Edmonton Eskimos quarterback Mike Reilly (13) carries the ball during the first half of CFL football action in Hamilton, Ontario against the Hamilton Toger-Cats on Saturday, September 19, 2015. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Peter Power
HAMILTON — Otha Foster and Aaron Grymes scored a pick-six each, while Zach Collaros left the game with a knee injury as the Hamilton Tiger-Cats fell 25-18 to the Edmonton Eskimos on Saturday at Hamilton’s Tim Hortons Field.
Collaros suffered the injury on a first-down scramble the second quarter and did not return for the Ticats, and on Saturday the league’s leading defence took full advantage. The Esks scored 20 points off five turnovers and finally the game-winning touchdown by Kendial Lawrence with 43 seconds left.
Rookie quarterback Jeff Matthews struggled in relief of Collaros, throwing three interceptions on 12-of-20 passing and eventually being replaced by former Eskimo Jacory Harris. But Harris fumbled in the game’s final minutes on a sack by Willie Jefferson, and after Don Oramaisonwu recovered it the Esks drove down the field to score the winning points.
With the win the Esks split the season series and keep pace with the Calgary Stampeders at the top of the West, now sitting just a game back of first place. The Ticats, meanwhile, fail to add to their lead at the top of the division and may have to look forward without star pivot Collaros.
With the wind at their backs on a blustery afternoon on the Hammer, the Ticats needed to get ahead of the eight ball in the first quarter. Back-to-back defensive stops gave them an early edge in field position, then the offence struck with a big play from the burner Sinkfield.
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No. 14 used his speed and found a pocket in the Esks’ secondary, settling to catch a 33-yard pass from Collaros to move the Ticats within scoring range. Edmonton’s stout defence held on first down, but on second down the Ticat pivot stood tall in the face of pressure and delivered a perfect ball on the corner route to an open Terrence Toliver.
Esks linebacker JC Sherritt took a 15-yard penalty for a low hit on Collaros, but that wasn’t enough to thwart a 10-yard touchdown pass and a 7-0 Ticat lead much to the delight of a packed Tim Hortons Field.
The struggle for field position continued but in the second quarter with the Ticats on the move, a potential turning point both in the game and Hamilton’s season arrived. Collaros was scrambling on a first down play up near midfield, but after being caught behind by Esks’ lineman Mathieu Boulay he suffered an apparent knee injury.
The CFL’s leader in passing yards, touchdowns and quarterback rating had his knee examined on the sideline then gingerly left the field under his own power, later returning to the sideline with his leg wrapped in ice and not in uniform.
Backup quarterback Matthews moved the Ticats down the field with the help of a first-down burst to the outside by Brandon Banks, but the drive stalled while a Justin Medlock three-pointer extended Hamilton’s lead to 10-0.
Even without Collaros in the game at quarterback, however, the Ticats weren’t about to make it easy for Reilly and the Esks. Edmonton’s offence was smothered all half by an overpowering Ticat defence, with the Esks’ only points of the first half coming off a safety and a Sean Whyte field goal.
The Ticats responded with a drive from Matthews and Medlock’s second field goal of the game, giving Hamilton a 13-5 halftime lead.
A defensive duel continued into the third as the CFL’s top-ranked defences kept teeing off. A return by Banks into Esks territory sparked the Ticats, but Deon Lacey’s second sack of the season ended the threat.
After the Ticat defence continued to set the tone with a stop and a safety to make it 15-5, the Eskimos’ defence responded. Linebacker Otha Foster jumped on an errant pass from Matthews and followed a convoy of blockers to score the Eskimos’ first touchdown of the game from 45 yards out.
Matthews felt the pressure on the backside and forced the pass over the middle, and the veteran Foster was all over it to provide an enormous spark for the visiting Esks. Edmonton failed to score a two-point convert, but cut the deficit to 15-11 with 7:15 to go in the third quarter.
A third field goal from Medlock made it 18-11, but just as Matthews settled in and got the Ticats’ offence moving consistently, it was the defence again making a big play. This time with Hamilton inside the 10, Matthews’ pass in the end zone was intercepted by Marcell Young to end the threat and keep the Esks within a touchdown.
| Knee injury sidelines Ticats’ Collaros |
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 Zach Collaros exited the game in the second quarter and did not return after suffering an apparent knee injury. Read More |
Reilly went for the home run ball on the very next possession but he was picked off himself by Emanuel Davis, marking the Esks’ first turnover of the game. But while the Esks’ offence couldn’t find breathing room against Hamilton’s elite defence, it was the Green and Gold defence that was just a step ahead of everyone on this afternoon.
Up a touchdown, Matthews scrambled on second down and after feeling the pressure fired to the wide side of the field, only to be intercepted by Grymes. Grymes ran all the way for the Esks’ second pick-six of the game, knotting things up at 18 apiece.
The defences continued to battle after that while the Ticats turned to Harris looking to get a spark — but the Esks’ defence remained relentless. Then in the game’s final minutes, Jefferson chased down Harris and forced what would turn out to be the game-winning fumble.
Reilly picked up a first down with his legs to move the Esks into field position, then Adarius Bowman moved the sticks as the Eskimos continued to chip away at Hamilton’s defence in the safest way possible.
Finally, Lawrence got the ball outside the tackles and followed his blockers into the left side to score the game-winning touchdown.
