Pre-Game Breakdown: Week 18 at BC

The Tiger-Cats (10-5) have headed to the West Coast for their second game of the season against the BC Lions (5-10).
The Ticats come into Week 18 fresh off of a road win against the East Division rival Alouettes. The 23-11 victory clinched a playoff spot for the Cats and eliminated the Als from contention in the East. Jeff Mathews was methodical in his second career QB win, picking apart the Alouettes defence for 241 yards and a touchdown while completing 84% of his passes. Luke Tasker and Terrell Sinkfield combined for 16 receptions and 197 yards in the game, each moving within 150 receiving yards of 1,000 on the season. Courtney Stephen, Simoni Lawrence and Taylor Reed notched interceptions against veteran QB Kevin Glenn, increasing the Ticats’ league-leading turnover ratio to +20.

The Ticats 10th victory of the season secured their best 15-game record since 1998, and has them on pace for their best overall record since that same 1998 campaign. A Ticats win at BC Place combined with an Argos loss against the Als on Friday night would secure a home playoff game for the Black and Gold; however, the rest of the East Division standings will not be decided until the last two games of the season in the Ticats home-and-home series with the REDBLACKS.
The Lions come into the game following a tough overtime defeat at the hands of the Edmonton Eskimos. For the second straight week the Lions watched an opposing kicker seal the deal on a game; and rather than entering the game with the third West Division playoff spot in hand, BC sits deadlocked in a tie with the Bombers and Als for that final spot in the postseason. A perfect Week 18 for the Lions could not look more different than the Ticats ideal weekend, as it would include a home win over the Ticats, an Alouettes loss to the Argos and a REDBLACKS win over the Bombers on Saturday.
Rookie quarterback Jonathon Jennings enters Friday’s game having won just one of his first four CFL starts, but the Lions have received a spark from his play under centre. Jennings, who has averaged over 300 passing yards per game this season, has rejuvenated the play of receiver Manny Arceneaux and the entire Lions offence as a whole, adding a lethal passing attack to the running abilities of league-leading running back Andrew Harris.
Tonight’s road game in BC will kick off at 10:00 p.m. ET at BC Place. To catch all the action tune into TSN on TV or listen to the play-by-play on TSN 1150 with Andy McNamara and Coach Sal. To further enhance your game-watching experience sign up for Ticats All Access to play the Gameday Predictor Challenge!

NOTABLE NOTES

Takeaways from this week’s Game Notes, provided by the CFL stats crew.

• This year’s Ticats team has clinched a third straight season with a win percentage above .500. The streak is their longest since the four-year stretch from 1998-2002.
• The Ticats total of six blocked kicks this season is the most by any CFL team since 2001 and sits just one short of Hamilton’s franchise record of 7 in a single season (2000).
• Last week’s playoff-clinching win gave the Ticats their sixth playoff berth in the last seven seasons.
• Terrell Sinkfield (85) and Luke Tasker (142) are each less than 150 yards away from recording 1,000 receiving yards this season, despite the fact that both have missed at least three games.
• Jeff Mathews’ 22.5 yards of offence per drive has him ranked just behind Bo Levi Mitchell (23.0) and right ahead of Mike Reilly (21.9) in the league’s quarterback standings.

TIGER-CATS HISTORY AGAINST BC

Last road game vs. BC: August 8, 2014.

Result: Loss (36-29).
The last time the Ticats visited BC Place, they emerged with a 36-29 loss in Week 7 of 2014. Dan Lefevour made the start at quarterback for the Cats, passing for 298 yards while rushing for another 103 and a touchdown. Kevin Glenn was also stellar in the game, amassing a total of 441 yards in the contest, connecting with both Shawn Gore and Emmanuel Arceneaux for 100+ yards each.

Justin Medlock successfully kicked 5-of-5 field goals in the game, including four in the first half, and Brandon Banks recorded a 97-yard punt return touchdown. The Lions scored on five of their seven second-half drives, putting up 19 points in the final half and nine in the final quarter, scraping out a win over the Ticats.

KEYS TO THE GAME:

Contain Jennings in the pocket: The Ticats often get significant gut pressure, which means that they often drive quarterbacks back in the pocket and out of the pocket. Lions rookie Jonathon Jennings is a mobile QB who can make plays with his feet, using his athleticism to give receivers time to get open downfield and gaining yards on his own. The Ticats must continue to get the impactful inside pressure that they usually do, but they must also contain Jennings and prevent him from extending plays.
Maintain offensive balance: Balance on offence has been one of the keys to Jeff Mathews’ success through three starts. The Ticats have averaged just under 100 yards rushing over the last three games, easing the weight off of Mathews’ shoulders and forcing defences to respect the run rather than key on the pass. CJ Gable’s return to the lineup should allow the Ticats to continue this balance and keep the Lions guessing on defence.

TICATS PLAYERS TO WATCH:

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

• Jeff Mathews, QB – Mathews has led the Ticats to back-to-back wins, recording two wins in his first three CFL starts. The Ticats rookie quarterback has completed over 70% of his passes in the three starts, averaging over 260 yards passing and a 4-1 TD-INT ratio. In the Ticats and Lions first match-up of the season, Mathews completed 3-of-5 passes for 42 yards, and now he’ll get the chance to play a full game against the Lions D. In their last three games, BC’s pass defence has stepped up, holding opposing quarterbacks to an average of 263.3 passing yards per game. In those three games, opposing QBs have thrown for a total of three touchdowns and six interceptions.

• CJ Gable, RB – Gable will make his return to the Ticats lineup for his third game of the 2015 season. The veteran running back has missed the last 11 games with an elbow injury, but his only other full game of the season saw him rack up 135 yards on 20 carries against the Saskatchewan Roughriders. Gable will look to pick up where Michael Ford left off, with the Ticats averaging 98.7 rushing yards over the last three weeks.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

• Rico Murray, DB – It’s the second time this season that the Ticats have had both CJ Gable and Rico Murray returning from injury. Murray will make his first start since Labour Day against the Argos, and having him back further solidifies a Ticats secondary that continues to rack up interceptions at a faster rate than any other team. The return of Murray gives the Ticats their complete original starting secondary for the first time all season. In his last return from injury, Murray recorded an interception and five tackles against the Riders and he’ll look to replicate that success in BC on Friday night.
• Taylor Reed, LB – As the Ticats filled out a CFL player poll this week, they were disallowed from voting for their own teammates, but Taylor Reed would have been the unanimous choice as the league’s hardest hitter if they were allowed to choose fellow Ticats. Reed had another stellar game last weekend against the Als, recording five defensive tackles, a special teams tackle and an interception. Reed currently ranks second on the team in tackles (64) and has notched at least five tackles in four of the last six contests, while adding two sacks in that time span.

LIONS PLAYERS TO WATCH:

OFFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

• Andrew Harris, RB – The Canadian running back leads the league in rushing this season (868 yards), on pace for his first 1,000-yard season since 2012. Harris managed just two yards in last week’s game against the Eskimos, but he’ll look to get back on track against the Ticats in his 100th career game in the CFL.
• Emmanuel Arceneaux, WR – Arceneaux has surpassed 1,000 yards for the second season in his CFL career and he’s on pace for a career-high in receptions. The veteran wideout has been on a tear since Jonathon Jennings’ inception into the lineup, making 31 catches for 534 yards in the rookie quarterback’s four and a half starts. Of the team’s four and a half games with Jennings under centre, Arceneaux has eclipsed 90 receiving yards in all but one.

DEFENSIVE PLAYERS TO WATCH

• TJ Lee, DB – Lee is the only player in the CFL to rank in the top ten in both tackles (71) and interceptions (4). The defensive back from Seattle has added three sacks in his second season in the CFL. After racking up seven tackles and a pick in last week’s game against the Eskimos, Lee will face the Ticats dynamic receiving core in Week 18.

• Adam Bighill, LB – The Lions linebacker leads all CFLers in tackles this season with 99 and he’d become one of just eight players to reach 100 tackles in multiple seasons if he records at least one against the Ticats. Bighill is a versatile player who plays a part in everything the Lions do on defence and special teams; he’s sure to have an impact on Friday night’s game in one way or another.

TEAM CONNECTIONS:

The Ticats do not have any players who’ve spent time with the Lions, while just one player on the Lions active roster spent time in Hamilton. Chris Rwabukamba was a fourth round draft choice of the Ticats, playing two seasons with the team. Lions receiver Austin Collie, who was born in Hamilton and whose dad played for the Ticats, will play his second career game against Hamilton on Friday night.