Pre-Game Breakdown: Ticats vs. Argos on Mark’s Labour Day Weekend

The Tiger-Cats (6-3) are at home for the second straight week, following up a 26-23 last-minute loss to the Alouettes with their second rivalry game of the season against the visiting Toronto Argonauts (6-3). The game is the 47th instalment of the Labour Day Classic between the two Southern Ontario teams; the Ticats hold a 30-15-1 record in the previous 46 games.

Last week’s game was a heartbreaker for the Ticats as they lost their first home game at Tim Hortons Field, ending what was a 10-game win streak since opening the stadium. The game never seemed to generate much of a flow to it, the Ticats struggled to sustain offensive drives and had a hard time getting the Alouettes’ three-down offence off the field. The Alouettes ran down a significant chunk of game-time on their final drive, elapsing 5:52 of the clock over 12 plays, capping the drive off with a 27-yard field goal. The Ticats offence managed to work the ball down the field quickly in an attempt to set up a game-tying field goal, but a Kyries Hebert interception effectively iced the game with 38 seconds remaining.

The Argos enter Week 11 on a losing note as well, after visiting the Eskimos in Edmonton. The double blue hung tight with the Eskimos until the fourth quarter, entering the final frame trailing by only two points, but Edmonton exploded for 21 fourth-quarter points to win 38-15. Similar to the Ticats, the Argos struggled to muster much on offence in Week 10, totalling a season-low 226 net yards in the game. Both teams will be looking to get back on track this week at Tim Hortons Field, where the Ticats won the first meeting between the two teams by a score of 34-18.

Today’s home game against the Argonauts will kick off at 1:00 p.m. ET. To catch all the action from home, tune into TSN 1, 3 or 5 or tune into the inaugural broadcast from Hamilton’s first all-sports radio station TSN 1150. Additionally, the Ticats TV GameDay Live stream on Ticats.ca rounds out the most in-depth coverage of the game. To enhance your game-watching experience be sure to sign up for Ticats All Access to play the GameDay Predictor Challenge!

TIGER-CATS HISTORY AGAINST TORONTO

KEYS TO THE GAME:

Get the run game involved: The Ticats had a season-low 29 rushing yards, which ultimately contributed to the Alouettes being able to send more pressure at the quarterback and bring Collaros down for six sacks in the game. The volume of running plays is not the concern– the Ticats are similar to most other teams in the league in that regard–but an increased efficiency in the run game must be shown. More than anything, proving that the run game is a threat will open up the Ticats strong passing game and make it more lethal than it already has been this season.

Stay disciplined: Week 10 was a rough one for the Ticats when it came to penalties, as the team’s 12 infractions cost them 106 yards. Last week’s penalties hurt the team significantly in the field position battle and put them in a number of unnecessarily difficult positions on offence and defence. Already battling a number of injuries and lining up against a tough opponent on the other side of the field already, the Ticats must stay focused and cut down on unnecessary penalties on Monday.

Win the red zone: Both the Ticats and Argos have converted at very high rates offensively in the red zone, ranking first and second in the league midway through the season. Converting at 75% and 73% respectively, both teams and their quarterbacks have found success through the air in the money zone. On defence the teams are eerily similar as well in their performance, both holding opposing teams to 54% rates inside the 20-yard line. Whoever is able to win the battle in the red zone should be able to pull through and take home a win in the Labour Day Classic.

PLAYERS TO WATCH:

Adrian Tracy: With Eric Norwood on his way to the six-game injured list, CFL rookie Adrian Tracy will be filling in for the Ticats leading sack artist. Tracy has recorded six tackles and a pass knockdown in his two games with the team this season, but he’s managed to garner a considerable amount of pressure on the quarterback. The former New York Giants outside linebacker has spent the past five games on the Ticats injured list, but he’s back healthy and ready to go for the Labour Day Classic. Tracy has some big shoes to fill at the defensive end position, but he’s more than capable of doing so, watch for him to have an impact in today’s game.

Emanuel Davis: The Ticats secondary will have their hands full with the Argos trio of towering receivers, and while it will be a team effort in dealing with Gurley, Elliott and Hazelton, the weight will fall more heavily on some players than others. Emanuel Davis has been the team’s strongest defensive back this season, both in splash plays and down-by-down football. He’ll have to have another strong game against the Argos if the Ticats hope to slow down the double blue’s strong passing attack.

Ted Laurent: Laurent’s anchoring ability and pass-rushing strength is often taken for granted on the defensive line, but the Canadian defensive tackle is always someone to watch. He’s recorded three sacks on the year so far and has significant impact on the majority of defensive plays, Laurent’s play is integral to team success. Besides the importance of his play at defensive tackle, the veteran is an exciting player to watch as he goes head-to-head with opposing linemen in the trenches.

MATCHUP OF THE GAME:

Ticats defensive backs vs. Argos wide receivers

The Ticats secondary has their work cut out for them heading into Monday’s Labour Day Classic game against the Argos. The Toronto Argonauts receiving trio of Tori Gurley, Vidal Hazelton and Kevin Elliott have been taking the league by storm in 2015, combining for 1,265 yards and 15 touchdown receptions in their first nine games.

Hazelton, who played college football with Ticats quarterback Zach Collaros at Cincinnati, leads the league in receptions with 42 and has recorded at least four receptions in eight straight games entering Monday’s matchup. The rookie receiver caught 10 passes against the Ticats in the two teams’ first game at Tim Hortons Field this season, averaging 13.4 yards per catch for a total of 134 yards.

The secondary of the Ticats has had quite the season as well, racking up 14 interceptions and allowing just 62.3% completion percentage through nine games.

The unit will be missing Mike Daly and Johnny Sears Jr. after both went down to injuries last week, but they’ll have 2014 starters Ed Gainey and Craig Butler filling the void.

The matchup will become paramount within the red zone, where the Argos are currently converting at a 73% rate. Elliott, Gurley and Hazelton, who are all big targets, have played no small part in that red zone success, and the Ticats secondary will need to lock down in this crucial area of the field.

TEAM CONNECTIONS:

A handful of players on the Tiger-Cats roster have spent time with the double blue. Zach Collaros and Justin Medlock each spent multiple seasons with the Argos. Anthony Woodson, Terrell Sinkfield and Donald Washington each also spent time in Toronto, prior to joining the Ticats.

On the other side of the field, there are three former Ticats on the opposition’s roster. Hamilton’s very own, receiver Dave Stala (2009-13) spent five seasons on the team’s roster, while offensive lineman Wayne Smith (2004-06, 2011) and linebacker Brandon Isaac (2013) have also spent time in the Black and Gold.