Week 7 vs. Winnipeg Blue Bombers – Tim Hortons Field, August 9
Result: 38-8 (Win)
Top Performers:
- Collaros (HAM): 20/32, 280 yards, 3 TDs, 2 INTs
- Marshall (WPG): 7 att, 39 yards
- Toliver (HAM): 4 rec., 78 rec. yards, 1 TD
- Davis (HAM): 4 tackles, 2 INTs, 2 TDs, 1 KD
In their second home game of the season, the Ticats hosted the 3-3 Winnipeg Blue Bombers in what would be the final meeting between the two teams in 2015.
Hamilton defensive back Emanuel Davis kicked off the scoring just two minutes into the game, intercepting a Drew Willy pass that was tipped at the line by Bryan Hall. Davis returned the interception 65 yards down the sideline for his second pick six of the season.
The Ticats defence forced a two-and-out on the ensuing Bombers drive and then proceeded to block the punt, giving their offence the ball the Winnipeg 23-yard line. The offence cashed in immediately, as Zach Collaros found Bakari Grant in the end zone on the very next play. The following kickoff was recovered by Ticats rookie Jay Langa, putting the offence in scoring position immediately again. Collaros connected with offensive tackle Ryan Bomben for an 8-yard touchdown on the fourth play of the offensive series, and after just 6:37 and 18 total plays, the Ticats held a commanding 21-0 lead.
The Black and Gold defence racked up five first-half sacks on Drew Willy, including two from both Justin Hickman and Eric Norwood. Collaros and Terrence Toliver connected on a 58-yard touchdown in the second quarter, while Justin Medlock added a 35-yard field goal to give the Ticats a 31-0 lead heading into the second half.
Justin Veltung got the Bombers on the board in the second half, scoring on a swing pass from seven yards out. Winnipeg would score another single point on the subsequent kickoff, but that was the extent of their offensive production on the day. Brandon Banks had a punt return touchdown called back on an illegal block in the third quarter, but the Ticats would finish their scoring the way they started, with an Emanuel Davis pick six. Davis nabbed his second interception of the day— this one against Robert Marve, who was inserted into the game after Willy went down with injury— returning it 53 yards to the end zone, capping off a 38-8 win for the Ticats.
Turning Point: Already leading 14-0 with all the momentum on their side, the Ticats were graced with a perfect bounce on Justin Medlock’s third kickoff of the day. The ball bounced in front of the Bombers kick returners and rookie Jay Langa was able to pounce on the ball, securing excellent field position for the second straight drive while giving the Ticats their third straight offensive possession. The recovery allowed the offence to cash in for another six points, giving the team a 21-0 lead before the Bombers even had a chance to get settled in at Tim Hortons Field.
Week 8 vs. BC Lions – Tim Hortons Field, August 15
Result: 52-22 (Win)
Top Performers:
- Collaros (HAM): 19/23, 290 yards, 4 TDs
- Harris (BC): 8 att, 36 yards
- Tasker (HAM): 6 rec, 100 yards, 2 TDs
- Norwood (HAM): 4 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 1 fumble recovery, 1 TD
The Ticats got off to a fast start for the second straight week, breaking the floodgates wide open with a 21-0 lead after the first quarter. Brandon Banks began a special afternoon with a 44-yard receiving touchdown on the team’s first drive of the game, breaking two tackles on his way to the end zone. Ted Laurent and Eric Norwood combined to force and recover a fumble by Lions running back Andrew Harris. After Laurent knocked the ball out, Norwood scooped it up and took it 26 yards to the end zone for six, giving Hamilton a 14-0 advantage just 18 plays and 7:09 into the game.
Zach Collaros and Tiquan Underwood hooked up on a 58-yard touchdown, the first of Underwood’s CFL career, late in the first quarter to give the Cats a 21-0 lead. They’d add three points to that lead when a forced fumble by Norwood set up an early second-quarter field goal. A 78-yard punt single by Richie Leone got the Lions on the board in the second, but Banks answered right back for the Ticats with a 96-yard punt return touchdown on the very next BC punt. BC would add nine points at the end of the frame on an Austin Collie touchdown and a 51-yard Leone field goal, but the Ticats held a 31-10 lead heading into the locker room at halftime.
Luke Tasker scored his first two touchdowns of the season in the second half, contorting his body to haul the second one in. Tasker racked up 67 yards on three receptions in the second half, cracking 100 for the first time in 2015. Erik Harris picked off Travis Lulay in the second half, weaving his way through the Lions offence to the end zone to give the Ticats a 51-12 lead in the third quarter.
The Ticats would add a point on a punt single, while BC added a field goal and touchdown in garbage time to finish the game with a 52-22 final score.
Turning Point: Immediately following the Ticats first touchdown of the game, Ted Laurent broke through the Lions defensive line to blow up an Andrew Harris run in the backfield. Laurent hit Harris hard, stripping the running back of the ball and sending it right into Eric Norwood’s hands. Norwood had a relatively unchallenged scamper to the end zone, putting the Ticats up by 14 points early. The score was reminiscent of the previous week when Hamilton jumped out to an early, commanding lead over the Bombers. In both instances, the opposition was out of the game before it even started.
Week 9 @ Edmonton Eskimos – Commonwealth Stadium, August 21
Result: 49-20 (Win)
Top Performers:
- Collaros (HAM): 18/30, 325 yards, 3 TDs
- Franklin (EDM): 4 att, 61 yards
- Sinkfield (HAM): 6 rec, 118 yards, 2 TDs
- Daly (HAM): 7 tackles, 1 sack, 1 forced fumble, 2 INTs
Tied for a lead in the East Division with the Argos (6-2), Week Nine brought the Tiger-Cats a road date with the 5-3 Eskimos, who entered sitting second in the West.
Mike Daly picked off Matt Nichols on the Eskimos first offensive drive of the game to set up the first of two Collaros-to-Sinkfield touchdowns, as the Ticats jumped out to an early 14-3 lead. Sinkfield exploded for 115 yards to go along with his two first-half scores, the second of which was set up by a Bryan Hall forced fumble.
The second quarter brought more of the same for the Tiger-Cats; a forced fumble by Taylor Reed followed by a long catch-and-run by Sinkfield set up a short Ray Holley touchdown run to increase the lead to 21-3. By the end of the game, the Black and Gold had amassed 35 of their 49 points off of takeaways, increasing their season total to 118 through eight games.
The Ticats tacked on another touchdown on a Brandon Banks jet sweep, while Edmonton was held to just one more field goal in the half. After two quarters at Commonwealth, Hamilton held a double-digit halftime lead over their opponents for the fourth straight game.
The Eskimos received some life in the second half after the insertion of James Franklin at quarterback. Franklin amassed 315 offensive yards and passed for two touchdowns while leading the team to 13 third-quarter points; however, the Ticats kept pace with 14 points in the third and pulled further ahead with another seven in the final quarter.
Terrence Toliver hauled in a toe-tapping touchdown at the front of the Esks end zone for six, Collaros scored on a three-yard run, and Eric Norwood closed out the scoring for Hamilton with a 106-yard fumble return touchdown.
Mike Daly picked off his second pass of the game in the second half, closing out an impressive game for the young Canadian safety. Along with seven tackles, Daly recorded two interceptions, a forced fumble and a sack in the game. The Ticats fifth straight win— all of which were by at least 15 points— was also their fifth consecutive game with 30+ points.
Turning Point: Down 14-3, the Edmonton Eskimos offence was attempting to keep themselves in the game with points on their fourth drive of the game. Just past midfield, Matt Nichols connected with Devon Bailey to gain 13 yards and a first down, moving the ball into Ticats territory. Just as the Esks offence was finally gaining some momentum, Ticats linebacker Taylor Reed came up with a big hit on Bailey to jar the ball loose. Hamilton was able to recover the fumble, and just two plays later they scored their third touchdown of the game, increasing their lead to 21-3.
Week 10 vs. Montreal Alouettes – Tim Hortons Field, August 27
Result: 23-26 (Loss)
Top Performers:
- Collaros (HAM): 20/27, 293 yards, 1 TD, 1 INT
- Rutley (MTL): 17 att, 62 yards, 1 rec, 65 yards, 1 TD
- Tasker (HAM): 5 rec, 69 yards, 1 TD
- Hebert (MTL): 5 tackles, 1 sack, 1 INT
For the first time in four weeks, the Tiger-Cats allowed their opposition to get on the board first as Montreal jumped out to a 7-0 lead on a Brandon Rutley touchdown. Rutley snagged a screen pass out of the Alouettes backfield and took it 68 yards to the end zone, also marking the first time in four weeks that the Ticats opponents scored the first touchdown of the game.
The two teams traded field goals to close out the first quarter with a 10-3 Als advantage, but a nine-play, 88-yard drive by the Ticats squared up the score just over two minutes into the second quarter. Zach Collaros, who completed five passes on the drive, extended the play on 2nd-and-goal to find Luke Tasker in the back of the end zone for Tasker’s third score of the campaign.
Als quarterback Rakeem Cato was removed from the game in the second quarter after taking a big hit on a sack from Ticats defensive end Eric Norwood. In his stead, Tanner Marsh stepped in at quarterback for the Alouettes. The punt immediately following Cato’s injury was dropped by Brandon Banks and recovered by the Als, giving Marsh a short field for his first possession.
Marsh completed just two passes for eight yards on the drive, but a 14-yard run by Samuel Giguere and an 11-yard run by Rutley set the QB up for two goal-line rushing attempts, the second of which he cashed in for a touchdown and a 17-10 Montreal lead. Brandon Bede missed wide left on a 45-yard field goal attempt late in the quarter, giving the Ticats time to set up and convert on a 49-yard attempt of their own, narrowing the halftime lead to 17-13 for Montreal.
In the second half, the two teams exchanged field goals and the Ticats gave up two points on a safety to give the Alouettes a 23-16 lead. An eight-play 72-yard drive, highlighted by two long completions to Terrence Toliver, set Jeff Mathews up for a quarterback sneak into the end zone to knot the game up at 23-23 with 7:30 remaining.
Marsh and the Alouettes offence ate up nearly six minutes of clock on their final possession, driving the ball 72 yards on 12 plays before kicking the go-ahead field goal with 1:35 left on the clock. Hamilton’s offence crossed mid-field into Montreal territory, but a Kyries Hebert diving interception effectively ended the game at the Als 40-yard line.
Turning Point: On their eventual game-winning drive, the Alouettes were forced into second-and-long situations three times. Montreal’s offence was able to run off a massive chunk of game clock, thanks to three conversions of eight or more yards, forcing the Ticats into a high-pressure situation on offence. The Hebert interception sealed the deal, but the long drive by the Als offence put the Tiger-Cats in a position where they had to move the ball upfield urgently.
Week 11 vs. Toronto Argonauts (Labour Day Classic) – Tim Hortons Field, September 7
Result: 42-12 (Win)
Top Performers:
- Collaros (HAM): 26/38, 400 yards, 4 TDs
- Holley (HAM): 9 att, 84 yards, 3 rec, 31 yards
- Sinkfield (HAM): 5 rec, 110 yards, 2 TDs
- Lawrence (HAM): 8 tackles, 1 sack
The Argos entered Tim Hortons Field for Labour Day with an identical 6-3 record to the Tiger-Cats; the longest-standing rivalry in the CFL held first-place implications at the midway point of the season.
Swayze Waters opened the scoring with an 82-yard punt single on Toronto’s first drive of the game, only to have that answered with a Terrence Toliver touchdown on the Ticats first offensive possession. The Ticats defence forced the second of six punts on the Argos next drive, following that up with another 92-yard scoring drive to take a 10-1 lead.
The next two Argonauts possessions ended with takeaways by the Black and Gold, as Neil King got in front of a punt and Courtney Stephen picked off a Trevor Harris pass. Both turnovers were turned into points by the Ticats offence, as another Medlock field goal and a Tiquan Underwood touchdown doubled their lead to 20-1. Terrell Sinkfield closed out the half’s scoring with another Tiger-Cats score, boosting the lead to 28-1 heading into the break.
In a dominant first half, the Ticats offence amassed 305 yards and 18 first downs in comparison to the Argos’ 85 yards and five first downs. Zach Collaros racked up 294 passing yards and three touchdowns with a 72% completion rate, and the team out-possessed the Argos by more than five minutes.
The Ticats added another field goal to their lead in the third quarter, before the Argos ripped off 11 straight points to close the gap to 18 points. However, Terrell Sinkfield’s second touchdown of the day re-opened Hamilton’s lead to 24 points, a total that was bolstered yet again with a Jeff Mathews touchdown run.
The Ticats closed out the game with a 42-12 win over the visiting Argos, pushing their season series lead to 76-40 across their two victories. Collaros finished the game with a season-high 400 passing yards and four touchdowns, while both Sinkfield and Tasker broke the 100-yard single-game mark.
Turning Point: As was the trend across the second quarter of the season, the turning point in the Ticats double-digit win was a takeaway that extended the team’s already-substantial lead. Leading 10-1 with all of the momentum on their side, the Ticats forced a third consecutive Argonauts punt. Neil King managed to tear through the Toronto line untouched to block the punt and immediately put the Tiger-Cats offence back within striking distance. The drive ended in a Collaros-to-Underwood strike, extending the team’s lead to a commanding 17-1 advantage.
