombers. On top of the interception touchdowns, the third-year defensive back recorded four tackles on the night, extending his season total to 24, while also adding two pass breakups. Davis has been one of the most consistent members of the Ticats strong secondary through six games, and his performance in tonight’s game added more fuel to the fire.
Ryan Bomben steps into new role for Ticats
Ryan Bomben, who was acquired from the Alouettes in the off-season as an offensive guard, stepped into a new but familiar role on Sunday night. Bomben, the six-year CFL veteran, reeled in his second career touchdown pass from eight yards out. The guard lined up as a tight end on the play, in a role which he had previously occupied in Montreal during the 2011 and 2012 seasons. The play had been in the works at practice for a few weeks, but this was the first time that Bomben caught a pass as a member of the Ticats. Having a player who is versatile enough to line up anywhere on the offensive line and also catch passes out of the tight end position is an asset that few if any teams can boast. The versatility was one of the reasons behind the Ticats’ trade for the Burlington native, and it was on full display Sunday night.
Langa, Gascon-Nadon make special plays on special teams
Rookie safety Jay Langa and veteran defensive end Arnaud Gascon-Nadon each made big-impact plays for the Ticats in the first quarter of Sunday’s game. Gascon-Nadon beat his blocker on a first-quarter punt, getting a hand on the ball and knocking it straight into the air. Neil King came down with the blocked punt, giving the Tiger-Cats possession on the opponent’s 23-yard line. The Ticats scored on the following play, dealing the Bombers a huge blow early in the game.
Just one play later, rookie safety Jay Langa made his own impact play, racing downfield and recovering the live ball on a Ticats kickoff. The Bombers return unit seemed to treat the play like a punt, expecting the Ticats cover unit to allow five yards. Langa made a heads up play, jumping on the ball to give the offence another extremely short field to work with. The two special teams plays set the tone early in the game for Cats, getting the Tim Hortons Field crowd into the game and putting the Bombers out of it early.
Toliver continues ascent in CFL
Terrence Toliver has excelled in his rookie CFL season, averaging 60 yards per game over his first six games. Toliver’s 78-yard performance was his fourth game of 70+ yards on the season, while the 58-yard touchdown reception he made was the third of his rookie year. The talented receiver has clearly taken to the Canadian game quickly, and he’ll only get better as he becomes more familiar with the nuances of the game up North.
Laurent, Hickman and Norwood make a statement about defensive line
All three veteran defensive linemen were on fire tonight against the Bombers, each bringing down Winnipeg quarterbacks Drew Willy and Brian Brohm multiple times in the Sunday night contest. Norwood’s two sacks brought his season total to three in just two games while Hickman’s three sacks were his first three of the season. Laurent has been a consistently strong performer all season, generating constant pressure from the interior defensive line. The veteran defensive tackle narrowly missed a third sack on Willy in the first half, which would have upped his season total to four. The defensive line has been a consistently impressive component of the Ticats team from game-to-game, and they continued that streak on Sunday night, making a statement with their performance.
Collaros with another efficient game
While Collaros’ final stat-line does not jump off the page, his first-half stats certainly did, and his overall performance was much better than the final numbers indicate. Collaros was on point in the first half, shredding the Bombers defence for 192 yards and three touchdowns in what was a near-flawless 30 minutes of football.
The second half stat-line appears less impressive, as Collaros was picked off twice by the Bombers defence; but while the interceptions don’t look pretty on paper, it’s hard to fault the Ticats quarterback solely for either one. In the second half, Collaros’ strengths were not necessarily apparent in the numbers, but it was his patience and composure that were on display. The fourth-year quarterback was able to extend play after play, exercising patience with the ball and not forcing passes into troubled situations. Collaros’ calmness and maturity were what set the quarterback’s performance apart from his peers in the second half.
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